Welfare Rights is an activity aimed at ensuring that people are aware of and receiving their maximum entitlement to state welfare benefits. It has been established in the UK since 1969 and has also been developed in other countries including Ireland, Australia and the USA. It became necessary because of the complexity of the UK social security system and had links at the time with a growing Claimants Union movement. As local authorities realised the advantages of having well-informed front-line staff such as housing officers and social workers, who often have to deal with benefit queries as part of their wider tasks, they turned to welfare rights staff to provide that expertise for both training and handling complex cases. In the 1980's, as local authorities took on the wider 'equalities' agenda, anti-poverty work was seen as a valid local activity in itself. Increasing benefit income helps individuals but also boosts the local economy.

Welfare rights advice and advocacy in the UK

Some local authorities in the UK employ welfare right staff and this role is also carried out by the voluntary sector

Voluntary sector

The voluntary sector or community sector is the sphere of social activity undertaken by organizations that are for non-profit and non-governmental. This sector is also called the third sector, in reference to the public sector and the private sector...

 through local advice agencies like the Citizens Advice Bureau

Citizens Advice Bureau

A Citizens Advice Bureau is one of a network of independent charities throughout the UK that give free, confidential information and advice to help people with their money, legal, consumer and other problems....

.

Welfare rights advisers offer free, impartial and independent advice, information and support on all aspects of social security

Social security

Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...

 benefits and tax credits.

Most local authority Welfare Rights advisers offer free representation to people at a social security appeal tribunal

Social security appeal tribunal

The Social Security Appeal Tribunal was a tribunal in the United Kingdom which heard appeals from decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs and local authorities regarding entitlement to various forms of social security benefits.The Tribunal was abolished in...

, which are administered by the UK Ministry of Justice.

Welfare Rights advisers offer representation and advocacy

Advocacy

Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...

 in dealing with the local authority Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit services, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes and the payment of some forms of state support....

 (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...

 (DWP) as well as offering expert lay representation at social security appeal Tribunals.

Welfare Rights advisers will generally:

• Provide advocacy
  Advocacy
  Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
  
   and representation before social security appeal Tribunals
• Assistance with complex welfare benefit applications
• Advise and represent on all aspects of social security law, including entitlement to all benefits, backdating, suspensions and over payments
• Represent all appeals involving disability living allowance, attendance allowance, incapacity for work and all other benefits
• Check whether there are any benefits or tax credits people are entitled to that they are not getting

Welfare rights advisers use a Case Management System to help them manage their work. These can be paper based, pc based or online.

Welfare Rights officers are closely involved with campaigning groups and charities like the Child Poverty Action Group

Child Poverty Action Group

Child Poverty Action Group is a UK charity that works to alleviate poverty and social exclusion.The stated aims of the CPAG are:CPAG programs include:* Research and publish the latest facts and figures of family and child poverty in the UK...

 (CPAG), which provides a great deal of welfare rights training in the UK and also publishes several welfare rights manuals.

Welfare Rights advisers' professional organisation is the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA) at a UK level; Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 has its own professional association, Rights Advice Scotland (RAS).

External links

• Rights Advice Scotland
• National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers
• Child Poverty Action group
• Rightsnet
• National Welfare Rights Network Australia
• Povertynet Canada