Welfare Rights Service
The Welfare Rights Service has a team of Welfare Rights Officers. They provide advice, support and information on welfare rights issues in Bedfordshire.
The Service also has a Community Finance Adviser team who are responsible for providing benefit checks and completing financial assessment forms for customers receiving residential and non-residential care services.
The Welfare Rights Service is a second-tier advice service, providing support and advice to Social Services staff, and other advisers in the county, who have direct contact with the public.
The Welfare Rights Service does not normally provide direct advice to the public unless referred through social workers or other Social Services staff.
Support for Social Services
Welfare rights advice
The Welfare Rights Service provides advice on the whole range of social security benefits, including disability benefits, pension and tax credits. Welfare Rights Officers are based in Bedford, Biggleswade and Dunstable. The Service provides advice and support to Social Services staff across the County. Our advisers are able to give benefits advice to staff to help them to advise and assist their customers. If a benefit issue is complex or requires representation, our area based Welfare Rights Officers can take on case referrals from Social Services staff.
Financial Assessments
The Community Finance Adviser team is responsible for providing benefit checks and completing financial assessment forms for home care and day care customers.
Training
The Welfare Rights Service provides benefits awareness training for Social Services staff. The Service offers a welfare rights induction programme for new staff to raise awareness of welfare rights issues and how to make referrals to the Service. The Service is also able to attend team meetings to help with any issues relating to benefits and welfare rights.
Information and publicity
We produce various information sheets and leaflets, including a series of benefit calculation sheets for Social Services and other organisations across the County.
Policy work
Where appropriate, we attend meetings within Social Services to give advice on projects and policy discussions, which have a benefit or welfare rights context.
Other support services
Partnership work
The Bedfordshire Rights and Information Exchange Forum (BRIEF) is a group of local advice agencies interested in welfare rights issues. The forum is facilitated by the Welfare Rights Service, and meetings are held quarterly in Bedford.
Talks
On request, we can give talks on benefit issues to various groups in the county, for example to pensioners, carers, and disabled groups.
Take Up Campaigns
The Service is able to assist in local benefit take-up campaigns, and benefit project work. We welcome working in partnership with local advice agencies and voluntary groups.
Service standards
The Welfare Rights Service has its own quality procedures and is continually seeking to improve. We have been awarded the Community Legal Services Quality Mark for benefit advice at specialist level.
We positively welcome feedback from people who use the Service. If for some reason you are unhappy with the advice you have received or standard of service then there is a complaints procedure. Contact the Welfare Rights Service for further details.
Aims of the Welfare Rights Service
Bedfordshire County Council provides a Welfare Rights Service. The Service aims are to:
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maximise the benefit income for Social Services clients by ensuring that they receive the benefits that they are entitled to
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provide welfare benefits advice and financial assessments in accordance with the Council's fairer charging policy
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provide welfare rights advice and support to Bedfordshire County Council officers, County Council Services, elected members, and partner organisations across the County
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promote access to welfare rights advice across Bedfordshire.