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.
As usual feel free to forward this email to colleagues and they can get in touch with us if they wish to go on the list. If you would like to send anything out via the bulletin, and for all other enquiries about the Advice Dorset Partnership, contact Caroline Buxton on her Citizens Advice Central Dorset email: mailto:caroline.buxton
Jobs
Citizens Advice Central Dorset – Finance, Benefits and Debt Caseworker: The Ministry of Justice’s Finance Benefit & Debt (FBD) programme will be delivered by human services provider, Ingeus, in partnership with Citizens Advice. This is a new money and debt service which will support the successful rehabilitation of offenders across Dorset. The service will help men, aged 18 and over, who are currently on community orders or licences in the community. Services will also be provided to those still in custody at HMP Portland and HMP Guys March.
The post will be based with Citizens Advice Central Dorset; delivery venues will include several CACD offices. The postholder will report to the relevant CACD Advice Services Manager, and will also work closely with the Ingeus FBD staff and the FBD Team Manager. The postholder will be subject to a DBS check and HMPPS Enhanced Level 1 vetting.
Hours: 18.5 Hours per week; Salary: £14.96 per hour (£14,392 Actual / £28,783.04 FTE) Fixed Term until March 2026. Location: Various locations across Dorset. Closing Date: 1pm Tuesday 12th September 2023.
Read more here.
Information updates
COST OF LIVING
Energy cap announcement: Ofgem announced on 25 August a further reduction in the energy price cap for the last quarter of 2023 (Oct to Dec). The change will bring the average dual-fuel energy bill below £2,000 a year for the first time since April 2022, saving households an average of £151 on the previous quarter. From 1 October – 31 December, the cap will be set at an annual level of £1,923 for a dual fuel household paying by direct debit based on the current typical domestic consumption values (TDCV) rate. NB: various organisations have pointed out many will still face higher bills than last year, as there are no specific energy bill support schemes planned for this winter. A recent Citizens Advice report was covered by the BBC here, and the Energy Savings Trust’s response is here.
Cost of Living payments 2023 – 24: Govt information here summarises the various CoL payments this year. Pensioners who qualify will get theirs in November; the Autumn dates for the next £300 instalment for those on means-tested benefits have not yet been announced.
BENEFITS
Universal Credit – Managed Migration: A reminder that managed migration from legacy benefits to UC in Dorset (which includes BCP) starts tomorrow [1 September 2023]…….Read more here. Also see under the Reports section for links to CPAG Briefings on managed migration.
LEGAL
Phase 1 Legal Aid means test changes introduced on 3 August 2023: Means testing will be removed for
- Under 18s applying for Legal Representation and Family Help (Higher), including applications for these services under Exceptional Case Funding;
- Parents or those with parental responsibility applying for legal representation for matters concerning the withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining treatment in respect of their child.
Read more here.
EMPLOYMENT
Apprenticeships: An apprentice is an employee with a contract of employment. They should have a formal apprenticeship agreement, setting out what date the apprenticeship started, and when it will end (if it will). It should also give informaion about pay, hours per week, what skill or trade someone will be trained in, and the off-the-job training or college element. This Citizens Advice blog gives a good summary.
IMMIGRATION
Government Gateway Accounts and non-British passports: HMRC, DWP, DVLA and other government services use Government Gateway Accounts to enable people to sign in and access their services online. The organisation the3million has put together a step by step guide for EU citizens and other migrants without a UK passport to access the Government Gateway. Read the guide here.
CONSUMER
Wilko administration: PwC has been appointed as administrators for Wilko, and has issued information for customers. The business is trading and the stores are open as normal and the current information is:
- gift cards will continue to be accepted while the stores are trading but new gift cards can no longer be purchased
- if customers have already placed a click and collect order they can be collected from the store where the order was placed
- all existing click and collect orders are being honoured – if people want to cancel their orders they should contact Wilko’s customer service team
- Wilko will continue to accept returns or exchanges as normal
- faulty goods can be returned or exchanged in accordance with the Consumer Rights Act 2015
Read more here. Also be aware that scammers are putting fake adverts on social media offering ‘clearance sale’ bargains on Wilko products. The adverts take people to websites offering discounts of up to 90%. These sites are fake – Wilko has confirmed that all Wilko sales are taking place in-store only. Red more on Which?
Events
LGBT+ Voices Dorset Forum: This forum is a safe space with the shared, single focus of improving the lives of LGBT+ people across Dorset. It’s open to people from the statutory, VCS and the LGBT+ community and their allies. Its free to join via their website which is now in development. They meet monthly online on a Thursday 17:00 – 18:30. Read more here.
Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance Overview: Independent Age are offering free training sessions for all frontline workers and volunteers working in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area. These sessions will help people to understand and raise awareness of these benefits, in order to help you support people who are eligible to maximise their income in these times of high cost of living rises. There are a variety of times and dates available, and the sessions are 1 hour and 15 mins long. Information will also be provided about the helpline that you can signpost people to for further support with application processes. More information on eventbrite.
Multiply: Multiply is a national scheme funded by the government providing learning opportunities to improve numeracy skills in the UK population. Skills & Learning is working in partnership with other learning and training providers, employers, community services, charities and voluntary organisations to offer Multiply workshops and courses all across Dorset. These courses have been designed to improve practical number, money skills and confidence at home and at work for adults (minimum age 19) with lower level numeracy skills. More information on courses across Dorset – here. Information for employers and organisations is here.
Research, reports, etc
Buttle Trust – State of Child Poverty 2023: This is the trust’s fifth annual report, and once again, numbers are on the rise. As the cost of living crisis continues across the country more and more families are seen to be living in destitution, school is no longer a necessity but a luxury and access to essentials continues to be a challenge for these families. In last year’s report, families were having to choose between heating and eating. This year, an increasing number of families cannot afford the essentials – utilities, food and nutrition – and are going without basic furniture, falling into rent arrears, and do not have access to IT equipment for education or employment. Read more here.
Universal Credit sanction rate remains more than double pre-Covid-19 level: New DWP statistics up to May 2023 show that although the sanction rate has fallen slightly from its peak of 6.84% in October 2022 it is still more than double the rate before the pandemic. Over 500,000 sanction decisions from the 12 months were for failure to attend or participate in a mandatory interview. The statistics are here and a recent Citizens Advice policy report on sanctions is here entitled The sanctions spiral: The unequal impact and hardship caused by sanctions in Universal Credit.
CPAG Briefings on UC Managed Migration: CPAG reported on some of the issues faced back in May, here, and have just published a second briefing here; they report that whilst two-thirds of people sent a migration notice between November 2022 and March 2023 made a successful UC claim before their migration deadline, a further 5% made a claim after their deadline had passed, and 28% did not claim UC at all and had their legacy benefit payments terminated. CPAG is concerned that a sizeable minority of claimants are falling through the gaps.
Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children, April 2023: The statistics show that in April 2023, there were 422,000 households that had a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017, of which 409,000 households were not receiving the child element of Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit for at least one child because of the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children. The number of households affected by the policy has increased since the first statistics were published in 2018, as more children have been born into families with two existing children. Read more here.
UC deductions for tax credit overpayments: The BBC has reported that over 800,000 households on universal credit received less money last year because they were previously awarded too much in tax credits. To repay the debt, monthly benefits can be reduced by up to 25% by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). More people are likely to be affected as UC ‘managed migration’ rolls out further.
Closing the gap – How to improve customer support in essential services: Britain faces its largest cost of living crisis in decades. So far 2023 has been the busiest year ever for Citizens Advice. Many people have already cut back their household spending to the bare minimum, while the cost of other essentials has risen sharply due to rapid inflation. As a result, a growing number of people are living on empty. Over 50% of people Citizens Advice help with debt advice are now in negative budgets, meaning they have more essential spending going out than they have income coming in. At this time, essential service providers including energy, water, telecoms, and financial companies need to identify and support their customers who are in need of further support. However, existing systems are too complex, which means people are missing out on support. Read more here.
Funding news
Bernard Sunley Foundation grants: The Foundation offers grants in the categories of Community, Education, Health or Social Welfare. They offer three levels of grants. These are large grants of £20,000 and above; medium grants of up to £20,000 and small grants of £5,000 and under. Grants can be used for:
- Capital projects which include new buildings, extensions, refurbishments and recreational spaces.
- New minibuses and other vehicles that provide a vital service to those most in need in their local community.
- Churches and other places of worship with a strong, secular community focus.
- Charities or CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations) registered in England and Wales.
- Certain organisations with exempt status such as specialist schools, scout and guide groups, housing associations, cooperatives, and community benefit societies.
Applications are accepted all year round. Read more here.
The Steel Charitable Trust: The Trust makes discretionary grants where they believe that their contribution will make a real difference. Applications must be for charitable purposes that fall into one of the five core categories below:
- Arts and Heritage
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Social or Economic Disadvantage
The minimum grant size is £10,000. Awards of more than £25,000 are rare. Read more here.