1. Delivering Welfare Assistance Schemes in the North East Nicola Hall Director of Communication & Performance - Five Lamps

2. Five Lamps 28 years of Making People Matter Mission: To transform lives, raise aspirations, remove barriers and offer choice Values: Making People Matter; Service Matters; Performance Matters; Informed Choices; Share Success; Make Communities Matter Vision: Creating Possibilities: Improving Lives Strapline: Making People Matter Awards: Investors in People: Gold; Investors in People: Champion; Matrix; Customer First; RBS SE100 Impact Champion Award 2012

3. Integrated Service Portfolio Work Programme Family Wise Get On In Life (GOIL) Evening and weekend youth club activities Personal Loans Helping Hand Welfare Assistance Warm Homes Healthy People HMP Kirklevington Empty Homes New Enterprise Allowance Loan and Mentoring Service Enterprise Workshops Start-Up Loan Fund Mybnk Economic Development Employability To have a positive impact and increase employment figures in Stockton- on- Tees, by supporting people to access training and sustainable job opportunities Enterprise To have a positive impact and increase employment figures within the Tees Valley, by supporting people to start their own businesses. Youth Services To provide NEET young people with skills and qualifications to prepare them for employment. To provide a range of evening and weekend activities for young people to raise their confidence and aspiration. Financial Inclusion & Housing To provide affordable credit and financial support to financially excluded individuals across the North East, enabling them to move away from their reliance on unaffordable or illegal credit. To reduce the number of long term empty properties

4. Welfare Assistance Back on Track – Stockton Borough Council Five Lamps (end to end provision) Northumberland Emergency Transition Support (NETs) – Northumberland County Council DAWN Advice (lead organisation; call handling) Five Lamps (system; assessment; fulfilment of awards) VOICES (third sector engagement) Help Advice Network Durham (HAND) – Durham County Council Civica (lead; system; review) Family Fund (provider of goods and services) Five Lamps (call handling; assessment; fulfilment of awards; third sector engagement)

5. DWP – Social Fund Key differences Awards will be made in the form of goods and services NOT cash (only in exceptional circumstances) Awards are dependent on funds available at the time of the application Repayment of loans will no longer be deducted from the customers benefit payment Awards will be made in the form of a loan or a grant (or combination of both) depending on affordability at the time of application (grant only in Durham) Support still available from DWP Short Term Benefit Advance Budgeting Loans (or Budgeting Advances for Universal Credit recipients) Hardship Fund

6. Welfare Assistance HAND (Durham)Back on Track (Stockton)NETs (Northumberland) Daily Living Expenses AIM: To help meet an applicants immediate short term needs for goods or services that arise because of a disaster or unforeseen circumstances. In particular if the inability to afford the goods/services will result in a deterioration of the health or well being of the applicant or a member of their household. This includes direct payments to utilities and prepayment card/voucher for food and travel Crisis Support for Daily Living Expenses AIM: To either prevent an immediate deterioration to an applicants health and well being due to the inability to affords the goods or services requested, or following an exceptional event or loss of property or possessions by providing short-term access to food, gas and electricity supply, and limited supplies of clothing and baby consumables, such as nappies and milk Emergency Support AIM: To either prevent an immediate deterioration to an applicants health and well being due to the inability to affords the goods or services requested, or following an exceptional event or loss of property or possessions by providing short-term access to food, gas and electricity supply, and limited supplies of clothing and baby consumables, such as nappies and milk Settlement Grant AIM: To help applicants remain in the community or move back into the community after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation. This will be achieved by providing access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white goods. Settlement Support AIM: To help applicants remain in the community or move back into the community after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation. It does this by providing access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white goods Transition Support AIM: To help applicants through periods of transition, for example, to remain in the community or move back into the community after a period in supported or unsettled accommodation. It does this by providing access to a range of standard items such as beds, bedding, furniture and white goods.

7. Eligibility Applicants must be aged 16 years or over and be a resident of Stockton-On-Tees/ Durham/ Northumberland, or in exceptional circumstances be in the process of moving into the area to flee domestic violence, hate crime, forced marriage or honour based violence The applicant has no other form of immediate financial assistance (eg. family, friends, employer, own resources or other available funding streams) Even if the applicant qualifies to make an application there is no guarantee that any support will be provided, although Five Lamps would wish to be able to provide names of other services that may be able to offer support depending on the applicants own personal circumstances. HANDBack on TrackNETs If the applicant has received a DLE grant for the same item or service within the previous 12 months, then a further award will not normally be allocated Limited to 2 support awards per applicant per financial year (only in extreme exceptional circumstances would a third be application be considered)

