Welfare Rights and Debt Advice in Salford

1. Welfare Rights and Debt Advice in Salford Panel Pack December 2011

2. Contents Slides 1 – 5:Background and Spotlight Process 6 – 16:Current Service Overview 17 – 20:Current Funding 21 – 26:Impacts on Service 27 – 35:Feedback and Reviews 36 – 54:Options for Going Forward 55 – 58:Conclusions

3. 1 Background • Spotlight review agreed in July at Broadwalk: backdrop of major welfare reform and cut backs in public sector resources • Need to look at the role of welfare rights & debt advice in addressing the city's priorities, especially in tackling poverty • An element of a wider reform of public services in the city • Phase 1 complete - focused on City Council and resulted in telephony transfer saving circa £100K • Phase 2 spotlight – establishing both Stakeholder and Core Groups

4. Spotlight Process 2 Week 1 - 2 3 - 4 5 - 6 7 - 8 Stage The Issue As Is To Be Options Project Planning: Key Products & Tasks agreed; Team established; Resources identified; Methods agreed; Stakeholders Engaged. SPOTLIGHT: Analysis of the issue; its cause and effects on service delivery Providers (managers, advisers), key stakeholders, Clients Best Practice elsewhere Analysis of the commissioning & delivery systems; impact assessments; initial options Immediate, medium and long term commitments to improve delivery Presentation to panel of key stakeholders ‘Quick wins’ – supporting local ideas

5. 3 Roles and Responsibilities Planning Group Undertakes Project management, facilitation, data analysis and reporting to the core group Panel Signs off the outputs of the Spotlight Admin Provides Administrative support Core Group Leads and owns the Spotlight process and it's output Staff & Customers Provide insight into the ‘As is’ and Suggestions for options For change Stakeholder Group Informs the Spotlight process

6. 4 Who has been involved Staff & Customers Consultation with: 5 x customers 7 x frontline staff Core Group * Age Concern Salford * Carers Centre / Gaddums * Combined Hospitals CAB * Salford CAB * Salford City Council WRDA, CT/HB, Housing, Skills & Work * Salford CVS * Salford Mental Health CAB * Seedley & Langworthy Trust * TUC Centre Panel * Leader of the Council * Lead Member for Finance & Support Services * Lead Member for Neighbourhoods, Culture & Leisure * Strategic Director for Community Health & social Care * Strategic Director for Customer & Support Services * Chief Officer Salford CVS * Acting Locality Managing Director NHS Salford * 2x Community Committee Chairs Stakeholder Group * Age Concern Salford * Binoh Manchester * Broughton Trust * Christians Against Poverty * City West Housing Trust * Crossroads * Disabled Living * Great Places * Hundreds Health – Salford * Jewish Federation * Jobcentre Plus * Macmillans * Making Space * Mind * NHS Salford * Probation Service * River Valley Credit Union * Salford Disability Forum * Salford Link * Salford Women’s Aid * Salford Women’s Centre * Salix Homes * University of Salford * Unlimited Potential * Yemeni Community Ass’n

7. Who? Type & Level of service Welfare Reform Funding Projections Number Funding & Source Best Practice Political will Range of services Quals & Accreds Minimum Requirements Features Other impacts Customer Journeys Availability & Access Design elements Wider Implications Staff interviews 5 Spotlight Journey Potential Impacts Current Need Current Provision Future Need Future Provision + +

8. 6 Current Service Overview

9. 7 Levels of Provision

10. Action for Blind People AWARM Base UK BASIC Body Positive Broughton Trust Care Providers Cathedral Centre Crossroads Deafness Support Network Disabled Living Henshaw’s Society for the Blind Housing Providers Macmillans MIND Revive Women’s Aid Salvation Army Salford Disability Forum START in Salford Stroke Association SMART All below + GPs Jewish Fed Binoh Connexions City West Great Places Together Women Project Unison River Valley CU Jobcentre + Making Space Probation Service Unlimited Potential Salix Homes SCC Children’s Services Salford NHS / PCT SCC Housing Advice Service SCC Social Care Salford Link 30+ agencies Steady Readies Women’s Centre University of Salford Work Solutions Yemeni Community Association All below + Age Concern Salford Carers Centre / Gaddums 9 agencies Christians Against Poverty Seedley & Langworthy Trust TUC Centre CAB - Comb. Hosp CAB - MH CAB - Salford 4 agencies SCC WRDA 8 Service Providers Information General Core Group Specialist

