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The benefits of welfare rights advice: a review of the literature

Welfare rights advice services provide a multitude of support, advice and advocacy services to a wide demographic, covering people with multiple and varied needs, attitudes, behaviour and eligibility for services and assistance addressing itself to whether, and indeed how, welfare rights advice brings financial, social and health benefits to the people who receive it.

The report includes material covering current non-take-up of entitlements; the role of welfare rights advice in encouraging take-up and its financial impact; the potential economic gains for the local community and the role of advice services in improving health and social well being.

Diverse in source, the literature review comprises academic papers, journal articles, reports and information from Government (national and local) along with material from voluntary, campaigning and advice organisations. The standard of information, detail and evaluation contained across this breadth of material is therefore variable. In addition to relevant charities, voluntary organisations and Government departments, the following databases were searched: BIDS, SOSIG, CSA Illumina and Google Scholar. The terms used for searches were a combination of the following: ‘welfare rights advice’, ‘benefits take-up’, ‘welfare benefits’, ‘citizens advice’, ‘general practice’, ‘primary care trust’, ‘disabled people’, ‘older people’, ‘social security’, ‘local economy and benefits’ and ‘advice services’.  This report reviews a range of literature



Resource Tags

Resource Type: Impact Evidence Issues: Community Paralegals, Health, Housing Rights & Informal Settlements, Livelihoods Tool Type: Reports / Research Languages: English Regions: Europe Nature of Impact: Impact on Health, Impact on Income, Social inclusion Institutions Engaged: NGOs, Service Delivery Agencies Evaluation Method: Secondary Data Analysis