One of our welfare benefits team attended the House of Commons as part of a national campaign calling for welfare rights advice to be freely available to all who need it.
Pamela Carysforth, our Welfare Benefit Advisor represented Jigsaw in supporting the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers (NAWRA) as part of our commitment to improving and protecting access to high-quality social welfare advice.
The NAWRA is calling to UK Governments to introduce a statutory duty to provide this advice, available equally to all who need it and free at the point of delivery.
Currently, many advice organisations are overwhelmed and struggling to fund services and recruit employees, resulting in a ‘postcode lottery’ where some areas have no access to free assistance.
Without access to advice, many people miss out on benefits they’re entitled to due to complicated rules, with those who need support the most often affected by not claiming what they’re owed or being unable to challenge unfair decisions.
This national campaign will help reverse the decline in advice availability across society, helping to prevent eviction, homelessness, mounting debt and costly tribunal hearings for individuals and families.
The official campaign launch at the House of Commons was hosted by Marsha de Cordova MP in celebration of NAWRA’s 50th anniversary.
Pamela said: “Social housing providers are in a unique position to identify those in need of advice and are an essential part of the national advice network.
“To make as much difference as possible for our tenants and help tackle the cost-of-living crisis, we work closely with partner organisations and are well placed to champion this campaign and highlight the power of advice to other housing providers.”
We’ll continue to support the campaign and work in partnership with official organisations including the DWP to raise awareness.