11. 9 Agreed Terms & Definitions

12. 10 WRDA Offices and Bureaux SCC WRDA Salford CAB Salford CAB Gaddum / Carers Centre Christians Against Poverty Salford CAB TUC Centre Salford CAB Seedley & Langworthy Trust AgeConcern MH CAB Com Hosp CAB Note: Does not include services through GP Surgeries, Gateways or other facilities Salford CAB

13. 11 Communities with potentially the Greatest Need Little Hulton Walkden North Little Hulton Pendlebury Little Hulton Pendlebury Kersal Little Hulton Broughton Broughton Winton Broughton Broughton Winton Broughton Winton Irwell Riverside Irwell Riverside Langworthy Irwell Riverside Langworthy Eccles Ordsall Langworthy Langworthy Key: Most Deprived Highest Unemployment Highest Long-term Unemployment (1 year +) Highest Sickness & Disability Benefits Highest Child Poverty Highest Lone Parents Fuel Poverty

14. Walkden North Little Hulton Pendlebury Eccles Broughton Winton Weaste & Seedley Irwell Riverside Barton Langworthy 12 Customer distribution Key: Top five highest service users Next five highest service users

15. 13 Current Need Salford • 229,000 people and 109,000 households • 18th most deprived local authority area (6th within the 6% most deprived in England) • 28,000 adults out of work and in receipt of benefits (16,000+ in receipt of sickness related benefits) • 7,500+ families and around 14,750 children living in poverty • 35,114 customers receive Council Tax Benefit and/or Housing Benefit • 8,720 households have Council Tax arrears problems • Median pay levels 12% lower than the national level • 400 families are classed as homeless • 2nd highest landlord and mortgage possession claims in Greater Manchester (1,315 claims leading to 950 court orders)

16. 14 Qualifications, Accreditations and Licenses Staff Organisation However, few organisations in Salford have relevant advice accreditations and licenses Do they need them?

17. 15 Service Summary SCC WRDA Service Based at the Civic but deliver through the Gateways, GP Surgeries, Little Hulton Children’s Centre and home-visiting: Provide range of specialist welfare rights and debt advice including Charging Assessments Salford CAB 5 Bureaux throughout the city but also deliver through GP Surgeries and home-visiting: Provide wide range of general and specialist welfare rights and debt advice including Legal Aid Combined Hospitals CAB Based at Hope Library: provides welfare rights and debt advice to Salford residents and people with a connection to Hope Hospital. Also provide an outreach service to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Manchester Deaf Centre Salford Mental Health CAB Based at Prestwich and Meadowbrook hospitals: A specialised debt service for Service Users of Mental Health in Salford which provides advice and advocacy services Generalist Agencies Located throughout the city focussing on different customer needs, eg: SALT target residents in Seedley & Langworthy; Gaddums support carers, TUC with employment issues, target Barton and support ex-prisoners Provide face-to-face advice, negotiation and advocacy support

18. Older People 47% Mental Health 20% Financial Gains BME 7% On Benefits 70% SCC WRDA Service 7,337 clients £9.25 m Ill Health 38% Disabled 56% Lone Parents 9% On Benefits 39% Disabled 18% Salford CAB 20,130 clients £12.5 m Older People 28% BME 16% Hospital Patients 89% Combined Hospitals CAB 3,583 clients Older People 22% £1.4 m Disabled 37% Salford Mental Health CAB 529 clients Mental Health 100% BME 9% £1.1 m Unemployed 35% Older People 3% 16 Customer Profile £24 m +

