Welcome to this week’s E News on the Citizens Advice Dorset website. Just a reminder that the Advice Dorset Partnership is a network of organisations providing advice and support to residents of Dorset and Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole. It is managed by Citizens Advice and is open to any organisation which provides information, advice and support/guidance to local residents.
The Advice Dorset Partnership E news is published fortnightly on a Thursday, BUT if there is something urgent in-between we will send out a short supplementary edition.
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Information updates
Civil unrest
Council reponses:
Other responses and resources to help in tackling hate crime:
- Citizens Advice information on Hate Crime: useful information about how to define and identify hate crime, and getting support to report incidents and other sources of help.
- Citizens Advice information if people are worried about their safety.
- CAN – standing against hate.
BENEFITS
Universal Credit (UC) managed migration notices: In a Move to UC Progress update issued to stakeholders on 23 July, the DWP advised that the original plan was to issue migration notices to housing benefit only claimants in June but that was slightly delayed (to 17 July), allowing the required automation to be put in place in order to ensure migration is completed in a safe and scalable way. Issuing of migration notices to the Employment Support Allowance with child tax credits cohort started at the beginning of July, with notices also going out to the pension age tax credit cohort who have been identified as moving to pension credit. Those pension age tax credit customers identified as moving to UC are planned for September. Statistics on those moved to UC up to June 2024 have just been published – here.
The two-child limit doesn’t apply to Child Benefit: The two-child limit applies to Universal Credit, Child Tax Credits, and Housing Benefit, but only if no exceptions apply. It’s important to remember that the two-child limit does not apply to Child Benefit, and many parents or carers may not realise this. Advisers should routinely check whether clients have claimed Child Benefit for all the children and qualifying young persons (QYP) they’re responsible for. Child Benefit can only be backdated for a maximum of 3 months, so it’s crucial for clients who haven’t yet claimed Child Benefit for their third and subsequent children or QYPs to do so as soon as possible.
Please note that Child Benefit is considered when calculating the benefit cap. If claiming Child Benefit makes your client subject to the benefit cap, you should check if any exceptions to the benefit cap apply. Useful links:
DWP – Health Transformation Programme: The DWP is exploring a new decision-making model to enable decisions to be made on some new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) clams without a health assessment. In addition, a new Health Assessment Advisory Service will start from 9 September. New functional assessment service contracts will replace the current separate contracts for work capability assessments (under ESA and UC) and PIP assessments, with single contracts for both within a geographic area. Slides from a recent workshop are here:
HTP_General_Update_Workshop_slides_-_08.08.24
HOUSING
Ombudsman guidance for housing officers on medical assessments for housing applications: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has produced good practice guidance – here – for council housing officers in England who are carrying out medical assessments for housing applications. The guidance is based on lessons learnt from previous LGSCO investigations and is intended “… to help prevent future injustice to people in their area”. Key points from the guidance include recommending that housing officers:
- properly evidence that they have made their own decision and not automatically accepted the view of an independent medical adviser
- ensure they consider all the evidence and keep a record of how the evidence has been considered
- do not delay medical assessments or reviews
- provide the applicant with a written decision, setting out their reasons.
NB: Whilst this is good practice guidance only, relevant parts of the guidance could be quoted where it appears it is not being followed by a council housing officer conducting a medical assessment on a housing allocation decision. The guidance also includes some helpful case studies.
IMMIGRATION
Applying for an eVisa: From 6 August, anyone with a biometric residence permit (BRP) can now create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. They no longer need an invitation. They should do this before the expiry date of their BRP. They can use their travel document, such as a passport, or visa application reference number to create their UKVI account if they have lost their BRP card. They should only request a replacement BRP if it has been lost or stolen and they have no other form of identity document to create a UKVI account.
If they cannot see their eVisa details as soon as they create their UKVI account, they do not need to do anything. UKVI will contact them directly by email once their eVisa is available to view. They can use their BRP to prove their immigration status until their eVisa details are available. The Govt guidance is here.
