Welfare Benefits Training Courses 2024/25

This training is available to services within Dudley Council and external agencies within the Dudley borough who provide support to vulnerable adults.

This year all of our courses will be offered face to face.

This course will be delivered face to face over one day, or over three half day modules for virtual delivery. The course will give a comprehensive overview of the welfare benefits and credits system. Delivery is interactive with the opportunity to further learning through the use of case studies. 

By the end of the day participants will:

• Understand the structure of the benefits system
• Understand the classification of benefits into contributory/non-contributory and means tested/non means tested groups
• Identify which benefits fall into the above groups
• Understand common rules such as right to reside, capital rules and how to challenge decisions
• Understand who may be able to make a claim for welfare benefits
• Recognise factors which can increase or decrease benefit entitlement
• Have developed an awareness of the benefits system, its complexity, structure and an insight into the interlinking of benefits.
• Know how to use the welfare rights service

Universal credit is a benefit which is at the heart of the Government’s Welfare Reform. National rollout which began in autumn 2013 is now complete. This benefit will gradually replace most of the current system of means tested benefits and tax credits and was introduced to Dudley borough in 2015.

Our course will examine the structure of universal credit; look at the administration process, including claims and payments, and will explore how the benefit will be calculated. We will also examine conditionality and sanctions. There will be the opportunity for discussion and exploration of these issues through the use of case studies.

By the end of the course, you will understand:

• Which benefits are replaced by universal credit
• How universal credit is calculated
• Administration, including claims and payments
• Conditionality and sanctions
• Transitional protection

This course will examine the structure of PIP and allow exploration of the descriptors and the assessment process. There will be opportunity to work through case studies and examine the possible effect on service users.

By the end of the course, you will have:

• An overview of the structure of PIP
• An understanding of how PIP will be assessed
• Explored who is likely to qualify and who is likely to lose disability benefits
• A working knowledge of PIP descriptors and how they apply to each activity
• An understanding of the interaction between PIP and other benefits
• Knowledge of how to challenge a decision

This course is designed to help you to understand and navigate your way through the process used by DWP to ascertain fitness for work.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Understand the structure of ESA and UC
• Understand the implications of the WCA for rates of payment
• Understand the WCA
• Know how to complete an ESA50/UC50

We can also offer tailored courses to meet the needs of individual teams, or on request if numbers allow. Past courses have included:

• Housing Benefit.
• Benefits for young people.
• EEA nationals.
• Benefits for older people.
• Disability Living Allowance for children.
• Attendance Allowance.
• Benefits for carers.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Please download and complete our booking form:

• Email: WRS.Training@dudley.gov.uk
  
  
• Post: Dudley Welfare Rights Service
  Brierley Hill Health & Social Care Centre
  2nd Floor
  Venture Way
  Brierley Hill
  West Midlands
  DY5 1LN

The full fee is payable unless notice is received 3 weeks before course date

If your booking is within 21 days of an intended course and you subsequently cancel this booking, we will endeavour to offer you an alternative course. If this is not possible, the full fee will still be payable.