New Council post secures extra £185,000 for Borders families
Friday, May 4 2007
A newly created Council post has helped Borders families to claim more than £185,000 a year due them in benefits and tax credits including childcare costs.
The new welfare benefits post was introduced in July last year after a survey by the Borders Childcare Partnership found that many parents receiving benefits are failing to claim the childcare component to which they are entitled.
In the first eight months of the job, the Earlston-based Welfare Benefits Assistant managed to boost the incomes of Borders residents by more than £185,000 a year by advising them on tax credit entitlement and benefits, and helping them to fill out claims forms.
The officer also negotiated reductions in overpayments of tax credit for a number of families, bringing them joint savings of around £20,000 a year.
The new post is funded by the Borders Childcare Partnership, an advisory and consultative body which brings together representatives from providers of early education and childcare, along with other stakeholders. The Partnership identified the need for a benefits assistant specialising in family claims from a survey seeking parents’ views and needs on pre-school education and childcare.
The survey found that many of the families in the Borders are not claiming the benefit they are entitled to because they do not have access to appropriate advice.
"Many parents simply don’t know what they can apply for, while some find it difficult to deal with the paperwork. That’s why the Childcare Partnership, in consultation with the Welfare Benefits Service, identified the need for the post to provide individual help and support to families using childcare and the childcare providers, and it has already proved worth its weight in gold," said Margot Black, Borders Childcare Partnership Manager.
Vera Baxter, Scottish Borders Council Welfare Benefits Manager, added, "This is an example of welfare benefits advice working at its best. We plan to build on the contacts made in what has been a very productive first year and would welcome enquiries from individuals and childcare providers who wish advice and support on Tax Credit issues. In a survey we carried out last year, 94% of our customers said they felt our advice enabled them to get the benefits they were entitled to, while 97% found our advisers very helpful or helpful."
If you would like information on claiming tax credits, please contact Scottish Borders Council’s Welfare Benefits Service, East End, Earlston, TD4 6HU. Telephone 01896 849802.
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