8. Eligibility - Daily Living/ Emergency Support 1. An immediate need for items or services has arisen following an exceptional event or unforeseen circumstances involving the destruction or loss of property or possessions (for example the applicant has suffered a disaster to their home such as major flooding, gas explosion or house fire; death of a family member) OR 2. As a direct result of the inability to afford the goods or services requested either the health of the applicant or their partner will immediately deteriorate and they must also meet at least one of the following: Note: Durham recently changed their policy from needing to meet BOTH elements of 1 and 2 above to now either point 1 or point 2 They have a serious physical health problem, which they are receiving treatment for They have a dependent child who normally lives with them and that childs health would be at immediate risk They are homeless, or at risk of homelessness They have a substance or alcohol misuse problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for They are on probation or receiving support relating to their offending history They are affected by, or at risk of domestic abuse, hate crime, honour based violence or forced marriage They have a learning disabilityThey have a physical or sensory impairmentThey have a mental health problem, which they are receiving treatment or support for They are an older person with support needs (Stockton & Northumberland defined as 50 years; Durham 60 years) They are pregnant (Stockton defined as 24 weeks plus) There is a serious risk to the health and safety of the applicant

9. Fulfillment - Daily Living/ Emergency Support HANDBack on TrackNETs Food PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher Supermarket Voucher PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher/ Food Bank Key consumables for babies PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher Supermarket Voucher PayPoint Text Voucher/ Supermarket Voucher Clothing Park Clothing Payment CardLove to Shop Voucher Heating Direct payment to supplier Direct payment to supplier/ Paypoint Energy Voucher Travel Bus Voucher/Train Ticket/Arrangement of a Taxi Award Value Up to 7 days of support and based on a maximum award value of £60 plus additional £25 for each dependent child Up to 7 days of support and based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance Decision Time Decision within 2 hours If the decision is made before 3pm then support will be provided the same day If the decision is made after 3pm then support will be provided on the next working day Decision within 2 hours If the decision is made before 1pm then support will be provided the same day If the decision is made after 1pm then support will be provided on the next working day Decision within 2 hours If the decision is made before 1pm then support will be provided the same day If the decision is made after 1pm then support will be provided on the next working day

10. Eligibility – Settlement / Transition Support 1. Be in receipt of a qualifying benefit AND 2. Must (if eligible) have applied for a budgeting loan or advance from the DWP and have been declined before their application will be considered (recently removed from Durhams policy) AND 3. The applicant requires support for at least one of the following: AND 4. Health needs (outlined in Daily Living/ Emergency Support) Support to move back into the community after a stay in supported or temporary accommodation or following an unsettled way of life Support to move out of inappropriate accommodation Support to stay in the home and prevent a move into residential care or hospital Support to prevent a serious deterioration of health within the home (Stockton only) Support with costs to ease exceptional pressures for a customer and their family (Stockton only) Disasters - including events of great or sudden misfortune, the result of which will normally be significant damage to, destruction or loss of possessions or property

11. Fulfillment - Settlement / Transition Support HANDBack on TrackNETs Beds/ Bedding Argos & Homebase Payment Card Smarterbuys/ ASDA Voucher / FRADE (furniture recycling) Smarterbuys/ ASDA Voucher Furniture (Chairs/ Sofas/ Tables/ Wardrobes) Argos & Homebase Payment Card Smarterbuys/ FRADE (furniture recycling) Smarterbuys White Goods Euronics VoucherSmarterbuys Kitchen (Pans, utensils, crockery, cutlery) Argos & Homebase Payment Card Love to Shop Voucher/ ASDA Voucher Floor covering Argos & Homebase Payment Card Direct payment to supplier Curtains Argos & Homebase Payment Card Love to Shop Voucher/ ASDA Voucher Travel Bus Voucher/Train Ticket/Arrangement of a Taxi Storage/ Removal Costs Britannia Property RemovalsDirect payment to supplier Rent in advance N/ADirect payment to LandlordN/A Award Value Based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,000* (was £500) Based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,500 Based on a set value of goods depending on circumstance and to a maximum value of £1,000 Decision Time Decision within 5 working days Award within 48 hours of a decision Decision within 5 working days Award within 48 hours of a decision Decision within 5 working days Award within 48 hours of a decision

12. Trusted Partners An organisation that can make direct referrals on behalf of applicants Take responsibility for ensuring that all required forms of evidence of need and identification are gathered at the stage of application Required to provide verbal or written confirmation at the time of application that they can verify that they have had sight of all required forms of evidence of need and identification Sign a Trusted Partner Agreement

13. Levels of demand Data up to end of August 2013*

14. Levels of demand Data up to end of August 2013

15. Common themes of need Crisis Lost/ stolen wallet/ purse Poor budgeting skills Benefit issues Settlement Released from short/ long term hospital care/ prison Fleeing domestic violence Issues with private landlords Family breakdown

16. Emerging themes and challenges The anticipated floodgates did not open on 1 April 2013 Social Fund culture Benefit sanctions Changing political landscape Impact of Universal Credit Partnership working Engaging the third sector in fulfillment options Creating an unintended demand on other service areas? Data collection

17. Welfare assistance: a crutch in a crisis but not a walking stick for life Challenge to respond to applicants immediate crisis needs whilst also having an opportunity to potentially address their longer-term needs Partnership working is key Difference between referral and signposting Customer feedback and follow up

18. Questions? nicolahall@fivelamps.org.uk (01642) 608316