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. Please note, due to annual leave the next edition will not be published until Thursday 6 June.
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Information updates
DEBT
3rd party deduction from benefit: On 6 April 2024, third-party deductions from benefits went up from £4.24 to £4.55 a week. This covers deductions for energy, water, rent and council tax. Fines deductions stay the same at £5 and child maintenance deductions stay at £8.40 a week.
Check your State Pension forecast: This is a new Govt service where you can check how much State Pension you could get, when you can get it, and how to increase it, if you can.
BENEFITS
ESA claimants and managed migration: The government recently announced an acceleration of the ‘Move to Universal Credit’ for income-related ESA claimants. The latest issue of DWP LA Welfare Direct newsletter confirms this and states that: ‘… our current planning assumption is that we would begin notifying this group in September 2024, with the aim of notifying everyone to make the move by December 2025.’ Read more here.
EMPLOYMENT
Self-employment and National Insurance: The Chancellor announced in the Autumn Statement 2023 that self-employed people will not be liable to pay class 2 NI contributions from 6 April 2024. Those whose profits are more than £12,570 a year will have to pay Class 4 contributions. Read more on gov.uk.
Migrant care workers: Citizens Advice report that there continues to be significant demand for advice from migrant Health and Social Care (HSC) workers. The numbers indicate the scale of continuing problems for such workers. Our overarching advice continues to be – try to find a new employer and then retrospectively solve the employment rights issues. Two things to note:
- The Autonomy Institute and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have collaborated on a new searchable database of HSC employers with Home Office sponsor status. This tool can help with HSC clients searching for a replacement sponsor employer when under considerable pressure of time.
- The Government announced a £16 million international recruitment fund for the adult social care sector for 2024/2025 – to allow local authority regional partnerships (LARPs) to prevent and respond to exploitative employment practices of internationally recruited HSC workers. LARPs will offer a dedicated email address for migrant HSC workers needing support. Read more here.
HOUSING
Homelessness Code of Guidance update: The Government amended the Code on 3 May 2024 to reflect their expectation that departments within local authorities should develop joint housing protocols and procedures relating to young people leaving care. The aim is to reduce the number of care leavers found intentionally homeless. Chapter 22 of the guide covers care leavers.
IMMIGRATION
eVisas and OISC: The OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) has recently said that because the replacement of physical documents with an online record will not affect an individual’s immigration status, the help they will need is likely to be technical/digital assistance and thus unregulated. You may already be aware that for example Citizens Advice offices can advise at level 1 already, but a specialist is required for level 2 and 3 issues. However, it may be that other non-regulated organisations will be approached for help, and provided they do not stray into immigration advice they can help someone register for a UKVI account. Find out more about the OISC here.
Seasonal worker Visa route to be extended for a further 5 years: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced it will extend the Seasonal Worker visa route from 2025 to 2029. These visas are available for temporary workers in the horticulture and poultry sectors. Read more here.
CONSUMER
Second hand cars: This Citizen Advice blog summarise top tips. See also the Consumer Awareness campaign info below.
FCA warning on pre-paid funeral plans: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is warning consumers: ‘Don’t engage if you get any unexpected calls from your funeral plan provider asking you to transfer money to top up your funeral plan due to the recent issue at Legacy Independent Funeral Directors’. Read their press release here.
New security law for smart devices: The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products) Regulations 2023 took effect on 29 April 2024. The new law applies to manufacturers of devices with internet or network connectivity. This means manufacturers of products like smart TVs, doorbells, fitness trackers and phones must not supply devices with default passwords like ‘admin’ or ‘12345’, they must publish contact details for reporting so bugs and issues can get dealt with, and state the minimum time consumers can expect to receive important security updates. Read more here.
Events
Mental Health Awareness Week 13 – 19 May: The theme is Movement – “Moving More for your Mental Health” – read more on the MHF website. Locally, Dorset Mind are also running workshops in The Gather space at the Dolphin Shopping Centre from Monday 13th – Friday 17th May. The workshops will run from 10.30am-12.30pm and focus on aspects of mental health, including anxiety and panic attacks, low mood and depression, stress and menopause.
Stop Loan Sharks Week 13 – 19 May: Two landmark cases have heralded the start of this year’s Stop Loan Sharks Week with the England Illegal Money lending Team seeing one of the biggest ever confiscation orders and one of the longest jail terms handed to illegal money lenders. Read more here.
