New help for Universal Credit claimants
19 Mar 2018 03:00 PM
We are very pleased to announce the relaunch of Universal Credit: a how to guide - a fully-updated resource for Universal Credit claimants and those supporting them
During the last year or so, we’ve heard over and over again that welfare reform and Universal Credit are having a huge impact on the people you support, and the services you provide. Because it’s an online-only service, many of you have found yourselves helping people in need of urgent support, and who often have no - or very limited - digital skills.
That’s why we’ve been working with members of the Online Centres Network with experience of supporting claimants, to develop this new, comprehensive How To Guide.
The guide is hosted on Learn My Way and replaces the existing guide first launched in 2014. It’s jargon-free, and so fully accessible to everyone, regardless of their literacy levels or experience using computers and the internet.
The guide takes claimants through every step of applying for and claiming updating Universal Credit - including advice on claimants keeping Jobcentre Plus informed of their situation, and what happens to payments once a claimant is in work.
As well as the guide itself, there are also a series of resources and downloads to support claimants as they use the service.
- Universal Credit Flowchart - this helps claimants or those supporting them to identify where in the claims process they are and what their next step should be.
- Universal Credit Individual’s Checklist - This has information on all the documents and personal information an individual should have access to before starting a claim.
- Couple’s checklist - Like the above, but this list is for anyone making a Universal Credit claim for a household.
We believe the How To Guide and resources will be of a real benefit to Universal Credit claimants and those that support them. We'd love to hear what you think about it, so if you do have any feedback, please get in touch at hello@goodthingsfoundation.org or on 0114 349 1666.