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Hampshire County Council Local Welfare Provision. Dan Stoneman Commissioning Officer HCC. Local Welfare Provision: Background. From April 2013 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be abolishing Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans
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Hampshire County CouncilLocal Welfare Provision Dan Stoneman Commissioning Officer HCC
Local Welfare Provision: Background • From April 2013 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be abolishing Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans • Money used for these purposes is now transferring to Local Authorities to design new Local Welfare Provision (LWP)
Local Welfare Provision: Expectations • The DWP transferred the money to Local Authorities (LA); • with no ring fence for the funding • with no statutory duty for how the money should be spent • with no expectation that existing support is replicated • with no expectation that current users are continued to be supported under new LWP
Local Welfare Provision: Expectations • LWP is; • to be implemented locally • to be used to support the most vulnerable members of communities • to be used to tackle the underlying reasons for crisis • to do this with reduced levels of funding and at a time of austerity, high unemployment and wider welfare reforms
Local Welfare Provision: Hampshire’s Vision • Provide more comprehensive information and advice to enable individuals to cope and manage with challenging times and potential crisis • Develop access to, and opportunities for, individuals to receive (better) practical support from existing services including the provision of expert information and advice • Provide access to goods and cash to support individuals and families in exceptional circumstances through working with local services and providers
Local Welfare Provision: Hampshire is not…. • Remotely processing applications for goods, cash or services • Providing Loans • Setting eligibility criteria in terms of specific groups of individuals • Giving goods, cash or services to people without appropriate support
Local Welfare Provision: Long Term Strategy • To develop sustainable responses to evidenced demand • To remove the likelihood of dependency created by a system that responds with cash or goods alone • To reduce the culture of expectation • To better support community development to respond to local issues • To make best use of a cash limited fund
Local Welfare Provision: Short Term Strategy • Information and Advice • Develop pages on Hants Web • Support information provided by key organisations – HCC / JCP / DWP and CAB • Develop relationship with Hampshire Advice Network • Commission a Contact Point for telephone referrals and signposting • Stand alone web based information • Support professionals through guidance and information packs to know where to get help
Local Welfare Provision: Short Term Strategy • Provider Network • Map local provider networks – who is out there? • Support appropriate referrals into the right network provider or service • Enable the providers to access additional resources where necessary to support people they are working with – Memorandum of Understanding • Collect data and information about levels of demand and common issues – to enable future development
Local Welfare Provision: Short Term Strategy • Cash / Goods / Vouchers • Targeting resources to specific departments internally that deal with most vulnerable groups • Providing local provider networks with access to vouchers in extreme cases via a dedicated phone number • Developing local capacity – food banks and Furniture re-use • Working with external organisations to understand specific demand and appropriate responses
Local Welfare Provision: Next Steps • March 2013 • Communication for public • Guidance for professionals • Local Network information • Web based information available • April 2013 • Contact Point Live • Money lodged with partners • Fulfilment centre up and running • Begin collecting data for future development
Questions: Contact Details Dan Stoneman – dan.stoneman@hants.gov.uk • Commissioning Officer HCC • Tel: 07714153316 Plum Garland – plum.garland@hants.gov.uk • Service Development Officer – LWP • Tel: 07880 380175 Hampshire County Council, E2 Court West, 3rd floor, The Castle, Winchester S023 8UQ