Social, health and other care professionals who wish to refer

This page provides information for services wanting to refer their service users for benefit advice.

Every pound counts

Lambeth Council is working in partnership with local advice agencies to provide a benefit take up campaign, to Lambeth residents coming within one of the following groups:

• people aged 60 and above,
• people with disabilities,
• people with sensory impairments,
• people experiencing long term ill health,
• carers,
• people caring for a disabled child or a child with significant long term ill health, including children with long term developmental conditions and behavioural conditions.

The campaign is called Every Pound Counts and is jointly funded by Lambeth Primary Care Trust.

Referrals are accepted from organisations working in the social care, health, housing, and voluntary sectors for service users needing help to claim additional benefit entitlement.

To make a referral for a Lambeth resident who comes within our service eligibility please complete the Every Pound Counts referral form.

If you work in health services please complete the PCT Every Pound Counts referral form.

Please send the completed form either by:

• email EveryPoundCounts@lambeth.gov.uk or
• post to : Every Pound Counts, 3rd Floor, Adults' and Community Services, Phoenix House, 10 Wandsworth Road, London SW8 2LL.

If you want to discuss a referral, please phone on 020 7926 5555. Phone calls are logged by Adults' and Community Services Service Centre, who then transfer the enquiry to trained benefit advisers.

You can also e-mail us at EveryPoundCounts@lambeth.gov.uk.

We also accept referrals direct from individuals.

How we help?

Our take up service helps find out if there is any extra money your service users 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.

We:

• Help claim millions of pounds of under-claimed benefits for vulnerable people,
• Complete all the relevant forms on behalf of clients,
• Represent clients where claims have failed,
• Operate an Advice Line where we carry out benefits checks,
• Provide follow up benefits casework including help completing forms and helping with appeals if the claim is refused.

Appointments including home visits can be arranged if required because of ill health or disability.

Services offered

• benefits advice that is free, confidential and independent for people who live within Lambeth and who are older people, ill or disabled or a carer,
• support with appeals, tribunals,
• advice by appointment, at drop-in sessions, and by telephone,
• interpreters are available.

Home visits can be arranged if the person is are housebound, or if they are a carer and they have to stay at home because of carer responsibilities.

Want to know more?

If you would like someone to contact your service to tell you more about Every Pound Counts, please contact Julia Harris jcharris@lambeth.gov.uk or Jualanne Hickey jhickey@lambeth.gov.uk.

We publish a range of materials. If you would like publicity to advertise our service please email everypoundcounts@lambeth.gov.uk.

Publicity

We publish a range of information leaflets and newsletters, which you can obtain at no cost by phoning 020 7926 5555, or by emailing everypoundcounts@lambeth.gov.uk.

Currently, our leaflets include:

• Service information leaflet
• Service information in 11 community languages.
• Welfare and benefits advice leaflet for parents of children with extra care needs.

Training

We organise training for our own and other advisors, for health and local authority staff, for voluntary and community organisations, for other statutory and private organisations. We run a series of scheduled courses throughout the year and can also provide tailor-made or bespoke courses to suit the particular needs of your organisation. Charges vary.

Quality of advice

We employ trained and experienced advisers to give advice and undertake casework on behalf of clients. Many of the advisers are specialists in their field of benefit advice.

We have case recording and casework monitoring systems in place to help with supervision and auditing of casework.

All advisers have enhanced CRB checks.