M and T are married with two young children. M (father/husband) suffers from significant mental health challenges and finds stressful situations incredibly difficult to manage. He was in receipt of disability related benefits and unable to work, and the family had received notification of a requirement to move from the legacy disability benefit system to Universal Credit, which was incredibly overwhelming.  

CLEAR supported the family with an intensive set of appointments with one dedicated volunteer adviser, who went out of their way to ensure the process was as smooth as possible for M and T, which included ensuring that all appointments were conducted in a private, small space with limited noise and distractions.  

Support provided has included: 

  • Managing the transfer to Universal Credit – including supporting them to access the online accounts and provide regular messages to their coaches there about his situation
  • Contact with PIP to discuss the ongoing review of his benefits in light of time he previously spent outside of the UK 
  • Liaison with Southampton City Council regarding council tax reduction
  • Liaison with Southampton City Council and housing provider regarding previous overpayment of benefits (as the repayment of these were disrupted when he transitioned from legacy benefits) 
  • Referral to Household Support Fund to assist them with managing the pinch point of transition between benefits 
  • Referrals to other charities for support – SCRATCH for Christmas presents, Basics Bank for food and Wulfris Trust for school uniform.
  • Setting up of E-Visas for the whole family so they have proof of immigration status and can provide the required share codes for benefits
  • Referral for the client’s wife to unpaid carers to enable her to access more support for herself as she cares for her husband.  

 As a direct result of the work of our adviser, M and T were supported through a very turbulent three-month period including successfully transitioning to Universal Credit, rearranging the repayment of debts and supported to access local charitable services to assist them through the crisis period. 

The clients were in a very precarious position due to the deadlines imposed for transition to Universal Credit and their ability to manage this given M’s mental health challenges. If we had not provided such intensive support over this period, it is likely they would not have successfully transitioned to the new system and potentially would have lost their legacy benefit protection on any future benefit claim. They also would have been unable to continue to repay existing payment plans for overpayments, which would have been a cost to the council. The impact on M’s mental health of him being unable to access everything in a simple and timely manner would have been significant, and further impacted on his wife and children.