The Advice Dorset Partnership has moved to the NEW Citizens Advice Dorset website! The fortnightly E News will now be published here, and for the next few editions I will still send a link round by email, but please can you subscribe so that in the future you will get an automatic notification.
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.
As usual feel free to forward the E news to colleagues, and they can subscribe. If you would like to send anything out via the bulletin, and for all other enquiries about the Advice Dorset Partnership, contact Caroline Buxton at Citizens Advice Central Dorset: [email protected]
SAVE THE DATE! We are planning an online Advice Partnership Forum for Tuesday 28 November 2 – 4pm, aimed at frontline workers, with a focus on cost of living support and other useful updates. There will be presentations from the DWP, Local Authority, Citizens Advice – including the Dorset Energy Unit, Ridgewater Energy and others…more details soon.
Jobs
ICN [International Care Network]: ICN need three new recruits to be part of the effort to support asylum seekers and refugees in BCP and Dorset:
- A qualified Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner with at least 2 years’ experience.
- A General Advisor to help refugees and asylum seekers integrate into our community and navigate the pathways
- A Creche Supervisor to oversee the safe development of children during adult ESOL classes
All the details are in this link.
Information Updates
COST OF LIVING
Warm Home Discount (WHD): If the energy supplier is part of the scheme, people who got the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit on 13 August 2023 will get £150 off their electricity bill, or £150 added to their prepayment meter. People might also be able to get the Warm Home Discount if they get a different benefit and the government makes an assessment that they have ‘high energy costs’ – based on the type of property they occupy (this is worked out automatically). Those who are eligible for the winter 2023 to 2024 will receive a letter between mid-October and mid-December 2023. If the letter asks for more information this information must be supplied by 29 February 2024. See more information on the Citizens Advice website here.
Park home residents need to apply for the Park Homes Warm Home Discount Scheme – this should be done as soon as possible as the scheme is now OPEN – read more on the Charis website here.
BENEFITS
Increased data sharing between the DWP and Housing Benefit (HB) departments: From November, a new procedure will introduce greater real time information sharing between the DWP and local authorities. The DWP says this will hold many benefits, including that ‘the Move to Universal Credit process is anticipated to use the data to support that process’. Read more in the LA Bulletin here.
EMPLOYMENT
Sickness: Two new, linked articles have just been published in Adviser Online, both aimed at helping advisers dealing with clients off on long-term sickness. These are:
- Sick and tired – Common problems facing clients off on long-term sickness
- Capability and ill-health dismissal – advising clients
LEGAL
New Legal Aid eligibility tool for providers: In August 2023, the Legal Aid Agency released a new tool to assess eligibility. Providers can input their client’s details details and perform a means calculation for both:
- certificated (licensed) legal work
- controlled work (legal help and family mediation)
The merits of a case cannot be assessed using the tool. The tool is here and will make it easier for providers to assess eligibility for Legal Aid.
IMMIGRATION
Right to Remain Toolkit: Right to Remain is a registered charity which works with communities, groups and organisations across the UK, and provides information, resources, training and assistance to help people to establish their right to remain. They also challenge injustice in the immigration and asylum system. Their Right to Remain Toolkit is free to use, and it’s for people who want to learn more about the legal process, or a particular part of the legal process. You might be making an application or are thinking about it; you might be helping someone else to do so. NB: advisers working for example in Citizens Advice offices need to be aware that they are limited to OISC Level 1 information/advice [defined as: basic immigration advice within the Immigration Rules] so it may be that they need to signpost clients to the toolkit and support them to access it so their client can take action themselves.
Citizens Advice BCP – Immigration Clinic: Dates through to the middle of 2024 are in the flyer below (next one – Wednesday 8 November 10- 2). Sessions are held at Bournemouth Library. When referring to the immigration clinic, please make them aware of the following:
- Although the clinic starts at 10, clients must arrive at or before 9am to sign up for a slot. The clinic is growing busier each month, and operates on a first come first served basis.
- The clinic gives advice only, from OISC level 1 – level 3; it does not fill in forms or applications or take casework on within the clinic. Please make sure that clients are aware of this.
