The Department for Work and Pensions ‘Help to Claim’ support will be delivered independently by Citizens Advice, in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, following a further £21.3 million investment.

Since 2019, Help to Claim has supported over half a million people, with nine in 10 people using the service rating their overall experience as good or very good. The service will now run until March 2023.

Trained advisers provide advice for anyone who requires support to make a new Universal Credit claim, including those moving from a legacy benefit, such as how to collect the relevant evidence and fill in the application. They can also help with additional advice such as preparing for a first jobcentre appointment.

This follows recent changes to the Universal Credit taper rate, which combined with our increase to work allowances means hard-working families will see an extra £1,000 a year on average, helping them keep more of what they earn.

Minister for Welfare Delivery David Rutley said:

We remain committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants, including the most vulnerable in society, in both making and maintaining their claim.

In addition to the support Jobcentre Plus staff already provide, Citizens Advice will continue to deliver high quality, independent advice and we look forward to working closely with them in the months to come.

For anyone who needs a bit of extra support to claim Universal Credit, Help to Claim is there.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

We’re glad to continue this important service as we’ve seen first hand the difference our advisers make in helping people access Universal Credit.

We’ll continue to use our frontline insights to suggest enhancements to the way benefits are delivered, further helping the people we support.

People will be able to access Help to Claim support from Citizens Advice via its website and through the free phone service by calling 0800 144 8444 for England, 0800 023 2581 for Scotland and 0800 024 1220 for Wales.

The service is free and confidential. Advisers are available 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Media enquiries for this press release – 0115 965 8781

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For people who need specialist communication support to participate in a court or tribunal hearing, finding the right intermediary service is vital in assuring access to justice. Until recently, these support services have been unregulated, with no approved suppliers or set quality standards.

The new service framework will standardise support for vulnerable court and tribunal users, by providing clear guidance, standard booking processes and will set prices to ensure fairness and quality of service. The service will start in April 2022.

Julie Parkin, Senior Head of Intelligent Client Capability at HMCTS said,

HMCTS’ Appointed Intermediary Service will provide users who have specialist communication needs the professional support to participate in proceedings. These contracts ensure there is a consistent service and access to justice for all.

The Intermediary Cooperative are one of the successful suppliers and Paula Backen said,

We applaud this development of a structured and quality-assured service initiated by HMCTS and look forward to working collaboratively to ensure the very best HAIS service to all vulnerable people engaging with the justice system.

Intermediaries are communication specialists who work on behalf of HMCTS to support vulnerable users to participate in a court or tribunal hearing. They provide impartial recommendations to HMCTS about a service user’s specific communication needs and outline the steps needed to achieve them.

Legal representatives and HMCTS staff can select an intermediary from an approved list of suppliers.

There are two types of suppliers – Managed and Approved Service Providers (MASP) are larger providers who manage the service on behalf of HMCTS nationally; and Approved service providers (ASP) who are usually small companies or self-employed individuals.

Carly McAuley from Triangle said,

Triangle are so excited to be awarded this contract. Intermediaries are vital to the justice system and we look forward to working with HMCTS to provide communication support and assistance to more children and young people.

William Scrimshire, Managing Director at Communicourt said,

We are delighted to be selected as a Managed and Approved Service Provider for the HMCTS Appointed Intermediary Services. We have always strongly supported more regulation in this area and welcome the opportunity to be part of this new scheme. We are committed to delivering a high-quality and consistent service.

Further guidance and information about the Appointed Intermediary Service will be available on GOV.UK in April 2022.

Led by Deputy Directors Claire Macmillen and Julia Goring, the team supported the event prior to, and during COP26 itself.

Over the past two and a half years the team worked extensively with lawyers across GLD and the wider Government Legal Profession to provide the necessary legal frameworks to enable COP26 to take place in the UK. The team led the negotiations with the UN on the principal international agreement – the Host Country Agreement – as well as advising on numerous supporting mechanisms with the UN and other partners on the hosting of the COP during the pandemic.

The conclusion of these complex arrangements delivered an inclusive, accessible and safe event and enabled tens of thousands of people from almost 200 nations, comprising party delegates and observers, and representatives from civil society, NGOs, business, and indigenous groups to attend COP26.

The legal team also supported the UK Presidency to deliver its key objectives. In the lead up to COP26 our expert team of international climate change lawyers provided advice to the Presidency negotiations team on a large range of strategic and process-related preparatory matters. During the two-week conference the team were embedded in the Presidency team on the ground, and continued to provide support and guidance on a very wide range of climate negotiations issues, many culminating in decisions adopted by the Parties, notably the Glasgow Climate Pact, which should ultimately be translated into actions, policies and laws around the world. Some of the key issues concerned finance, completing the technical rules to operationalise the Paris Agreement, and ramping up ambition for countries to increase their carbon reduction ambitions by 2030 and beyond.

Lawyers from the team continue to lead on important climate change matters alongside COP26, such as the net zero strategy, opening the next round of renewable energy auctions, and delivering international climate finance supporting developing countries around the globe.

In an article published on the International Bar Association it states, ‘there’s a sense that the law and legal work can help translate words into action when it comes to addressing the climate crisis’. The article includes a comment from Claire who says, ‘It’s all very well and good to make the pledges, but how do you make these into translatable actions? The law can be a very powerful force in that.”

The event was also a time to remember Clare Radcliffe who sadly passed away at the beginning of the year. Clare was dedicated to making a positive change, and was a leading figure in GLD’s work for COP26. In tribute to Clare, her work and exceptional legacy, a plaque in the conference centre garden in Glasgow was unveiled at COP26.

Lead image photo credit: UNFCCC_COP26_31Oct21_OpeningPlenary_KiaraWorth-37