Provide information on income maximisation to customers
Overview
This standard is about being able to provide information to customers on the types of welfare applications which are available to maximise income. The role is to provide basic information, advise customers on how to apply for assistance, assist with applications if the customer requires IT or literacy support and signpost customers to specialist advice centres or departments.
You are likely to work in a customer service centre of a local authority or other public or third sector organisation and will be the first point of contact for customers.
The types of welfare benefits under scope in this standard includes social security benefits, housing benefits, council tax reduction schemes, tax credits, discretionary funds and local schemes for income and support in kind.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- welcome the customer in line with your organisation's customer service standards
- establish the customer's reasons for approaching your organisation
- gather relevant background information to enable you to assist the customer
- determine the potential eligibility of benefits for the customer
- maintain customer confidentiality and privacy
- describe relevant options for maximising income and budgeting to the customer
- explain the process for making an application including timescales
- help the customer make an application should literacy and or IT support be required
- inform the customer that appeals can be made and the local procedures for making appeals
- direct the customer to information about other types of welfare applications, if required
- signpost the customer to the relevant specialist advice centres or departments if required
- refer the customer to relevant colleagues in line with your organisation's customer service standards
- record relevant information about the customer in your organisation's record systems​
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the relevant codes of practice, legislation and regulations for welfare applications – benefits, grants and reliefs
- the social and ethnic diversity and the needs of the communities which your organisation serves
- the key principles of the current legislative framework relating to applications for benefits, grants and reliefs
- the difference between means tested applications, non-means tested applications and tax credits
- where to access the relevant information on income maximisation
- the relevant appeals procedures for challenging welfare application decisions
- the potential eligibility for benefits, grants and reliefs and how they apply to different customer groups
- the agencies nationally and locally involved with the administration of welfare applications
- the processes, procedures and time limits for making benefit applications
- the welfare schemes locally where additional support and income can be sourced
- when a customer should be referred to a specialist advisor
- to whom to refer matters that are outside your responsibility or remit
- how to keep up to date with changes in relevant legislation and how this impacts on the advice you provide
- your organisational procedures for recording information
- your organisational procedures for complying with relevant data protection legislation