Situation in Gaza: Migrants Organise has produced an information sheet going through visa options for family to come to the UK from Gaza. However, they say: ‘One main problem with travel from Gaza is that it is dependent on the availability of a travel corridor/international flights being available. Without a practical travel route, a UK visa will not make a difference.’ Read more in this document form 13 October:
Routes to the UK Israel Gaza October 2023
Events
Stop Loan Sharks Week – 24th to 31st October: Stop Loan Sharks investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides support for borrowers in the UK. The social media toolkit for this awareness rising week is here.
National Care Leaver Week – 25th October to 1st November: Read more on becomecharity‘s website here. Locally the DWP have arranged events including HSBC delivering a session on money management and debt advice, NHS running 6 week vocational scholarships exclusively for care leavers in Dorset, and sessions on myth busting and outlining career pathways through apprenticeships. More info in this poster:
Research, reports etc
The rising tide of energy debt: This Citizens Advice blog looks at recent Ofgem data which shows that household energy debt is at its highest level ever — by the end of June 2023 around £2.6bn was owed. Not surprisingly Citizens Advice is seeing more people with energy debts, and also an increase to the average levels of energy debt: by June 2023 the average level of energy debt held by our debt clients was more than £1,700–17% higher than it was at the same point last year. Read more here.
The impact of freezing the Local Housing Allowance: Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the amount of Housing Benefit and Universal Credit claimants can receive to cover their housing costs. In 2008, LHA was linked to the 50th percentile of rents within the ‘broad rental market area’ where a claimant lives, but this was reduced in 2011 to the 30th percentile, and from 2013 annual uprating was linked to CPI not rents. At the start of the pandemic LHA received a one-off uplift back to the 30th percentile but has been frozen ever since. In combination with other reforms, such as the introduction of a national limit on LHA rates in 2010 and the extension of the shared accommodation rate (SAR) to people aged under 35 in 2012, the freezing of LHA has led to significant shortfalls between housing cost support and actual rent costs for many of the people we help. This new Citizens Advice reporto looks at this issue and makes a number of recommendations – read more here.
Policy in Practice study: PinP have launched a new study to investigate links between poverty and child welfare. One in five children under the age of 16 in the UK live below the poverty line. These children are more likely to experience difficulties in their home life, education and mental wellbeing. In recent years, a sharp rise in the cost of living has put yet more pressure on family finances. Read more about the proposed study and how to get involved here.
Funding news
NFU Mutual Charitable Trust is offering grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 to charities and other not-for-profit organisations working in agriculture, rural development, and insurance across the UK for projects that deliver on one or more of the Trust’s main objectives:
- To advance the education of the public using research and dissemination of information concerning agriculture.
- To advance the education of young people within rural areas.
- To relieve poverty within rural areas.
- To promote the benefit and social welfare of inhabitants of rural communities by associating together with the inhabitants and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations to advance education and leisure.
- To promote research into agricultural-associated activities.
- To advance the education of the public using research and dissemination of information concerning insurance.
Priority will be given to larger initiatives that would have a significant impact on rural communities, as well as initiatives in the areas of education of young people in rural areas and relief of poverty within rural areas. Trustees met twice a year to consider applications, typically in June and November. The next deadline for applications is 27 October 2023. Read more here.
Talbot Village Trust awards grants to registered charities and organisations that can demonstrate their charitable purposes. If you wish to apply, your organisation must be located or have a base within the Trust’s area of benefit, which covers Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Purbeck, and East Dorset. All organisations applying for funds will need to demonstrate that their work has a significant and positive impact on people within this area.
The Trust offers grants for a range of things eg: support with capital projects, revenue costs associated with a project or service, or, by exception, a contribution to core costs. If you wish to apply you will need to have raised or are in the process of raising at least 25% of the funding that you require. The Trust cannot consider retrospective applications (for work that has already started or been completed). The next deadline for applications is 31 January 2024, for funding decisions in May 2024. Read more here.
An online meet the funder session by Talbot Village Trust is being run in conjunction with Community Action Network (CAN) on 14 November. This session will enable you to ask questions and learn more about how to apply for funding. Book here.