Social Fund What is the Regulated Social Fund? What is the Discretionary Social Fund? Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) Crisis Loans

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1 Social Fund The Social Fund is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. They will limit the amount they give you in loans so that you will still have enough money to live on each week after you your repayments have been deducted from your benefits. What is the Discretionary Social Fund? This is the government fund which pays Crisis Loans, Community Care Grants and interest free Budgeting Loans. Crisis Loans You can apply for a crisis loan if you don t have enough money to meet your immediate needs. For example if you have made a claim for JSA but they haven t paid you and you need money to live on or if you have lost your wages or training allowance and need money for gas, electricity or food. You can also ask for household items not covered by Community Care Grants. Because this is a loan, you will have to repay anything you are given. Call or Text phone Community Care Grants These grants cover some of the costs of setting up home or replacing broken or lost items. The rules can be complicated and you must be in receipt of income based benefits. Because the money is paid as a grant you will not be asked to repay. You should always try to use the Community Care Grant where you can as this is a fund set up to help people on low incomes. Ask your Personal Adviser or Welfare Rights Officer for a claim form we will also help you to fill it in. Budgeting Loans These are interest free loans which you will have to repay. You can ask for a loan for things which are not covered by Crisis Loans or Community Care Grants. Sometimes the DWP will offer you a Budgeting Loan instead of giving you a Community Care Grant. What is the Regulated Social Fund? This is a government fund which makes payments for specific costs such as the Sure Start Maternity Grant, funeral and cold weather and winter fuel payments. Sure Start Maternity Grant (SSMG) 500 for each child. This is a grant to meet the costs of having a new baby- you don t have to repay the money. Have a look at our other leaflets for more information about this and other benefits you can claim if you or your partner are having a baby. Cold Weather Payments These are automatic payments of 8.50 for each week the temperature drops below zero degrees for seven consecutive days. The temperature is recorded at a designated weather station not in your own home! You will need to be in receipt of JSA (IB) or Income Support and be responsible for a child aged under 5 or get Child Tax Credit for a disabled child or if you get JSA (IB) or get disability top ups on your Income Support or JSA(IB). People on Pension Credit can also get these payments. Winter Fuel Payments These payments are for people aged 60 or over in the week beginning 17 th September 2007.Ask if you need more information. Funeral Payments The rules for claiming funeral payments are complicated. If you need to make a claim or think this might apply to you ask your Personal Adviser to help you or ask to speak to the Welfare Rights Officer who will help you with your claim.

2 Income Support Income Support (or IS) is a means tested benefit - any income or savings you have affects the amount you get. You may be able to claim IS if you are single and attend a training or college course, if you are a student with disabilities, if you have a baby and don t live with a partner, if you are unfit for work and can t get Incapacity Benefit or if you care for someone who is disabled or if you are expecting a baby within 11 weeks. There are other reasons you may be able to claim -the rules can be complicated, especially if you have come to live in this country form abroad, so you should ask for help before you make a claim. Jobcentreplus which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Call You may also have to attend an interview. Depending on your age and circumstances each week you may get if you re aged up to 24. If you are a lone parent you will get the same as a single person until you are 18 then you will get You may get more if you are disabled or part of a couple. These amounts go up every April. Disability Living Allowance Disability Living allowance (DLA) is not means tested. You can get DLA without it affecting your other benefits and it is tax free. It is paid to people who need help with personal care or getting around. If you get DLA you may get extra allowances on your Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, or Housing Benefit. You could also get extra top ups on your Tax Credits. You can work and claim DLA. The Disability, Carers & Pension Service which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. Call You will be sent a detailed claim form. You should ask for help with the form and get other information such as a supporting letter from someone who knows you and about the help you need. You may be asked to see a doctor who will help decide whether you need help with your care. DLA is paid at three rates depending on how much personal care you need and two rates depending on how much help you need to get around. Care Component Mobility Component Lower Rate Middle Rate Higher Rate