19. 17 Current Funding

20. 2010/11 Clients 2011/12 £1.3 m 22,880 £1.1 m £300 k 1,726 £269 k £299 k 2,579 £291 k £1.1 m 5,100 £1.0 m £3.0 m 32,285 £2.7 m 18 Funding for General and Specialist Provision CORE BUDGET SCC funded provision: Welfare Rights, Debt Advice & Charging Assessments Core grant to Salford CAB SPECIFIC BUDGET SCC & PCT funded provision: Combined Hospitals CAB & Salford Mental Health CAB SCC in-house delivery for GP surgeries, Mental Health & people with Learning Difficulties SERVICE CONTRACTS SCC and PCT funded provision (Personalisation): Advocacy Service General Information & Advice Service Carers Services OTHER All other funding: Money Advice Service (Face 2 Face) Legal Services Commission (Legal Aid) Big Lottery, etc

21. Older People Families & Unemployed BME & Immigration Mental Health Learning Difficulties Hospital & GP Surgeries Hospital & GP Surgeries Housebound Carers & Advocacy Legal Aid Targeted Local Provision Debt 19 Customer Profile by Funding CORE BUDGET 22,880 clients SPECIFIC BUDGET 1,726 clients SERVICE CONTRACTS 2,576 clients OTHER 5,100 clients

22. CORE BUDGET Flexible but subject to significant cuts in Local Authority funding Statutory Charging Assessments SPECIFIC BUDGET PCT funding secured to 2013, then transferred to GP Commissioning – future uncertain Some Local Authority funding cuts SERVICE CONTRACTS Transferred to Personalisation contracts with Local Authority cuts Some WRDA expected to be delivered OTHER Legal Aid reduction by 10% Legal Aid and Money Advice Service contracts to be reviewed October 2013 Big Lottery and other contracts to be retendered 20 Funding Conditions and Trends

23. 21 Impacts on Service

24. 22 Financial Forecast - 30% SCC over 3 yrs Service 2010/11 Clients 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 - 30% SCC over 3 yrs Core Budget £1.3 m 22,880 £1.1 m £616 k £470 k - £388 WRDA - 30% Grants 2 yrs - 30% SCC over 3 yrs - 30% SCC over 3 yrs Specific Budget 1,726 £230 k £300 k £269 k £216 k ??? GPs - 30% Contracts Service Contracts £299 k 2,579 £291 k £251 k £251 k ??? provision - 10% LSC & Lost Contracts Lost Contracts Other £1.1 m 5,100 £1.0 m £944 k £??? 32,285 £2.7 m £2.0 m £1 – 1.8 m £3.0 m

25. 23 Welfare Reform: Changes Working Tax Credit Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) & Emergency Budget Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) Housing Benefit Universal Credit Council Tax Benefit Social Fund Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Pension Credit

26. ESA  £20 m  £25 m & 950 jobs WRDA, benefits Administration, mental health support CSR/Emergency Budget +  £ to families with children  £ to the local economy Education providers, child care provision Working Tax Credit  Income of workers  Spending power of working people Work Programme Better Life Chances, etc Housing Benefit  Rent arrears, possessions, homelessness  Spending power of working people Housing Advice, WRDA, Housing Benefits, Adult Social Care Council Tax Benefit Council Tax arrears £3.3 m & 125 jobs WRDA & Council Tax Benefit   DLA  PIP £8 m to disabled people £10 m & 380 jobs Adult Social Care   Universal Credit  £ to poorest families but not all Unclear as yet WRDA & Housing Benefit Social Fund  Use of sub-prime lenders & loan sharks Unclear as yet WRDA Pension Credit  £ to pensioners No significant impact WRDA 24 Welfare Reform: Individual Impacts Salford Residents Local Economy Services Impacted

