Benefits advice

Raise is a non-profit organization that helps people and groups by giving them access to free, private, and professional guidance. When you use Raise’s services, you have access to objective and reliable advice that may improve your decision-making across a wide range of domains. In addition, the knowledgeable advisers at Raise can offer assistance with a broad variety of concerns, including budgeting, finding a place to live, and finding a job. Using Raise’s services will provide you peace of mind by providing you with access to trustworthy resources and advice. Your privacy and concerns will be handled with care and discretion because of Raise’s dedication to confidentiality. In sum, Raise is a great tool for people of any background who want some assistance getting through tough times.

Our expert advisers are here to help you understand your entitlements and help you to claim them.

How we help people

We can help to:

Ensure you are receiving your full benefit entitlement
Make applications to claim or review appropriate benefits
Claim any backdated awards
Challenge benefit award decisions
Apply for grants for those most in need

As an independent charity with the goal of making people and communities stronger, we are committed to helping people who need it. Our main goal is to help people and groups overcome problems and reach their goals by giving them free, confidential, and expert advice. Our experienced advisors know a lot about a wide range of topics and are well-equipped to help with things like financial planning, housing, employment, and much more. We know that everyone’s situation is different, so we work with each person to find solutions that fit their needs. We’re here to help people deal with life’s challenges and reach their full potential, whether it’s through one-on-one meetings with our advisors, group workshops, or online tools.

Raise offers a comprehensive package of support to its benefit clients such as further support with debt issues, money management, or back-to-work employment support and training

Case Study

Client A’s Situation

The client came to us as her daughter was awarded DLA in August 2020 and despite her multiple attempts to inform Universal Credit that she was entitled to both the Child Disability and Carer Element, they had failed to add these to her UC award. This was causing the client serious emotional distress and financial hardship as she felt her numerous attempts to communicate with UC were in vain.

How did we help?

Raise made a complaint to DWP, urging them to rectify this as quickly as possible. Unfortunately despite having sent evidence of the DLA and Carer’s Allowance awards, the DWP continued to fail to put the correct award into payment and requested further communication with the client. The caseworker supported the client in adding notes to her UC Journal and communicated directly with the Complaints Team to ensure the issue was resolved.

What were the results?

As a result of our complaints, Universal Credit amended the client’s award to include both Carer’s Element and Child Disability Element. The client received a total of £4,016.92 in a backdated award, significantly alleviating her financial worries and increasing her ongoing monthly Universal Credit amount by £563.21.