3 Incapacity Benefit You can claim Incapacity Benefit (or IB) if you are unfit for work, or if you have a long term disability. For young people aged between 16 and 24 this benefit is also known as Incapacity in Youth Benefit. If you are claiming Incapacity in Youth Benefit you may be able to study full time at the same time and you may also get Disability Living Allowance. Jobcentreplus which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Call You usually have to attend an interview at a jobcentre about 8 weeks after you claim. You will also need to provide sick notes from your doctor- keep a record of when your sick note runs out so that you don t forget to get another one. If you stop sending in sick notes your money will stop although some people may be told they don t need sick notes after a while. Rates vary depending upon how long you have been claiming and whether you get Incapacity Benefit based on National Insurance contributions or have to claim Income Support instead. Jobseekers Allowance You can claim Jobseekers Allowance (or JSA) if you are unemployed and looking for work. If you have worked before and paid enough National Insurance contributions you may get JSA(cont) but most young people get income based JSA. This means it is means tested in the same way as Income Support. You may also be able to get JSA if you are attending a part time college course or doing part time or voluntary work the rules can be complicated so ask for help before you claim. Jobcentreplus which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Call You will have to attend an interview at your local jobcentre and then sign on every two weeks. Each week you will get but you can only claim if you are in hardship or estranged if you are aged under 18. From age 25 you will get You may get more if you are part of a couple. Like Income Support the amounts go up every April. Will be replaced by Employment & Support Allowance from 27 October 2008

4 Tax Credits Tax credits are not a benefit- they are a credit. There are Working Tax Credits for those on a low income who have children or have a disability or people aged over 50 who have been out of work and return to the job market. Child Tax Credits are paid to households with responsibility for a child. You can get both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit if you meet the conditions for both. All Tax Credits are means tested. The Tax Credit Office which is part of HM Revenue and Customs. Call You will be sent a claim pack and have to provide details of your income. You must always report changes in your circumstances and you will be asked to check your award. You will need to renew your claim every year and if you are overpaid Tax Credits you will be asked to repay the money. The amount you get will depend upon your circumstances. It is calculated by adding together the different elements you qualify for and taking away any income. Ask for help from your Welfare Rights Officer and check out the Tax Credit Calculator at HMRC.gov.uk. Adult Learners Grant Adult Learners Grant (or ALG) is a means tested allowance to help meet the costs of studying for people aged 19 or over. You can only claim if this is your first full level 2 or level 3 qualification. You cannot get ALG and Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance. For claims made for 2007/08 your must have an earnings threshold of less than 19,513 if you are single or 30,810 joint income if you are part of a couple in the tax year. Claims for 2008/09 can be made from 19 th May How is it paid? Attendance based, paid weekly into your bank account while you are studying for up to 2 years. Call or apply online, checkout You can also ask your student support worker or Personal Adviser. Remember to provide all of the information needed to speed up your claim. Up to 30 per week depending on your income.

5 EMA Educational Maintenance Allowance is a means tested allowance for those aged 16 to 18 in education or training. Sometimes EMA is paid instead of a training allowance for certain types of courses. If you live on your own you may get EMA and Income Support while you are on your course. Sometimes TLC will pay Personal Allowance while you get EMA. How is it paid? Your college or training provider completes weekly computer reports to confirm your attendance and generate your payments. Your school, college or training provider should give you a form or call or claim online. Unlike other allowances you should apply as soon as you leave school or as soon as you think you might start a course. If you provide all the information asked for on the form you should receive a notice telling you whether or not you qualify within a week. You will need to take this notice to your training or education provider when you start your course. Payments don t start until you begin a training or education course and your provider confirms you are attending. Child Benefit Child Benefit is not means tested and is paid to people with responsibility for a child. It is paid at set rates for each child. You cannot get Child Benefit for a child you foster. The Child Benefit Agency which is part of HM Revenue and Customs. When you have a new baby you are usually given a claim form in your baby starter pack. If you need to request a pack call You will need to provide the birth certificates for the child or children you want to claim for. Each week you will get for the first or eldest child and for each other child. These rates go up every April. Don t forget your Child Trust Fund Text phone Up to per week as long as you have 100% attendance plus bonuses.

