Delivering Welfare Assistance Schemes in the North East Nicola Hall Director of Communication &...

Delivering Welfare Assistance Schemes in the North East

Nicola Hall

Director of Communication & Performance - Five Lamps

Five Lamps• 28 years of Making People Matter

• Mission: To transform lives, raise aspirations, remove barriers and offer choice

• Values: Making People Matter; Service Matters; Performance Matters; Informed Choices; Share Success; Make Communities Matter

• Vision: Creating Possibilities: Improving Lives

• Strapline: Making People Matter

• Awards: Investors in People: Gold; Investors in People: Champion; Matrix; Customer First; RBS SE100 ‘Impact Champion’ Award 2012

Integrated Service Portfolio

Economic Development

Employability

To have a positive impact and increase employment

figures in Stockton- on- Tees, by supporting people

to access training and sustainable job opportunities

Enterprise

To have a positive impact and increase employment

figures within the Tees Valley, by supporting

people to start their own businesses.

Youth Services

To provide NEET young people with skills and

qualifications to prepare them for employment.

To provide a range of evening and weekend

activities for young people to raise their confidence

and aspiration.

Financial Inclusion & Housing

To provide affordable credit and financial support to

financially excluded individuals across the North

East, enabling them to move away from their

reliance on unaffordable or illegal credit.

To reduce the number of long term empty properties

Welfare AssistanceBack on Track – Stockton Borough Council

Five Lamps (end to end provision)

Northumberland Emergency Transition Support (NETs) – Northumberland County Council

DAWN Advice (lead organisation; call handling)Five Lamps (system; assessment; fulfilment of awards)VOICES (third sector engagement)

Help Advice Network Durham (HAND) – Durham County Council

Civica (lead; system; review)Family Fund (provider of goods and services)Five Lamps (call handling; assessment; fulfilment of awards; third sector engagement)

DWP – Social FundKey differences •Awards will be made in the form of goods and services NOT cash (only in exceptional circumstances)

•Awards are dependent on funds available at the time of the application

•Repayment of loans will no longer be deducted from the customers benefit payment

•Awards will be made in the form of a loan or a grant (or combination of both) depending on affordability at the time of application (grant only in Durham)

Support still available from DWP•Short Term Benefit Advance

•Budgeting Loans (or Budgeting Advances for Universal Credit recipients)

•Hardship Fund

Welfare AssistanceHAND (Durham) Back on Track (Stockton) NETs (Northumberland)

Daily Living Expenses

AIM: To help meet an applicants immediate short term needs for goods or services that arise because of a disaster or unforeseen

circumstances. In particular if the inability to afford the goods/services will result in a

deterioration of the health or well being of the applicant or a member of their household. This includes direct payments to utilities and

prepayment card/voucher for food and travel

Crisis Support for Daily Living Expenses

AIM: To either prevent an immediate deterioration to an applicant’s health and well being due to the inability to affords the goods

or services requested, or following an exceptional event or loss of property or

possessions by providing short-term access to food, gas and electricity supply, and limited supplies of clothing and baby consumables,

such as nappies and milk

Emergency Support

AIM: To either prevent an immediate deterioration to an applicant’s health and well being due to the inability to affords the goods

or services requested, or following an exceptional event or loss of property or

possessions by providing short-term access to food, gas and electricity supply, and limited supplies of clothing and baby consumables,

such as nappies and milk

Settlement Grant

AIM: To help applicants remain in the community or move back into the community

after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation. This will be achieved by

providing access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white

goods.

Settlement Support

AIM: To help applicants remain in the community or move back into the community

after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation. It does this by providing

access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white goods

Transition Support

AIM: To help applicants through periods of transition, for example, to remain in the

community or move back into the community after a period in supported or unsettled

accommodation. It does this by providing access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white goods.

Eligibility• Applicants must be aged 16 years or over and be a resident of Stockton-On-Tees/

Durham/ Northumberland, or in exceptional circumstances be in the process of moving into the area to flee domestic violence, hate crime, forced marriage or honour based violence

• The applicant has no other form of immediate financial assistance (eg. family, friends, employer, own resources or other available funding streams)

• Even if the applicant qualifies to make an application there is no guarantee that any support will be provided, although Five Lamps would wish to be able to provide names of other services that may be able to offer support depending on the applicant’s own personal circumstances.

HAND Back on Track NETs

If the applicant has received a DLE grant for the same item or service

within the previous 12 months, then a further award will not

normally be allocated

Limited to 2 support awards per applicant per financial year (only in extreme exceptional circumstances would a

third be application be considered)

Limited to 2 support awards per applicant per financial year (only in extreme exceptional circumstances would a

third be application be considered)

Eligibility - Daily Living/ Emergency Support1. An immediate need for items or services has arisen following an exceptional event or unforeseen circumstances involving the destruction or loss of property or possessions (for example the applicant has suffered a disaster to their home such as major flooding, gas explosion or house fire; death of a family member)

OR

2. As a direct result of the inability to afford the goods or services requested either the health of the applicant or their partner will immediately deteriorate and they must also meet at least one of the following:

Note: Durham recently changed their policy from needing to meet BOTH elements of 1 and 2 above to now either point 1 or point 2

