WWRAS in the Community

WWRAS is committed to partnership working and recognises that this is the best way of ensuring that individuals are helped to access their full benefit entitlement.

We know that as a small organisation we cannot reach all potential claimants to offer them advice, so we try to spread information and expertise on benefits as widely as possible to those workers and agencies that they are in contact with locally.

We also take up policy issues where we identify that these are preventing people from claiming their full entitlements.


Supporting front line workers

As a "second tier" agency WWRAS is not open to the public but instead offers support services to front line agencies and their staff and volunteers. This means that we work in very close partnership with many local organisations, both voluntary and statutory, across the county.

Our database includes over 800 teams, separate groups and agencies. All of these receive our publications and training programme as well as having access to our consultancy advice and casework referral services.


Specific partnership projects

From time to time we secure funding for projects to work together with particular agencies. In recent years we have:

• Done take-up work with older people in partnership with Age Concern, the County Council and the five District and Borough Councils;
  
• Worked with the Surestart to support and advise families with young children about benefits;
  
• Offered a benefits advice service to non-English speaking Sikh clients through the Sikh Community Centre;
  
• Worked with local Councils, Guideposts and South Warwickshire Carers Support Service to secure extra benefits for carers and make sure they know about support services locally.

These projects involve us in actively advising clients using our partners to help us identify new clients rather than supporting the other organisation to deal with their current clients through our normal support services.

The main reason for doing this is to target new claimants who are not already in contact with local agencies and to help them establish a claim. The aim is to fill any gaps in provision through targeted take-up work.


Tackling policy issues

As well as supporting many local groups we have regular liaison arrangements with other organisations to ensure that we achieve our overall aim of promoting awareness and take-up of benefits as widely as possible across Warwickshire. We work particularly closely with the following:

• The statutory agencies responsible for benefits administration and appeals. This means we are regularly in contact with:
  
  
  • The Tribunal Service;
    
  • The Pension Service;
    
  • JobCentre Plus;
    
  • The Disability and Carers Service;
    
  • Her Majesty Revenue and Customs (re: Tax Credits);
    
  • the 5 District/Borough Council Housing and Council Tax Benefit Services (Rugby, Warwick District, Stratford, Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire).
  
  
  
• MPs across the county who often refer cases to us and in return take up policy issues on behalf of our clients;

In addition we have been active in addressing welfare right needs through:

• supporting the development of a specialist local welfare rights service in Warwick District;
  
• convening local welfare rights forums;
  
• participating in the Community Legal Services Partnership steering group;
  
• Involvement in discussions about the County Council's Older People strategy and the development of the Children's Services as well as discussions about the Local Area Agreements.

Each year we identify who we need to work with, and what issues are topical.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions - we are always willing to act on these! Email us on info@wwras.org.uk with suggestions.

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