INTRODUCTORY COURSES

An introduction to welfare rights

LDWR0111       10.00am – 4.30pm       16-20 May 2011
LDWR0211       10.00am – 4.30pm       10-14 October 2011
LDWR0311       10.00am – 4.30pm        9-13 January 2012

Course participants who book for the whole week receive a complimentary copy of CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.

This week-long course is aimed at advisers, social workers, probation workers, health and housing workers and others new to welfare benefit advice work.

This course is designed to give participants an understanding of the structure of the benefit and tax credit system, ability to identify the issues that may affect entitlement and an appreciation of the importance of advice and advocacy. The emphasis is on tackling benefit questions through case studies, including how to calculate entitlements, and providing participants with the chance to practice using the handbook.

This course does not deal with non-means-tested benefits except as part of understanding the structure of the system. These benefits are explored in detail on our companion courses Disability living allowance and Attendance allowance and ESA – an introduction (see below). Booking these courses together will entitle you to a £20 discount.

The course covers:

Day one Benefits overview
An overview of the benefits and tax credits system and problem-solving using the Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.

Day two Working-age benefits – eligibility
Who is eligible for income support (IS), jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and employment and support allowance (ESA), claims and assessments.

Day three Working age benefits – amounts
Calculating  IS, income-based JSA and income-related ESA.

Day four Housing benefit (HB)
Who is eligible, calculating HB, claims, and an overview of council tax benefit.

Day five Tax credits
Who is eligible, calculating tax credits, claims and payments.

A certificate is awarded to those completing all five days.

We recommend that participants attend all five days, but for those with some experience of the subjects covered there are a limited number of places for those who want to attend single days only.  Priority is given to people booking for the full course.

Level Introductory
Tutors Steve Johnson; Aida Shoush; David Stickland and Michele Büyükertaş
CPD hours 25
NOS LA49

“Another brilliant day, very useful again, clearly explained and very clear, user-friendly handouts”

CPAG Publication

Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook

Disability living allowance and Attendance allowance – an introduction NEW

LDDB0111        10.00am – 4.30pm         17 June 2011
LDDB0211        10.00am – 4.30pm         26 January 2012

Disability living allowance and Attendance allowance – an introduction can be booked as a two-day course with ESA – an introduction.

Disability living allowance and Attendance allowance are vital benefits for many disabled people. This introductory course is aimed at advisers with little or no experience of these benefits who want to understand the main rules and learn how to deal with problems and queries.

The course covers:

• who is entitled to DLA and AA;
• how to claim DLA and AA;
• DLA and AA decisions and how to challenge them.

Level Introductory
Tutor Nick Jones
CPD hours 5
NOS LA49

CPAG Publication

Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook

ESA – an introduction NEW

LDES0111        10.00am – 4.30pm         16 June 2011
LDES0211        10.00am – 4.30pm        27 January 2012

ESA – an introduction can be booked as a two-day course with Disability living allowance and Attendance allowance – an introduction.

Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in 2008 replacing incapacity benefits for claimants who are unable to work due to illness or disability. Assuming little or no previous experience of ESA, this course provides an introduction to the structure of ESA, how and when assessments are carried out, the amounts of benefits paid, and how and when decisions should be challenged.

The course covers:

• who is entitled to claim ESA;
• the Work Capability Assessment and how it functions;
• when and how claimants of incapacity benefits will be transferred to ESA;
• an introduction to challenging decisions.

For more experienced advisers, some of the same areas are covered in greater detail in our new course ESA transfers and appeals.

Level Introductory
Tutor Rebecca Walker
CPD hours 5
NOS LA49

CPAG Publication

Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook

Benefits for ill or disabled people
(formerly Incapacity and disability benefits)

LDDB0210        10.00am – 4.30pm         27-28 January 2011

We recommend booking this course with An Introduction to Welfare Rights. Booking both courses together will entitle you to a £20 discount.

This two-day course covers the main disability and incapacity benefits including disability living allowance, attendance allowance, incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance.

Day one covers incapacity benefits with emphasis on the tests of incapacity for work. Day two covers DLA/AA with the emphasis on understanding the disability conditions and making successful claims.

The course also tackles:

• understanding the limited capability for work assessment;
• making claims for DLA;
• the impact of disability and incapacity benefits on other benefits and entitlement to ‘passported’ benefits;
• recent developments.

Level Introductory
Tutor Essie Rashidschi
CPD hours 10
NOS LA3 and LA49

CPAG Publication

Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook

Benefits for non-benefit advisers

LDNB0111       10.00am – 4.30pm        14-15 June 2011
LDNB0211       10.00am – 4.30pm        8-9 February 2012

This two-day course is aimed at professionals who work with clients for whom benefits are an issue but who will not be advising on benefits themselves (e.g. social workers, supported housing workers, day centre staff and lawyers).

Attending this course will enable workers to identify benefits their clients might be entitled to and have a basic understanding of how to claim and how to dispute decisions. The course aims to give participants:

• awareness of benefits available to different client groups, in and out of work;
• understanding how the benefits and tax credits system is structured;
• ability to conduct a basic benefits check;
• knowledge of who administers each benefit and how to contact them;
• knowledge of revision and appeal mechanisms to dispute decisions; including the relevance of time limits;
• knowledge of how to use the CPAG handbook;
• knowledge of where to get further help.

Level Pre-introductory
Tutor David Stickland
CPD hours 10
NOS LA49 & LA10

“Excellent course, liked the games as a way of reinforcing course lessons – it worked!”

CPAG Publication

Benefit and Tax Credit Rates Poster

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