Welfare Rights Service

Training Programme

Course Information

Tameside MBC Welfare Rights & Money Advice Service are planning to deliver a number of training courses covering DLA/AA, Tax Credits System (two courses; Child & Working Tax Credits and Pension Credits) and Benefits for Carers and an overview of Benefits for Disabled Children and their families, and 2 courses on Basic Debt Awareness. The training courses are designed to provide practical skills-based training for people who are not experienced in these areas but who come into contact with clients who experience problems with their benefits or have financial difficulties.

Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance

Background:

Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance are crucial benefits to help people with care and mobility needs meet the financial cost of their requirements and so promote independence. We are increasingly seeing DLA/AA awards being reduced or turned down. If benefit is awarded at the appropriate rate, we find that the renewal claim form can often arrive less than a year later. Therefore the number of forms we are being asked to help people complete is increasing and decision makers are becoming more and more reliant on evidence from GPs, Psychiatrists, Consultants, Social Workers, CPN's and other health professionals to support claims.

Aims:

The aim of this course is to provide an opportunity to develop practical skills in identifying possible claims, completing claim forms and how to access and give supporting evidence. There will also be time to discuss any particular areas you have come across which have caused difficulties.

Dates and Times: 9th October 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

Basic Debt Awareness

Background:

Debt can be a contributory factor when considering a persons mental ill health or can act as block to improvement in health. A significant number of people who suffer from mental ill health are on benefits or are in low paid work and therefore could be said to be at an increased risk of getting into debt.

Although our service deals with people who have mental health problems, the information in the course is widely applicable.

Aims:

To increase debt awareness amongst workers, and to enable them to help or give advice on very simple/one off debts. All those who attend the training will be given debt advice information pack that includes useful material such as budgeting schemes, an income & expenditure form and copies of standard letters.

Dates and Time: 6th November 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

Overview of Benefits for Children

Background:

A family caring for a child who is sick or disabled will have extra financial pressures.

Aims:

This course will take an overview of benefits that families can claim if they have children (up to the age of 16) who are unwell or have a disability. These will include Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance, Income Support, Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Rebate. In addition we will also touch on Incapacity Benefit (Youth) for those young people reaching the age of 16.

Dates and Time: 20th November 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

Tax-Credits: A brief overview

Background:

Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit potentially could affect all working households facing low incomes, including those in which the person working has a disability, and the over 50's. Child Tax Credit affects an even wider audience (as the cut off earnings is about £50,000). To those who claim, the credits are much more generous than what has been around in the past but we are more aware of the difficulties that have arisen and are likely to arise.

Aims:

The course will give a brief overview of both Tax Credits and how they work. This should help identify potential beneficiaries and be aware of difficulties and how it will affect other benefits such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax rebate, Health Benefits etc.

Dates and Time: 4th December 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

Overview of Benefits for Carers

Background:

If you have to give up work or are unable to work due to having to care for a relative or friend, it is likely to mean that income will be reduced.

Aims:

This course will take an overview approach to look at what benefits are available to carers and their families. We will take an overview of Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance, Carers Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Discounts and Rebate. A familiarity with Income Support would be useful for this course.

Dates and Time: 23rd October 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

Pension Credits

Background:

Pension Credit is the means-tested benefit for older people. It replaced the Minimum Income Guarantee as the benefit that will ensure a basic weekly income for single people and couples over the age of 60. In addition to the Guaranteed Credit there is also a Savings Credit for people aged 65 or over that is to reward people who have contributed to occupational pensions or who have some savings. This means that there are a number of people who are entitled to a means-tested benefit for the first time.

Aims:

This half day training session will look at how Pensions Credits are claimed and calculated, how they interact with housing benefit and what the rules are governing capital.

By the end of the course you will be more aware of who can claim and so be able to promote take-up of Pension Credit.

Dates and Time: 18th December 2008 (9.30am - 12.30pm)

If you are interested in any of the above courses please use the booking form 22.68 KB . Places are limited to 18 per course and will be offered on a first come first serve basis.

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Welfare Rights Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map
0161 342 3494
0161 342 2168