27.  Need for Welfare Rights & Debt Advice Services 25 Welfare Reform: Impacts • Salford Residents • Increased indebtedness • Increased arrears of rent and Council Tax • Increased use of high interest lenders and loan sharks • Increased homelessness presentations and homes at risk of possession • Fewer people with contents insurance • Fewer people with savings • Higher levels of depression & mental health problems • Local Economy • £36 m per annum • 1,500 jobs lost • From changes to Incapacity Benefit / Employment Support Allowance, Council Tax and Disability Living Allowance • Services • Major changes to Housing and Council Tax Benefit Sections • Council Tax collections more difficult & arrears likely to increase • Housing providers likely to be faced with Increased rent arrears & difficult allocation decisions • Reduction in income from charging for home/day care

28. Need for Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Services Unemployment   Need for other support services Fuel Costs   Effects on Mental Health House Prices   Crime & effect on Police & Probation  Rents   Homelessness & call on housing Older People   Worsening inequalities Use of Credit   Fuel Poverty 26 Other Impacts and Wider Implications

29. 27 Feedback and Reviews

30. 28 SWOT Analysis

31. 29 Political Soundbites • Scrutiny Commission Poverty and Financial Inclusion, 23 August 2011 • A more personalised approach to be taken rather than looking at different debt in isolation • A more joined up approach with partners would be beneficial and the sharing of information where possible could enhance debt and financial advice services • Policy Forum on Family Poverty, 19 October 2011 • Value the Council’s own Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Service – helping people understand what they’re entitled to • Money management through welfare and debt advice, education, mainstreaming the credit union approach • The advice service is very busy but Salford City Council is cutting service • Why are we cutting welfare advice now? When it’s needed!

32. Joanna CAB Combined Hospitals Darren Transition from benefits to work Wendy GP Surgery William ESA re-assessment appeal leading to Pension Credit David Debt advice 30 Customer Journey Interviews

33. 31 Feedback from Customers Advisor was a mine of information Support was invaluable Feel guilty claiming benefits Took all the stress out Didn’t know what to do Forced to rely on savings Information was a god send Didn’t use gobbledygook Wanted to know about you as a person Plenty of other things to do with my shortened life Filling the forms is not easy Excellent Easy to get access to the service Without it I would either be dead or in jail Went the extra mile Extremely pleased with the service Warm and welcoming

34. Continuous support with a dedicated advisor/worker Various means of access – home visits, GP surgeries, library, offices, hospital Warm, welcoming, professional and reliable Expert knowledge Support provided was easy to understand Quick and efficient help Not very well publicised Only used in times of crises or emergency 32 Some Key Points from Customers

35. ? Limited contact with partner agencies Direct contact points ? Restricted data sharing / access System review & data sharing protocol ? Poor information for customers Better materials & outreach ? Poor access to information Client centred approach is essential ? Quality of some services Agreed quality standard/s ? Training & continuous up-skilling Shared training ? Some contractual issues / funding Triage & shared resources ? Customers confused over which service to use Central point of contact & simplified system 33 Staff Interviews ? Solution Barrier

36. Manchester £3 m (Community Legal Services / Manchester City Council) 6 Community Legal Advice Centres (CLACS) through CABx Manchester Advice (council in-house provision) decommissioned Oldham £507 k CAB won the single tender to deliver WRDA Operate in all 6 districts & through council facilities No council in-house specialist provision: call centre • Pros: • Pooled funding • Increased self-service • Centres within the community • Considerations: • Access is slow • Private sector competitive • Loss of training • LSC may pull funding • Lost specific BME support • Pros: • Commissioning process • Specification in place • Shared resources • Considerations: • Lost Law Centre contract • CAB contract issues – too short Stockport £1.4 m (including funding from Stockport Homes) Hub & spoke with 10 local centres Triage system (council, CAB and others) No significant budget reductions this year Tameside £700 k (council funded including £156 k to CAB) Large council in-house service (21 fte staff) – range of access and support methods used CAB to relocate to council premises • Pros: • Strong partnership • Coordinated provision through triage system • Self-service is encouraged • Customer focus • Considerations: • Not ABG funded so cuts have not been so severe • Pros: • Well respected • Well established • Good political support • Strong partnership with CAB • Considerations: • Other funding streams not integrated. Need to use services outside the authority  loss of revenue & control 34 Other Practice Reviews