6 Housing Benefit & Local Housing Allowances Housing Benefit covers some or all of the costs of your rent if you have a low income or do not work and rent your home from a Residential Social Landlord. If you rent privately you will claim Local Housing Allowances (LHAs). Both are means tested and the rules can be complicated -especially if you live with someone else. Housing Benefit will be completely replaced by Local Housing Allowances at sometime in the future. Local authorities pay this benefit on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Many of the payment rules are the same as Income Support and your local authority is linked to the DWP computer network. You can collect a form from your local authority visit the One Stop Shop at the Civic Centre if you live in the Walsall area or ask your Personal Adviser or housing provider for a form. If you claim IS or JSA you will also be asked if you want to claim. You should always take your completed application form and evidence documents to your local authority and get a receipt. Walsall MBC promises to process your claim within days if you provide everything they ask for and will scan any documents through to speed things up. Depends on your age and where you live. LHAs are set every month and published on your council s website. If you don t sought out your housing costs you will end up with a court summons and fine, a County Court Judgement and face eviction. If this happens you will find it hard to find another housing provider who will offer you a property you could end up homeless. Coming from Abroad You cannot always claim welfare benefits if you have come to this country from abroad and rules change very often. If you are an Unaccompanied Child Seeking Asylum aged 16 or 17 you will usually be supported by the TLC until you reach the age of 18. If you were granted Leave To Remain before your 18 th birthday and applied for asylum before April 2007 and are still waiting for a final decision on your asylum claim, you may be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support from age 18 depending on your circumstances. You may also get Housing and Council Tax Benefit. However, the asylum rules have changed for anyone making a claim from April 2007 and you should ask for help with any benefit claim once you reach your 18 th birthday. There are different rules for European nationals. Before you can get any benefit you will have to satisfy the residence and presence test. This means you will have to show that you are habitually resident (usually live) in the UK this rule applies to everyone who makes a claim to any benefit, even if you have never been abroad. For most people this simply means answering a few questions on the benefit claim form. Others may need to provide passports or Home Office documents and letters from solicitors. Ask for help from your Personal Adviser or Welfare Rights Officer.

7 National Insurance Contributions What are they? National Insurance contributions go towards the cost of NHS services, to build up state retirement pension or give you access to some welfare benefits. When you work a percentage of your earnings will be deducted by your employer. These deductions are usually called class 1 National Insurance deductions and count towards retirement pension and benefit entitlements in later years. If you are self employed you will pay a class 2 deduction goes towards Incapacity Benefit and state retirement pension but not Jobseekers Allowance. If you earn enough whilst you are self employed you may have to pay a class 4 deduction as well as class 2 (speak to an accountant about your earnings). There is also a voluntary contribution or class 3. You can pay a class 3 contribution if you have gaps in your National Insurance record. If you claim JSA or Incapacity Benefit you will usually have a class 1 contribution awarded for you. If you are a carer or lone parent you should ask about Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) which protects your national insurance contributions. New rules mean carer s national insurance records are kept up to date. All contribution records are kept at central offices in Newcastle and are linked to your National Insurance number. Ask for advice for your own individual circumstances. Rules change often. Council Tax Benefit Council tax is the payment to your local authority for the services they provide such as bin collections, street lighting and education, etc. It also includes contributions towards the police and fire services. The amount you pay depends on something called the rateable value of your property which is then put into a payment band. Council Tax Benefit can cover some or all of these costs for people who don t work or who are on a low income. It is means tested. Who pays it and how do I claim? Council Tax Benefit is usually, but not always, linked to Housing Benefit and is claimed in the same way. A lot of people forget to claim their Council Tax Benefit or don t bother because they don t think it is important. Remember you will have a court summons and added costs. If you still don t pay you will have a County Court Judgement which will affect your credit rating. You can be given a jail sentence for none payment of Council Tax. For both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit you will need to provide proof of income and savings. If you are not working someone will check which welfare benefits you claim. If you don t claim any benefits you will have to prove how you support yourself and may not get Council Tax Benefit or Housing Benefit.

