Falkirk Council

We will ensure that customers receive benefits to which they are entitled and that benefits are provided to those who are in need in our efforts to increase household incomes to tackle disadvantage and discrimination, whilst securing the gateway to the claiming process by adhering to the measures contained in our Anti Fraud and Prosecution policy.

Since local government reorganisation in 1996, we have offered our citizens a combined Housing and Council Tax Benefit Service through a single claiming process via our decentralised Area Office network at 8 offices throughout the Council area.

 

 

We aim to:

Provide fair and equal access to the Benefits Service by:

 

• providing it to the whole community via a local network of One Stop Shops and smaller offices in the area they live, ensuring that fully trained, knowledgeable staff provide the Service.
• ensuring that our communications and publications are clear, understandable and accessible.
• actively publicising in our offices that we can provide on request interpreters for the majority of non English speaking residents using signposting at counters, posters in offices and in our literature.
• providing advice, information, claim forms and leaflets on our website.
• providing advice and information about Housing and Council Tax Benefit with annual and ongoing Council Tax bills, reminders and Rent statements and arrears notices.
• offering a visiting service to give advice to those who have difficulty getting to our offices on claiming benefits and assist in the completion of claim forms.

Effectively use publicity to promote take up of Housing and Council Tax Benefit by:

• publicising the availability of the schemes and how to claim using a variety of methods of communication e.g. posters, leaflets, press, radio adverts; web-site, intranet etc.
• publicising changes in the regulations which will increase entitlement to both current and potential claimants by a variety of means aimed at reaching all members of the community – via posters, announcements on Council web-site, local radio campaigns and newspaper adverts where appropriate.
• using a variety of LA publications to do so e.g. Falkirk Council News - the Council's newspaper which is delivered to every house in the area and the Tenants' Newsletter which is delivered to every council tenancy quarterly.
• ensuring that policies regarding the administration and assessment of benefits are transparent and widely publicised to encourage customers and advisors to claim.
• providing information on claim forms, benefit decision notices, visiting statements, leaflets and posters about the need to let us know promptly about changes in circumstance – to maximise benefit and to prevent overpayments.
• providing mechanisms for reporting changes in circumstance to us e.g. Change in Circs Form.

Work effectively and efficiently with partners and stakeholders to maximise take up by:

• closely liaising with our partners in Job Centre Plus (JCP) and the Pensions, Disability and Carers' Service (PDCS) to gather claims, promote the take up of benefits, improve our partnership arrangements and provide a seamless service to our customers.
• undertaking joint sign up arrangements with the Council's Corporate and Neighbourhood Service when a Local Authority tenancy is let by using specially developed forms for the purpose to capture all the information we need to assess entitlement to Housing and Council Tax Benefit and Council Tax discounts and exemptions.
• jointly working with the Council's Corporate and Neighbourhood Service throughout the tenancy as part of our early intervention strategy to minimise arrears and prevent homelessness.
• undertaking joint sign up arrangements with the Council's Homeless Team when a vulnerable customer is placed in temporary accommodation to capture all the information we need to assess entitlement to Housing Benefit by streamlining the claiming process and fast-tracking claims.
• simplifying the claiming process for tenants of registered private sector landlords working closely with the Council to prevent homelessness e.g. Accredited Landlord Scheme / Private Leased Scheme by sharing information and fast tracking claims and paying the landlord direct wherever possible.
• striving to break down the barriers for vulnerable customers by closely working with their representatives e.g. Cyrenians to simplify the claiming process and assist them to find routes out of homelessness.
• providing regular guidance and information to Registered Social Landlords and private sector landlords to ensure they can advise their tenants about the availability of Housing and Council Tax Benefit and how to claim.
• providing landlords with nominated liaison officers to deal with their enquiries and offer them guidance and advice.
• introducing a Service Level Agreement with our Sheriff Officers to promote measures to encourage benefit take-up and promote the use of debt advice services

Maximise the net household income of our citizens by:

• inviting claims for Housing and Council Tax Benefit from working age and pension age claimants who have to claim directly to the Council and not through one of their partners JCP or PDCS.
• ensuring that effective and efficient liaison arrangements are in place to capture claims and data from our partners JCP and PDCS who gather the information on our behalf from Pension Credit claimants and working age claimants on a pass-ported benefit / Incapacity Benefit or Job-Seekers Allowance (contribution based).
• inviting claims for Housing and Council Tax Benefit from those who fail to qualify for pass-ported benefits e.g. Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance (Income Based), Employment & Support Allowance (income related).
• effectively gathering information about their revised circumstances to assess entitlement to standard Housing and Council Tax Benefit from those customers who start to work and awarding Extended Payments wherever appropriate.
• inviting a short claim form from claimants with a change in circumstance only seeking evidence of any changes since their last claim / discrepancies to speed up the re-claiming process.
• carrying out targeted interventions visits / postal checks on high risk claims to identify changes in circumstances and minimise overpayments.
• undertaking targeted take-up campaigns with our partners and stakeholders.
• having regard to the maximisation of benefits in making policy decisions (for example war pension disregards) and in other discretionary areas.
• referring customers to Welfare Benefits Advisors to assist with claims for state benefits they may be entitled to and to Debt Advisors for multiple debt advice.
• carrying out a financial assessment where appropriate when assessing our customers ability to repay Housing Benefit overpayments.
• considering the impact of the Council's Rent and Council Tax collection policies when considering arrangements for the repayment of Housing Benefit overpayments.
• promoting the take up of Council Tax discounts and exemptions.
• share information lawfully and where appropriate with other Council Services to maximise the take-up of other LA schemes e.g. Energy Efficiency; School Clothing and Footwear Grants; Social Work Home Care charging policy etc.
• effectively engage with local employers where there are significant redundancies pending.

Seek the views of our customers and using their experience of claiming benefit to inform future delivery by:

• carrying out regular targeted benefit surveys
• providing customers with Comments Forms to gather feedback
• analysing the causes of complaints