OTHER
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) extends motor finance investigation: The FCA has extended its investigation into the finance agreements that included Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAs) to May 2025. Firms have until 4 December to issue complaint responses. Clients can refer complaints to Financial Ombudsman Service up to the latest of:
- 15 months after a final response
- 26 July 2025
We won’t know how affected clients will be compensated until the FCA reports back.
Social Care charging reforms cancelled: The government has announced that the long-awaited Social Care charging reforms, which were scheduled for October 2025, are to be cancelled to reduce government spending. The proposals, set by the previous government, introduced a new £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would have to pay on their personal care needs. This had originally been due to come into effect in October 2023 but was pushed back to October 2025 and now will not happen at all. Read more on the House of Commons library website, here.
School leavers: Citizens Advice has produced information for people leaving school – here: Leaving school? Chances are you’re feeling a mixture of excitement (hello freedom!)… and apprehension. Entering adult life can be daunting and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with lots to think about and new information to take in. So here’s our top tips and life hacks for successful ‘adulting’.
LOCAL NEWS
Family Hubs
- Dorset: There are Family Hubs open in six locations offering essential support to Dorset families. The Family Hubs, currently in Bridport, Dorchester, Ferndown, Swanage, Wareham and Wimborne, provide families with support for social, emotional, physical and financial needs. Read more here.
- BCP: Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole there are seven family hubs and three outreach centres (formerly called children’s centres). Hubs are based in central locations and cover a reach area to support all families that need early help services, ensuring that families get the right help at the right time. Any family can contact us and we’ll signpost to appropriate support. Read more here.
Events
Going green together network: Free online event 17 September, 10 – 11.30 – bringing together voluntary and community organisations across Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Dorset who want to find ways to become more sustainable. All members are welcome, whether your mission is ‘green’ or you want to find ways to be greener – we’re all in this together! Book via eventbrite.
Research, reports, consultations etc
Child Maintenance consultation: This has been extended to allow more time for engagement from external organisations, and will now close on 30 September 2024. The aim of this consultation, is to seek views on how the Child Maintenance Service collects and transfers maintenance payments to ensure children receive the maintenance they are entitled to and parents are appropriately supported when using the scheme. Read more here.
Citizens Advice report on car insurance: Car insurance is one of the markets where we are seeing people priced out. Over the last two years, the rising cost of car insurance has only added to this acute situation. Recent research continues to show the existence of an ‘ethnicity penalty’ in car insurance, which saw people of colour paying £250 more per year for car insurance than white people, read Popping the bonnet here.
Funding news
The Rural Services Network provides a useful monthly summary of funding opportunities here.
Sovereign Group – Thriving Communities Fund: This fund is aimed at supporting not-for-profit groups and organisations to deliver cohesive, sustainable, and resilient communities. We will be awarding grants from £1,000 up to £5,000 for initiatives and projects that actively support the communities we work in . We will support projects that focus on a broad range of themes, including youth, health and well-being, ageing well, social inclusion and isolation (including equality, diversity and inclusion), environment and place, customer voice, employment support, food insecurity, digital inclusion and skills, money matters and debt advice. Read more here.
Dorset Council Capital Leverage Fund: Round 5 is currently open for community groups that are looking to make a difference and need some capital investment. The latest round welcomes applications for projects which will provide new and improved facilities for communities and residents in the Dorset council area. There are still over three weeks left to apply for round five of the grants. The next assessment panel is taking place next month so applications for this round need to be completed no later than 8 September 2024. Read more here.
McCarthy Stone Foundation – community grants: These grants are offered to community organisations for projects to improve the health and wellbeing of older people over the age of 65 years in Great Britain, particularly in areas of deprivation. Community organisations, registered charities and other groups with an annual income of less than £250,000, a governing document and a registered bank account may apply now to the Autumn 2024 round.
Organisations must be working with adults over 65 years of age and providing direct person-centred interventions (eg, befriending) or group-based social activity to address loneliness and isolation in deprived areas. Applications from all areas that can demonstrate a local level of need will be considered. However, priority will be given to applications from specified locations with a key focus on areas where income deprivation and loneliness affecting older people is most acute. Grants of £7,500 are available for either core costs or projects. Projects must provide either direct person-centred interventions to alleviate loneliness or group-based activity to address social isolation.
Deadline 23 August; read more here.