37. Self-Service Increased self-service in Manchester Self-service is encouraged in Stockport Not well publicised Better materials & outreach Triage Coordinated provision through triage in Stockport Various means of access Triage & shared services Collaboration Strong partnership & CAB to relocate to council premises in Tameside Expert knowledge, quick & efficient help Shared training; data sharing protocol & agreed quality standard/s Early Intervention & Prevention Customer focus in Stockport Only used in times of crisis or emergency Client centred approach is essential 35 Pointers for the Way Forward 4 main areas for improvement:

38. 36 Options for Going Forward

39. 37 Levels of Improvement

40. As is Transactional Quick Wins Transitional Transformational Self-Service • Some on-line • provision • CAB Kiosks • in Gateways • Combined • on-line • services • Wellbeing • Portal • Single • Customer • Account Triage • CAB & SCC • WRDA Service • Signposting & • referral • Direct access • to officers • Market Place / • Gateways • Channel shift • Whole system • triage Collaboration • Some agency • collaboration • Stronger links • with Housing • Advice & other • services • Demand • management • Planning • arrangements • Data sharing • Joint • Investment • Plan • Collaborate • beyond Salford Early Intervention & Prevention 38 Options for Transformation

41. Some on-line • provision salford.gov.uk/welfarerights adviceguide.org.uk communitylegaladvice.org.uk nationaldebtline.co.uk moneyadviceservice.org.uk shelter.org.uk cccs.co.uk lawworks.org.uk lawsociety.org.uk 39 Self-Service: As Is • CAB Kiosks • in Gateways • Combined • on-line • services • Wellbeing • Portal • Single • Customer • Account

42. CAB Kiosks • in Gateways • Some on-line • provision • Combined • on-line • services • Wellbeing • Portal • Single • Customer • Account 40 Self-Service: Quick Wins ? Walkden ? Broughton Hub 4x ? Pendleton ? Eccles

43. Some on-line • provision • CAB Kiosks • in Gateways • Combined • on-line • services • Wellbeing • Portal • Single • Customer • Account 41 Self-Service: Transitional

44. Some on-line • provision • CAB Kiosks • in Gateways • Combined • on-line • services • Wellbeing • Portal • Single • Customer • Account 42 Self-Service: Transformational Integration into the Ways 2 Wellbeing and Single Customer Account on-line resources

45. 43 Wellbeing Portal

46. 44 Single Customer Account: Screen

47. CABx & SCC • WRDA Service • Signposting & • referral Already operate their own triage systems Range of existing Signposting & Referral Routes: Friends & Relatives Self-referral SCC Services Health Advice Agencies Councillors Other Agencies Care Providers Housing Providers 45 Triage: As Is • Direct access • to officers • Market Place / • Gateways • Channel shift • Whole system • triage

48. Direct access • to officers • Market Place / • Gateways • CAB & SCC • WRDA Service • Signposting & • referral Direct route into advice services for staff of other agencies to access support and information Swinton Civic Walkden Broughton Hub • Channel shift Irlam Library Pendleton • Whole system • triage Eccles 46 Triage: Quick Wins

49. CAB & SCC • WRDA Service • Signposting & • referral 20% City West 44% of customers live in Registered Social Landlord properties • Direct access • to officers • Market Place / • Gateways 14% Salix Homes Housing Providers Customer Contact Centre Working Neighbourhood Teams • Channel • shift 10% Other Housing Associations • Whole system • triage 47 Triage: Transitional Staff Training with ongoing staff support

50. CAB & SCC • WRDA Service • Signposting & • referral • Direct access • to officers • Market Place / • Gateways • Channel shift • Whole • system • triage 48 Triage: Transformational Identification & Brief Intervention Enhanced front-line information service No Self-service Signposting • To assess: • Whether referral can support themselves, be managed by General support agency or needs referral to a Specialist • Whether referral agency has capacity to deal with the issues & provide them with Support • Maximise capacity Yes Referral Diagnosis & Triage Action No Problem resolved Yes Yes Casework & General Support Problem resolved Further Support Light Touch Specialist Advice Problem resolved