8 Useful Contacts TLC Welfare Rights Officer New Claims Call centre Free phone Disability Living Allowance IS/JSA/IB payment enquiries Social Fund Text phone Child Benefit Centre Tax Credit Helpline Child Trust Fund Helpline Text Phone Direct Gov benefit information site - Connexions CAB Introduction This leaflet tells you about some of the benefits you may be able to claim. If you are aged 16 or 17 and are supported by the Transition and Leaving Care Team you may not be able to get certain benefits so speak to your Personal Adviser and have a look at the leaflet Your Money it will tell you what the TLC Team will pay you. What are benefits? Welfare benefits are a way of supporting people who don t have any money to live on or who have a low income. For example, if you are unfit and can t work you may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit. If you don t have a job or attend a training course you may get Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support. Benefits such as Disability Living Allowance help meet the costs of providing care or help getting around if you have a long term health problem or disability. Tax Credits pay for children or top up low wages. If you have children you can claim Child Benefit as well as Tax Credits. Other benefits such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit pay towards your housing costs.. Can I claim it? To claim any benefit or Tax Credit you must meet something called the eligibility criteria. A benefits decision maker will look at your circumstances to see whether they can pay you. This leaflet will tell you some of the general rules for each benefit so you can see what might apply to you. Who can help me with claiming? You can contact your Personal Adviser for help or you can ask the TLC s Welfare Rights Officer. You can contact all TLC staff on

9 Important To make most benefit claims you will need to phone a call centre. For some benefits the call can take up to 40 minutes. You will be asked about any job you have just ended such as last wages and last day of work and any holiday pay, or training or education course and your rent details. Have this information ready before you call it will be easier. Arrangements can be made for anyone who can t use a telephone or who needs someone to act on their behalf or who s first language isn t English. You can be prosecuted if you deliberately give false or misleading information. Not only that, you will have to repay any benefit you have been overpaid. Benefit staff aren t always right. You can always check with your Personal Adviser or Welfare Rights Officer if need be we will speak to benefits staff on your behalf. Always claim your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Once you get a bad payment record with housing providers it is difficult to find somewhere to live. We can t always put things right, especially if its your own fault. Hello, Welfare Rights (A bit about me) My name is Sue Blick and I am the Welfare Rights Officer for Walsall s Children s Services that includes TLC. I work with children of all ages and their carers as well as those moving on to adulthood. I have worked for Walsall Council for two years but have worked in benefits for over 26 years yes THAT long! My job is to help Personal Advisers and young people with benefit advice and help out if things go wrong. Or just explain things. Since joining the TLC I have met a number of our young people and helped with their benefits. I like to think I know what I m doing but even I get baffled by the benefit system sometimes, especially with all the changes they keep making give me a call if you want some advice or ask your Personal Adviser to make an appointment. You can contact me on Sue We are always willing to give you help and advice. It is your claim, your money and your responsibility.

10 Your Comments Count Tell us what you think. TLC YOUR BENEFIT GUIDE What you think is important to us. If we are doing things well, it s nice to know we ve got it right. If there are things we could do better tell us so that we can do something about it. Either write your comments below and pass them on or speak to us. Comments You don t have to give us your name but it helps if you want a reply. Name.. Personal Adviser This booklet has been designed to make you aware of what benefits you may or may not be entitled to and has been produced for guidance only. If you would like this booklet translated please ask a member of TLC staff. Transition and Leaving Care Team