Welfare Rights

Our Welfare Rights Service can help you if you want to find out if there is any extra money you can claim from the government or the council. This could be for day-to-day living expenses, for the extra cost of caring for someone, or because you have a disability.

Aims

Our service aims to assist residents of Sandwell to claim all of the benefits they are entitled to. We can assist from initial claims for benefits through to tribunal representation where necessary.

What do we do?

Help claim millions of pounds of under-claimed benefits.
Complete all the relevant forms on behalf of clients.
Represent clients where claims have failed.
Operate an Advice Line: 0121 569 3158, 9.30am – 4pm Monday to Friday.

Our guarantee is that we will never make people financially worse off. Often people wrongly assume that they are not entitled to claim additional benefits, or, if they do claim they will then end up paying more money out.

This is not the case and in our experience 8 out of 10 people are not claiming the benefits they are entitled to. In fact, during this last financial year, the Welfare Rights Unit has seen in excess of 9,000 people and gained an additional £21 million of under-claimed benefits.

How can we help?

We can help by assisting you to claim the correct benefits from the beginning of the process through to representing at appeals when this is necessary.

Who can we help?

Older people.
Families with children.
People with health problems.
Carers.
People with mental health problems.
People with learning disabilites.
Those in low paid work.

Information about benefits

Our benefits information section may be helpful if you have been made redundant or lost your job or are on a low income. It gives an overview of some of the benefits and other help that may be available in a variety of circumstances.

We publish a newsletter, Welfare Rights News, with current information about benefits.

Information for advisers and professionals

Our newsletter, Welfare Rights News, provides information and legislative updates as well as articles which explore welfare rights issues in more detail.

How to contact us

Welfare Rights and Anti-Poverty Unit:
Advice Line: 0121 569 3158 Fax: 0121 569 5534
Email: welfarerights_team@sandwell.gov.uk

You can ask to see one of our advisers at your local Neighbourhood office.

You can also request advice or representation by using the online form.

What happens after you contact us?

We will arrange an appointment to see you within three days of your first contact with us, or provide advice through the Advice Line.

Employment rights

If you wish to seek advice about:

your employment rights;
redundancy payments; or
why you were selected for redundancy

please contact Citizens Advice or ACAS (Arbitration and Conciliation Service).

Citizens Advice
Telephone advice : 0121 500 2703. Check www.citizensadvice.org.uk for your nearest bureau and opening hours.

ACAS
Helpline: 08457 474747 www.acas.org.uk The helpline is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to1pm.

Useful links and telephone numbers

Comments, compliments and complaints

If you wish to provide some feedback to help us improve the service, you can speak to us directly or contact the council's Service Insight Team.