Welfare Advice Service

The Welfare Advice Service will cover four main areas of work. 1. Financial Support As a Unitary Authority the council has responsibility for Local Welfare Provision (LWP) for its residents and this contract will form part of that offer, alongside a LWP service which provides an additional £190K per year in financial support to residents. The LWP service is run by the council’s Welfare Support Team and the £190K budget is controlled by that team. Residents may apply direct for financial support, or through third party support organisations such as Developing Health and Independence/Reach, to access this funding. The provider will provide a key role in mediating with applications to this fund, as well as other funding streams available locally and nationally. 2. Welfare Advice Residents of Bath and North East Somerset require an advice and information service which is highly accurate, responsive and covers the following areas: - Energy costs - Debt - Welfare benefits and tax credits - Immigration - Relationship advice - Social Care Financial Assessments - Discrimination advice 3. Specialist Support Some of our residents require more support than others, particularly where they have complicated problems or lack the skills and abilities to effectively manage their affairs. The provider will need to provide a comprehensive case management service to help with complex cases. This will include the following: - Welfare benefit, tax credit and Child Maintenance appeals and representation - Liaising and mediating with the council where there are disputes - Providing access to legal advice - Applying for Disability benefits - Support for completion of Social Care Financial Assessments - Basic legal advice on rent and tenancy matters. 4. Wellbeing Support This service is intended to support the statutory services for provision of advice on Housing and Care and Support, and to provide access to welfare funding for residents. The thread linking these elements together is supporting the wellbeing of council residents. This will support the council’s key objective of Improving People’s Lives, and the Focus On Prevention. The provider will undertake action to provide wellbeing advice to residents who have low level mental health problems, with the aim that these cases will not escalate to the extent that they require intervention from specialist council or NHS services. This support will cover the following areas. - Mental health - Access to services for disabled people - Advice on healthy eating - Access to affordable healthy food - Access to community inclusion - Access to education - Access to employment