They have a serious physical health problem, which they are receiving treatment for

They have a dependent child who normally lives with them and that child’s health would be at immediate risk

They are homeless, or at risk of homelessness

They have a substance or alcohol misuse problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for

They are on probation or receiving support relating to their offending history

They are affected by, or at risk of domestic abuse, hate crime, honour based violence or forced marriage

They have a learning disability They have a physical or sensory impairment They have a mental health problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for

They are an older person with support needs (Stockton & Northumberland defined as 50 years; Durham 60 years)

They are pregnant (Stockton defined as 24 weeks plus)

There is a serious risk to the health and safety of the applicant

Fulfillment - Daily Living/ Emergency SupportHAND Back on Track NETs

Food PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher Supermarket Voucher

PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher/ Food

Bank

Key consumables for babies

PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher Supermarket Voucher PayPoint Text Voucher/

Supermarket Voucher

Clothing Park Clothing Payment Card Love to Shop Voucher Love to Shop Voucher

Heating Direct payment to supplier Direct payment to supplier/ Paypoint Energy Voucher

Direct payment to supplier/ Paypoint Energy Voucher

Travel Bus Voucher/Train Ticket/Arrangement of a Taxi

Bus Voucher/Train Ticket/Arrangement of a Taxi


Award ValueUp to 7 days of support and based on a maximum award

value of £60 plus additional £25 for each dependent child

Up to 7 days of support and based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance

Up to 7 days of support and based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance

Decision Time

• Decision within 2 hours• If the decision is made before

3pm then support will be provided the same day

• If the decision is made after 3pm then support will be provided on the next working day

• Decision within 2 hours • If the decision is made before



• Decision within 2 hours • If the decision is made before



Eligibility – Settlement / Transition Support1. Be in receipt of a qualifying benefit

AND

2. Must (if eligible) have applied for a budgeting loan or advance from the DWP and have been declined before their application will be considered (recently removed from Durham’s policy)

AND

3. The applicant requires support for at least one of the following:

AND

4. Health needs (outlined in Daily Living/ Emergency Support)

Support to move back into the community after a stay in supported or temporary accommodation or following an unsettled way of life

Support to move out of inappropriate accommodation

Support to stay in the home and prevent a move into residential care or hospital

Support to prevent a serious deterioration of health within the home (Stockton only)

Support with costs to ease exceptional pressures for a customer and their family (Stockton only)

Disasters - including events of great or sudden misfortune, the result of which will normally be significant damage to, destruction or loss of possessions or property

Fulfillment - Settlement / Transition SupportHAND Back on Track NETs

Beds/ Bedding Argos & Homebase Payment Card

Smarterbuys/ ASDA Voucher / FRADE (furniture recycling) Smarterbuys/ ASDA Voucher

Furniture (Chairs/ Sofas/ Tables/

Wardrobes)

Argos & Homebase Payment Card

Smarterbuys/ FRADE (furniture recycling) Smarterbuys

White Goods Euronics Voucher Smarterbuys Smarterbuys

Kitchen (Pans, utensils, crockery, cutlery)

Argos & Homebase Payment Card

Love to Shop Voucher/ ASDA Voucher


Floor covering Argos & Homebase Payment Card Direct payment to supplier Direct payment to supplier

Curtains Argos & Homebase Payment Card



Travel Bus Voucher/Train Ticket/Arrangement of a Taxi



Storage/ Removal Costs Britannia Property Removals Direct payment to supplier Direct payment to supplier

Rent in advance N/A Direct payment to Landlord N/A

Award ValueBased on a set value of goods

depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,000*

(was £500)

Based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,500

Based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,000

Decision Time

• Decision within 5 working days

• Award within 48 hours of a decision





Trusted Partners

• An organisation that can make direct referrals on behalf of applicants

• Take responsibility for ensuring that all required forms of evidence of need and identification are gathered at the stage of application

• Required to provide verbal or written confirmation at the time of application that they can verify that they have had sight of all required forms of evidence of need and identification

• Sign a Trusted Partner Agreement

Levels of demand

Data up to end of August 2013*

Levels of demand

Data up to end of August 2013

Common themes of needCrisis•Lost/ stolen wallet/ purse•Poor budgeting skills•Benefit issues

Settlement•Released from short/ long term hospital care/ prison•Fleeing domestic violence•Issues with private landlords•Family breakdown

Emerging themes and challenges• The anticipated floodgates did not open on 1 April 2013

• “Social Fund” culture

• Benefit sanctions

• Changing political landscape

• Impact of Universal Credit

• Partnership working

• Engaging the third sector in fulfillment options

• Creating an unintended demand on other service areas?

• Data collection

Welfare assistance: a crutch in a crisis but not a walking stick for life

• Challenge to respond to applicants immediate crisis needs whilst also having an opportunity to potentially address their longer-term needs

• Partnership working is key

• Difference between ‘referral’ and ‘signposting’

• Customer feedback and follow up

[email protected]

(01642) 608316

mailto:[email protected]

Delivering Welfare Assistance Schemes in the North East Nicola Hall Director of Communication &...

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