Consumer awareness campaign – used cars: The Citizens Advice annual consumer awareness campaign runs from 20 May to 2 June. This year we are focusing on buying used cars – Brake. Check. Buy – here are some of the printable resources:
PRINT Used Car Consumer Awareness A6 Postcard – English PRINT Used Car Consumer Awareness Trifold Leaflet – English
Autism Unlimited free breakfast event on ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’: This event will focus on another crucial aspect of workplace well-being: Mental Health. This event aims to continue our journey towards creating a supportive and inclusive work environment. Wednesday 19th June 2024,8am – 10am. Venue: Marsham Court Hotel, 3 Russell Cotes Road, East Cliff, Bournemouth BH1 3AB. Details of how to book are in this flyer:
Mental Health in the workplace
FLAVOURS: The FLAVOURS project offers new opportunities for people to get a taste of Dorset’s outstanding landscape. Food is the focus for a season of taster activities aimed at inviting diverse communities to explore the landscape around them for the first time. The project is about finding ways for people from ethnic minority and refugee backgrounds living in Dorset, to explore and discover a range of farms and open spaces within their local landscapes. Read more here.
Citizens Advice Data Insights – Is the Cost-of-Living Crisis Really Over? This event on 15 May included guest speakers, Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary, TUC and Tom Weekes, Senior Policy Research Manager, Trussell Trust. You can find the slides here, and recording here; the next event is Thursday 13 June, 11-12, with a focus on gender inequality – book via eventbrite.
Research, reports, etc
Enhancing rural health access – focus on mental health: This is a blog from the Rural Services Network. During this Mental Health Awareness Week, it is crucial to spotlight the unique challenges faced by rural communities in accessing health and care services. These challenges, ranging from limited transport options to an aging demographic, significantly affect the mental and physical wellbeing of rural populations.
Paying for the government’s mistakes: Carers aren’t the only victims of the DWP’s benefit overpayment policies as explained in this Citizens Advice blog….“An almost Kafkaesque mess” is how a policy expert described carers’ experiences of overpayments to MPs in March.
We need to talk about benefit sanctions: Thousands of people on Universal Credit have had their benefits suspended while they’re investigated for fraud. Some of them come to Citizens Advice for help — and many of them are ultimately found innocent. But in the months while they’re being investigated, we see people pushed into significant hardship. This includes many people in particularly vulnerable circumstances. Read more here.
Seasonal workers scheme: The Government’s seasonal worker visa scheme leaves migrant workers trapped in cycles of debt, concludes a new report ‘Bound to Work’ by Focus on Labour Exploitation (Flex) – produced in collaboration with Citizens Advice South Lincolnshire. The report identifies that:
- 70% of workers borrowed money to come to work in the UK, but only 70% thought they’d earn enough to pay off this debt
- A worker’s right to request to transfer employer was often ignored or denied
- 20% of workers were underpaid and 16% said they’d been paid below the rate of the National Minimum Wage
The report is here, and information on the seasonal visa scheme is on gov.uk.
State of the charity sector: The state of the charity sector’s finances is constantly evolving, shaped by various factors including economic conditions, public finances and the generosity of people. By staying informed about developments, we can anticipate challenges and take action before it is too late. Drawing insights from recent reports and analyses, this article provides an overview of the current state of the charity sector and offers advice on how to respond to the key challenges currently facing charities. Read more in the report from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) – here.
Homelessness data: Govt data – eg. Table TA1 in ‘Tables on homelessness’ – shows that 68,070 families with children were living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of June 2023, of which 7,510 were living in hostels or B&Bs.
Funding news
The BCP Food and Energy Support Fund: This has reopened with a closing date of 7 June. Grants of up to £8,500 will be awarded to applicants that are delivering community initiatives that support BCP households impacted by the rising costs of living. Grants must be utilised from 1st July 2024 – 30th September 2024. The scheme is intended to cover a wide range of support for vulnerable and low income households in the most need of support, including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, larger families, single-person households, and those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events.
More information on the Dorset Community Foundation website here.
Hall and Woodhouse Community Chest: This grant scheme has reopened, and is designed to give a helping hand to local people in supporting and strengthening their community, by encouraging charities and community interest companies to apply for a grant to go towards improving their local area.
Applications are welcome from any voluntary or community organisation or group with a local interest that is based or works in the south of England. Groups are able to apply for grants or fundraising support ranging from £300 to £3,000 to help achieve their aims. These grants or fundraising commitments could be used towards things such as equipment and furniture, training, transport, professional assistance, specific project resources or operational costs.
Read more here. Deadline for applications is 14 July 2024.
BBC Children in Need – meet the funder: Delivered by the Family Fund Business Services team, the Emergency Essentials programme provides items that meet a child’s most basic needs, such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to provide a hot meal and other items critical to a child’s well-being. Our dedicated suppliers work hard to get grant items out quickly to families. Everything is taken care of from – delivery, installation/build (furniture) to recycling of old white good appliances.
CAN have organised a ‘meet the funder’ event so you can find out how to make successful applications in the next funding round of BBC Children in Need’s Emergency Essentials Programme:
Tuesday 21 May 2024 2:00 – 3:00 book via eventbrite.