Welfare rights
Welfare rightsmeans the rights of people to be aware of and receive their maximum entitlement to state welfare benefits, and to be treated reasonably well by the welfare system. It has been established in theUnited Kingdomsince 1969 and has also been developed in other countries includingIreland,Australiaand theUnited States.It became necessary because of the complexity of the UK social security system and had links at the time with a growingClaimants Unionmovement. As local authorities realized the advantages of having well-informed front-line staff such as housing officers and social workers, who often have to deal with benefit queries as part of their wider tasks, they turned to welfare rights staff to provide that expertise for both training and handling complex cases. In the 1980s, as local authorities took on the wider 'equalities' agenda, anti-poverty work was seen as a valid local activity in itself. Increasing benefit income helps individuals but also boosts the local economy.
Welfare rights in the United Kingdom
[edit]Somelocal authoritiesandvoluntary sectororganisations, such as theCitizens Advice Bureau,employ paid or volunteer welfare rights advisers. These advisers usually offer free, impartial and independent advice, information and support on all aspects ofsocial securitybenefits and tax credits, including free representation at aFirst-tier TribunalandUpper Tribunal,which are administered by the UKMinistry of Justice.
Welfare rights advice and representation is also provided by somesolicitors,barristersand independent advisers or companies. These advisers may charge a fee or they might provide limitedpro-bono(free) advice and assistance.
Welfare rights advisers generally offer expert lay legal advice in dealings with public departments, such aslocal authorityHousing BenefitandCouncil Tax Benefitservices,Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs(HMRC) and theDepartment for Work and Pensions(DWP).
Welfare rights advisers will generally:
- Check what benefits or tax credits people may be entitled to
- Assist with complex benefit application forms
- Advise and represent on all aspects of social security law, including entitlement to benefits, backdating, suspensions and overpayments
- Provideadvocacyand representation before social security appeal Tribunals
Welfare rights advisers often use acase management systemto help them manage their work. These can be paper based, computer based or online.
Welfare rights officers are often closely allied with campaigning groups and charities such as theChild Poverty Action Group(CPAG),Citizens Advice Bureauand London Advice Service Alliance (LASA), for example. These organizations are respected for their training and publications, which are used extensively by advisers throughout the UK, as well as their campaigning activities.
Welfare rights advisers' professional organization is theNational Association of Welfare Rights Advisers(NAWRA) at a UK level;Scotlandhas its ownprofessional association,Rights Advice Scotland(RAS).
Welfare rights in the United States
[edit]TheFlemming Ruleof 1960, named afterArthur Flemming,was an administrative ruling which decreed that states could not deny income assistance eligibility through theAid to Families with Dependent Childrenprogram on the basis of a home being considered unsuitable per the woman's children being termed as illegitimate.
In 1963Johnnie Tillmonfounded ANC (Aid to Needy Children) Mothers Anonymous, which was one of the first grassroots welfare mothers’ organizations, and which eventually became part of theNational Welfare Rights Organization.[1]
TheNational Welfare Rights Organization,active from 1966 to 1975, was an activist organization that fought for the welfare rights of people, especially women and children. The organization had four goals: adequate income, dignity, justice, and democratic participation.Johnnie Tillmonwas the first chair of the organization.[2]
King v. Smith,392 U.S. 309 (1968), was a decision in which the Supreme Court held thatAid to Families with Dependent Childrencould not be withheld because of the presence of a "substitute father" who visited a family on weekends.
In April 1991Cheri Honkalafounded theKensington Welfare Rights Union,a progressive social justice, political action, and advocacy group of, by, and for the poor and homeless which is operating out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and led by Galen Tyler.
References
[edit]- ^"Tillmon, Johnnie (1926-1995); The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed".The Black Past.Retrieved2015-11-10.
- ^Dorothy Sue Cobble(15 March 2007).The Sex of Class: Women Transforming American Labor.Cornell University Press. pp. 205–.ISBN0-8014-8943-1.
Bibliography
[edit]- Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook (annual publication) Child Poverty Action Group. London.
- Disability Rights Handbook (annual publication). Disability Alliance. London.
- Bateman, N. (2006)Practising Welfare RightsRoutledge. Oxford.