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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Stop Press!
There is still time to book on the Advice Dorset Partnership Briefing – Thursday 24 October 9.30 – 1, Dorford Centre, Dorchester, DT1 1RR. Book here. Agenda:
AGENDA ADP Briefing Autumn 2024 .docx (2)
Job opportunities
Hours per week: 22.5. Salary: Starting Salary at Trainee Level £17,982p/a (£29,572 FTE). Type of contract: Fixed term contract until 31st March 2026. More information here.
Information updates
BENEFITS
Pension Credit Campaign: A reminder from our DWP colleagues – to trigger entitlement to the 2024 Winter Fuel Payment,, individuals need to be in receipt of Pension Credit during week commencing 16-22 September 2024. Backdating can be considered for three months, so in practice this makes the cut-off date for this year WFP 21st December 2024. A key message is to explain that individuals who make a claim must tick the backdating box to trigger an award. More info here.
Expiry of biometric residence permits and end dates for benefit awards: Citizens Advice have been made aware of problems for benefit claimants who currently have biometric residence permits which will expire on 31/12/2024. Benefit end dates have been set to coincide with this, even when the client continues to have permission to stay. See more on eVisas under Immigration, below.
Managed migration to Universal Credit: The DWP has confirmed that Tax Credits claimants can no longer have their migration notices cancelled or deferred. They can still request extensions.
Managed migration to Universal Credit, EU citizens and NRPF Connect: Managed migration is turning up a number of EU and EEA citizens and their family members who have only ‘permanent residence’ cards under the old EEA regulations and who have not converted this to settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). DWP will refuse benefits for them as they do not have a right to reside and are overstayers. They should apply as soon as possible to the EUSS and may have good grounds for a late claim – see info on the Govt website here. However, problems can arise when families whose benefits have been stopped turn to social services for support, because Councils use the checking tool ‘NRPF Connect’ – the national database and case management tool for councils to record details of households with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) – which may provide inaccurate reports, eg, saying that people do have permission to stay.
UC when a claimant turns state pension age (SPa): The DWP has introduced an automated process to close UC claims in the assessment period after a single claimant (or the younger claimant in a mixed-age couple) turns SPa. Previously, the UC system relied on claimants to report that they had reached SPa, which sometimes led to recoverable overpayments of UC. As well as the automated closure the claimant will also receive a UC journal message 4 months before they are due to turn SPa. The DWP says that this message will outline ‘everything they need to know about approaching state pension age and will include the date their universal credit claim will end’. Clients may still wish to seek independent advice before reaching SPa to ensure they don’t miss out on any pension age benefits or support they’re entitled to. Read more in September’s LA Welfare Direct bulletin.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Rights Bill: The Labour Government published its Employment Rights Bill last Thursday. The Bill captures most, but not all, of the expected reforms, but the timescale for delivery on some of the most important changes (e.g. day 1 unfair dismissal) won’t be until autumn 2026. Various consultations and calls for evidence (from early 2025) will be a strong feature of how change is implemented. The bill covers around 28 main areas, including unfair dismissal from day 1 of employment, reforms to Zero hours and minimum hours contracts, and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) payable from day one of absence. Read the bill here.
Updated EHRC guide to sexual harassment: From 26 October 2024 employers will be under a new duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers, including by third parties, as set out in the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 Employers that ignore their new obligations may face enforcement action by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The compensation awarded for a successful employment tribunal (ET) claim for sexual harassment can be uplifted reflect the degree to which the employer took (or failed to take) reasonable steps to prevent it. Read the guidance here.
Workplace tipping rules: The Employment (Allocation of tips) Act came into force last week. The Government has published an additional non-statutory guidance resource – here – to help employers engage with the new rules, with handy template documents for a tips policy, allocation of tips record and a worker’s access request to a tips record. The new guidance informs employers that agency workers should be treated the same as direct workers under the employers tips policy. There’s also a press release here.
UTILITIES / ENERGY / COMMS
Warm Home Discount (WHD) Park Homes: The WHD Park Homes scheme is now open for people to apply. It is a first come first served scheme run by Charis – people should apply as soon as possible. People can apply if they are permanently living in a park home, pay council tax, and either receive means-tested government benefits or tax credits, or have a household income of less than £19,978. Read more here.
New Ofcom rules on roaming: From 1 October mobile phone providers must tell consumers when they start roaming. Providers must also give consumers clear, free to access information about whether and how to use their phone abroad. Providers must also give clear information about how to avoid inadvertent roaming. This can happen at border regions. Read more here.
IMMIGRATION
Right to Remain Toolkit – eVisas: The Home Office is changing to a digital immigration system from 31 December 2024 onwards. This means people will have to show their immigration status digitally (online) using an eVisa, instead of a physical document. There are lots of problems with the ways in which this change has been implemented, and concerns about how people who do not have access to the internet or a smartphone will manage. There is also the risk that lots of people do not know about this change, and will be badly affected when they try to prove their immigration status at a later date. Right to Remain have produced a useful guide here.
