Funding will be provided over three years to advice services to
help people with their social welfare problems, alongside new
training for front-line workers to ensure more people get the
help they need to deal with the cost of living.
The Single Advice Fund is a free service which provides access to
all the advice a person needs to resolve their social welfare
problems. It also makes benefit entitlement checks available to
everyone accessing the services. Last year, the service put over
£47.5m back into people's pockets. 81% said the service found
them a way forward and 75% said their problem was now resolved as
a result.
This funding of £12m per year for three years from April 2025
will fund services that help people manage the cost of living and
resolve problems with their housing, welfare benefits and
financial commitments.
Mary* accessed the Single Advice Fund through a video call
drop-in service. Mary and her siblings lived in social housing
but were struggling with the cost of living. Their only income
was from State Pensions, with a total income of £1860.94 per
month. The service completed a benefit check, revealing Mary and
her siblings had been missing out on £1087.54 per month of
unclaimed benefits.
An extra £300,000 has also been announced to provide more free
training targeted at frontline workers to help their service
users facing financial difficulties. The training will help
frontline workers to build their knowledge of the welfare
benefit/wider financial support systems and to help them
recognise the signs of financial difficulties and know how to
help their service users access the support they need to claim
additional income.
Results from previous training sessions show 70% had used what
they learnt and almost 60% had directly signposted someone to
support within 8 weeks of completing the course.
A participant in the course said: “As a result of my training I
was able to signpost a couple, who didn't think they could apply
for benefits, to apply for PIP, UC and Carer's Allowance even
though the husband has a small income and pension.”
, Cabinet Secretary for Culture,
Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip said: “Cost of living
challenges have put many people in difficult situations, so we're
doing everything we can to put money back into people's pockets.
“This new funding will ensure advice services can make longer
term plans to ensure more people throughout Wales have access to
the information and advice that they need. It will also
help those who are in regular contact with vulnerable people spot
the signs of financial difficulty and be able to point them in
the right direction for assistance.”
The application process for providers of the Single Advice Fund
will be launched today, 25 July for 12 weeks. The new funded
services will start on 1 April 2025 and providers can find
further information on how
to apply here.
*name changed
