Employment
Guidance on employing refugees and asylum seekers
The Refugee Council welcomes the publication of crucial new guidance on employing refugees and asylum seekers by the UK Border Agency. The booklet, Guidance for employers on illegal working: refugees and asylum seekers, gives employers clear information on the documentation checks they need to carry out when recruiting refugees and asylum seekers, and also includes details of the employment rights of refugees, the bespoke documentation they are issued with in place of a national passport, and how refugees differ from other foreign nationals in the UK.
Immigration and Asylum:
New multilingual telephone advice service begins
From Monday 20 June 2011, the Refugee Council will start operating the free and confidential Own-Language Telephone Advice Service (OLTAS). We will no longer provide a ‘drop in’ service and our current telephone advice will be transferred to OLTAS. This service is already successfully operating in our Birmingham office
Limited leave creates barriers for those wanting to rebuild their lives
Refugee Council publishes briefing on applying for indefinite leave
Finance
Social Fund
1. The Social Fund (SF) is a scheme to help people with needs which are difficult to meet from regular income. It is made up of two distinct parts:
- a regulated scheme which provides entitlement to maternity, funeral, cold weather and winter fuel payments for people who satisfy certain qualifying conditions
- a discretionary scheme under which people may be eligible in certain circumstances for a:
- Community Care Grant (CCG) - to meet, or help to meet, a need for community care
- Budgeting Loan (BL) - to meet, or help to meet, an intermittent expense
- Crisis Loan (CL) - to meet, or help to meet, an immediate short term need
2. This guide deals with discretionary payments only.
Benefits
Incapacity Benefit
Incapacity Benefit (IB) is the main benefit paid to people who cannot work as a result of a health condition or disability
Budget 2011 - benefits and tax credits
The Chancellor confirmed that Child Tax Credit is to increase by £255 for low income families. Also, find out about the changes to benefit and tax credits that will come into force from the beginning of April announced in the June 2010 Budget.
Important changes to Housing Benefit
There are important changes to Local Housing Allowance from April 2011. These changes will affect people getting Housing Benefit, who pay rent to a private landlord.
Impact of changes to Local Housing Allowance from 2011
Budget June 2010 - benefits and tax credits
The Budget announced changes to payments and the way you claim Child Benefit, Child and Working Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Housing Benefit. Child Benefit is frozen for three years. If you're a lone parent you're encouraged to return to work once your children are in school.
Changes affecting Housing Benefit, Local Housing Allowance, and Council Tax Benefit
The government has changed some of the rules which apply to Housing Benefit (including Local Housing Allowance) and Council Tax Benefit. More details are listed below. Most of the changes take effect from April 2011, although some people who already get benefit may not be affected straight away. Some of the changes limit or reduce the amount of benefit that the council can pay. If you get Housing Benefit, or are thinking of applying for it, or moving home, you need to consider these changes to LHA before you renew or make a new tenancy agreement with a private landlord.
In addition, the government has also announced proposals for major changes to the welfare benefits system in later years. These will affect most other benefits and allowances as well as those mentioned above.
Benefits: Welfare Reform Bill 2011
On 16 February 2011 the Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill legislates for the biggest change to the welfare system for over 60 years. It introduces a wide range of reforms that will deliver the commitment made in the Coalition Agreement and the Queen’s Speech to make the benefits and tax credits systems fairer and simpler by:
• creating the right incentives to get more people into work by ensuring work always pays
• protecting the most vulnerable in our society
• delivering fairness to those claiming benefit and to the taxpay
Advice Guides:
Working with Black and Minority Ethnic Communities: A guide for Stop Smoking Service managers
Information for Black and minority ethnic voluntary and community organisations
Asian Women, Domestic Violence and Mental Health A Toolkit for Health Professionals
