What is Social Policy Work?

Rules and principles that shape the services and benefits that we all rely on affect all of us. These rules and principles are evident in legislation, regulations, codes of practice, other administrative guidelines and the policies of service providers.

However, they are not always written down or otherwise made explicit. This is often the case in the delivery or administration of services.

Some policies affecting our clients are national, such as social security, employment and immigration. Others are national but administered according to local policies and practices such as housing benefit, community care, housing, health and education. One of our aims is 'to improve the social policies, practices and services that affect the lives of people and this is what is known as 'social policy work'.

The work we do includes highlighting client issues and letting policy and decision-makers know about the problems clients are experiencing.

We also submit Electronic Bureau Evidence Forms (EBEF’s) to Citizens Advice (CitA) that highlight client’s issues and experiences.

The Ebef’s are utilised by Head Office and CALC to undertake national, regional and local social policy campaigns
 

WHY IS SOCIAL POLICY IMPORTANT?

CAMPAIGN WORK

• Adding Up Campaign;
• Bailiff Conduct;
• Basic Bank Accounts.
• Employment Tribunals;
• Prescription Reform;
• Backdating Benefits;
• Letting Agents.
   

For more information about our campaigns contact :

Mrs Amanda Leadbeater
Tel: 01332 228724,
Email: amanda.leadbeater@citizensadviceandlawcentre.org
 

Current campaigns:

Derby Citizens Advice & Law Centre (CALC) concerned over rising school costs
The school holidays are now under way and national charity Citizens Advice is warning there is an even bigger worry for parents this summer than how to keep their kids occupied for six weeks - the escalating costs of sending them back to school in September. Today Derby CALC is publishing new ‘Top Tips’ to help parents in this situation.
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Adding Up Campaign
For many years the Citizens Advice service has been concerned about the costs faced by parents when sending their children to school. Bureaux are increasingly seeing families struggling to buy uniforms and to pay for school trips and other equipment with no help available from local authorities.
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Bailiff Conduct
This campaign seeks to raise awareness of the problems experienced by CALC clients as a result of bailiff action. Telephone Advice Session Supervisor Terry Devine who noted an increase in poor conduct and harassment initially raised these problems in June 2009. In particular, concerns were raised about 3 bailiff companies:
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Basic Bank Accounts Campaign
Reported in the May 2009 issue of the Social Policy Bulletin was Citizens Advice’s response to the European Union Consultation on access to bank accounts. In the submission Citizens Advice drew attention to the issue that opening basic bank accounts can still prove problematic for many people, with bureaux dealing with approximately 4,000 such cases between April and December 2008.
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Employment Tribunal Awards Campaign
Last year Citizens Advice reported that some rogue employers were failing to adhere to tribunal decisions and were failing to pay what has been ordered because Employment Tribunals (ET) had no powers to enforce their own awards. Instead, the burden fell to the claimant who had to take complex and costly legal action in the civil courts, a process not guaranteed to be successful.
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Prescriptions Survey
In autumn 2008 Gordon Brown announced that cancer patients would be exempt from prescription charges, and that he would also set up a review to consider how to extend exemptions to other long term conditions.
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Benefits Backdating Campaign
During 2008 CALC, along with many other bureaux, campaigned vigorously against Government proposals to cut backdating of Housing Benefit (HB), Council Tax Benefit and Pension Credit. The cuts nevertheless went ahead from October 2008
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Letting Agents Campaign
Poor services by letting agents cause problems for many Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) clients. We regularly hear of letting agents charging burdensome and varying charges for activities such as credit and reference checks, taking an inventory and renewing a tenancy. Other problems include a lack of money protection if the business fails, and confusion over landlord / agent responsibilities.
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