CONSUMER
New consumer guidance – will writing and divorce services: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published consumer guidance on:
- What to look out for when buying divorce services – here
- What to consider when buying will writing services – here
Local updates
- Dorset Energy Advice: Our Energy Advisers help households across the whole of Dorset who may be struggling to pay energy bills, need help resolving billing issues with suppliers and they can also check if you’re eligible for extra income. If you have a question about your bill, or need more detailed support, we can help. Please contact 01929 775500 and leave an answerphone message or email [email protected].
uk - Dorset Energy Bus: We are up and running with our new Dorset Energy Bus, we have our Energy Advisers offering support and advice sessions across Dorset, please see our timetable here for more information.
- From Wednesday 23rd October the Dorset Energy Bus will be attending Shaftesbury in the carpark of Father’s House, Christy’s Lane, Shaftesbury SP7 8PH Our Energy Advisers will be there between 10am and 12noon on a weekly basis to assist residents worried about their energy bills or who would like advice on the support we offer including free Carbon Monoxide monitors and awareness on CO poisoning, for the full Dorset Energy Bus timetable please see here.
- Free Frontline Worker Training Sessions: Our Energy Advisers offer FREE training sessions, for anyone dealing with the public, this can be a full course (approx. 1hr) or refresher courses (20mins), on how to spot signs of fuel poverty, giving details what support and advice is available to assist. To book please follow this link. More dates will be added shortly. This is for anyone in the South West area.
Events
Black History Month: This year’s theme is “Reclaiming Narratives” and marks a significant shift towards recognising and correcting the narratives of Black history and culture. This theme underscores a commitment to correcting historical inaccuracies and showcasing the untold success stories and the full complexity of Black heritage. It’s about taking control of our stories and honouring our heroes while challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals both in the UK and globally. Read more here.
Scams Awareness campaign 21-27 October: This year’s campaign is focusing on financial and investment scams. There is useful information from Citizens Advice here, and there are resources for partners here, including printable resources such as:
PRINT Scams Awareness 24 A6 Postcard – English
PRINT Scams Awareness 24 Poster V3 – English
Dorset Council – Let’s Talk SEND week – 21-25 October: This exciting week is packed full of valuable information, advice and support for families of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), kicking off with a main event at Kingston Maurward on 21 October from 10 am to 1:30 pm, with the opportunity to meet friendly professionals from services like CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), short breaks providers, and many more. There are also regional events across Dorset that will give you the chance to meet your local SEND teams, find out what support is available, and chat to other parents and carers. Read more here.
Removing roadblocks – How to simplify application processes for benefits and support: This is a Policy in Practice webinar on Wednesday 23 October, 10:30 – 11:45. In 2024 a third of adults are struggling to cope financially and over 1 in 5 adults are living in poverty. Each year, people miss out on an estimated £23 billion in benefits and support due to stigma and the complexity and confusion that is seemingly baked into the welfare system. This webinar will focus on identifying and removing barriers that prevent eligible people from accessing the support they need. Register here.
Loan Shark training -Monday 18 November 10.30 – 12: Could you spot a loan shark? – The purpose of loan shark training is to provide information and knowledge about the issue, how it relates to your work and how we can help those who have borrowed from illegal lenders. This on-line session will include key things to look out for as a sign that a friend, client, community member or colleague maybe involved with a loan shark. The session will show the impact that illegal lenders have on victims and communities and how we can work together to stop people falling into the clutches of criminals. Online training provided by Lin Fisher, LIAISE (Lead In Awareness, Intelligence, Support and Education – South region. Book via CAN, here.
Reports, research, surveys etc
Citizens Advice Data Insights: The October session was entitled Labour’s Budget – a living standards turning point? If you missed it, you can watch it here, and the slides are here. The next sessions is 6 December.
Kinship carers financial support: Kinship, the charity that supports kinship carers in England and Wales, has published a new report highlighting the lack of financial and other support which stops kinship foster carers moving to kinship arrangements outside the care system. Kinship carers are family or friends who care for a child when their parents aren’t able to. There are several ways a kinship carer can look after a child, for example as a foster carer, as a special guardian or via a child arrangements order. The report says that kinship foster carers receive more financial support. Special guardians are on average £40 per week per child worse off and kinship carers with a child arrangement order are £54 per week per child worse off. Read more here.
DWP reports published: The first DWP oral questions in the House of commons on 7 October did not shed any light on the government’s attitude to personal independence payment (PIP) vouchers or the timetable for managed migration of employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants to universal credit (UC), but it did allow Labour to publish 31 formerly secret benefits reports that had not been published under the Conservatives. Benefits & Work cover this – here – with links to some of the reports,
Dorset Healthwatch – Pharmacy survey: What’s your experience of using local pharmacy services? Share your feedback to make care better for you and your community. Complete the survey by 31 October 2024. The survey is here.
Funding news
Abri Community Fund: Abri is a housing provider in the south of England. You can apply for up to £3,000 to support a project in one of our communities across the south of England. The rising cost of living is having a big impact on our customers and communities, so we will be prioritising applications that consider the health and wellbeing of our communities. NB Closing date 21 October. Read more here.