Welfare Benefits

Welfare Rights Service

The Welfare Rights Service is part of Social Care and Heath and is responsible for providing Welfare Benefits advice and assistance to clients and prospective clients of Social Care & Health Services together with their immediate families and carers through a team of Welfare Rights Officers

They also provide a service to parents and carers of children with disabilities, foster carers, adoptive parents and special guardians.

These Officers also advise and assist with appeals and tribunal representations.

In addition, a team of Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers undertake financial assessments for Domiciliary Care Charges by arranging to visit you at home or wherever you are most comfortable.

Welfare Benefits advice is also available to people in need of residential care and their families. Requests for Welfare Benefits assistance can be made direct to Welfare Rights Officers, Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers and through Social Workers.

We have 14 Welfare Rights Officers and 13 Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers countywide, who will be able to help you. We will also give advice by phone or email.

What the advisers can do

Help to complete application forms for all types of Social Security Benefits and Housing and Council Tax Benefit, like Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance.
Advise and assist in challenging unfavourable decisions
Help with written appeals and if necessary, represent clients at first-tier tribunal hearings.
Make applications to upper-tier tribunals if decisions involve an error of law.
Explain what the duties of an appointee are and who may need one.
Help people whose partners or other family members need to go into care.
Check whether a person is receiving their correct entitlement to benefits.
Give talks to community groups such as carers groups, disability groups and pensioner groups
Provide Welfare Benefits training to all Social Care and Health staff and other stakeholders like NHS staff.
Provide training to other organisations in particular aspects of benefits on request.
Produce advice sheets to promote better understanding of who may be entitled to benefits.