Innovation Fund
The Agency is working in partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies on the Innovation Fund for Increasing Benefit Uptake. It was initiated to explore how fresh uptake activities could be focused on customers’ circumstances rather than particular benefits. Together we made available a maximum fund of £375K, which has been awarded to 5 organisations leading 7 projects.
The projects will target people of all ages, those living with a disability and their carers, those who have been diagnosed with cancer, families on low income, those in fuel poverty and those who may be still in employment but on low income.
The Social Security Agency and The Atlantic Philanthropies will evaluate the outcomes of successful projects to inform the Agency’s future approach to uptake work in the context of its newly emerging longer-term strategy.
Macmillan Cancer
Will deliver benefit checks to people who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families. They will do this in 3 hospital trusts – Northern, Southern and Belfast. They will enhance their existing service in Belfast City Hospital Cancer Unit and set up a new dedicated telephone advice line for benefits.
Disability Action
Will focus on those living with a disability and those caring for people with a disability. They will work in partnership with Oaklee Housing and hold clinics in their folds/premises, libraries, sports halls etc. giving one-to-one advice. The events will be advertised locally in GP surgeries, libraries, community centres, local press etc. They will also work with young people and go into local Special Needs Schools offering advice and assistance there.
Advice NI
- The In Work – Top-up Your Income Project will work with local employers targeting those in employment, primarily in part-time work, those facing redundancy, those nearing the end of their statutory sick pay period, and those coming up to retirement to ensure that any benefits to which entitlement exists is being claimed.
- The Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Young People Project will see Advice NI working in partnership with The Princes Trust to ensure the young people they work with are receiving their full entitlements.
These projects will have a face to face service, telephone service, use new technology such as email, text and online services to get the message across.
North Belfast Advice Partnership
- Low income families Project
- Older people Project
All work is done at a local community level and will target these two separate groups of people in various ways, Sure Start programmes, schools, door-to-door, local and community press etc and will hold clinics for face to face benefit checks in GP surgeries and well being centres, community centres, golf clubs, leisure centres, libraries etc.
Citizen’s Advice Bureau – Larne and District
Their main aim is to tackle the issue of fuel poverty across the Larne and District area. They will use email, Facebook, twitter, internet, online chat rooms and more traditional ways, such as leaflets, posters, press etc to encourage customers to get in contact for a benefit check. They will then use face to face and telephone approaches to complete full benefit checks.
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