Workshops Coming Up....

AN INTRODUCTION TO HOUSING BENEFIT  (TWO-DAY WORKSHOP) 

For Anyone Involved In Advising The Public On Housing Benefit Claims And Benefit Advice Matters

ONLINE WORKSHOP:

EXTRA DATES: 

Tuesday & Wednesday, 14th & 15th June, 2022. 

2 x Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30 each day) 

Workshop Fee: £395 + VAT.   

4th Place Free.

This very popular Workshop is always well-received and provides an overview of the key issues covering a wide range of Housing Benefit topics in a very packed two days of training. It is ideal for people new to housing benefit work or those requiring a refresher on many of the key issues. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Wednesday, 8th June, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £230 + VAT.    4th Place Free .   

Benefits Advice For Claimants Arriving From Overseas   

HB, CTR, UC & Other Social Entitlements For Non-British / Irish Nationals

A Workshop presented by Peter Barker, the ‘HB Anorak’ who for many years has been one of the most knowledgeable and experienced trainers in this topic. A fact-filled Workshop covering all the most up-to-date rules, for which is clearly going to be a very full and information packed day! 

Traditionally, benefit claims and applications for other social entitlements, such as homelessness assistance, have been regulated by two separate mechanisms, depending which part of the world the claimant/applicant is from:

·  The Habitual Residence / Right To Reside test has mainly affected European claimants from the EEA and their family members.

·  The Immigration Statustest has never affected EEA Nationals or their family members and has been used to control entitlement for people from the rest of the world.

But, since the end of the Brexit “transition period” on 31 December 2020, the treatment of EEA Nationals arriving in the UK from 2021 onwards relies much more heavily on the immigration status test. The Workshop will look at how the immigration status test works for claimants from anywhere in the world – EEA or elsewhere: what kind of status does and does not allow a person to claim benefits? We will also deal with the effect of social treaties (CESC/ECSMA) to which the UK is still a party along with most of the EEA countries.

The comprehensive information pack provided includes a quick-reference Desk Aid comprising flowcharts – an important tool that is being regularly updated as rules change (as they very often do in this area of benefits!), so delegates attending this course can be assured that they have the very latest and most up-to-date version.

Contact us for In-House 'Zoom' booking information on a range of programmes for this topic.  

ONLINE WORKSHOP:  

Thursday, 9th June, 2022.

Full Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £230  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

BENEFITS DECISION MAKING:

Revision, Supersession & Correct Effective Dates

A Workshop For Policy/Training Officers, Supervisors & exprienced Benefits Assessment Staff

For policy, appeals and training officers, specialist decision makers and anyone with a keen interest in the adjudication rules in HB, UC and other benefits.  (It is assumed delegates have some prior knowledge of benefits in general.) 

 The focus of the day is the HB adjudication framework, but we cover decision making on the DWP side as well, especially in Universal Credit.  The Workshop combines an analysis of the mechanics of HB adjudication (revision, supersession, grounds and time limits) with a closer look at the correct effective date from which to apply a superseding decision in a range of situations.

Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.  

For Local Authority Policy & Benefits Staff

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Tuesday, 14th June, 2022.  (FULL)

EXTRA DATE

Tuesday, 21st June, 2022.   

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30 )

Workshop Fee: £230 + VAT.    4th Place Free .     

HOUSING BENEFIT & SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION 

Key Issues Affecting HB Entitlement And Subsidy

This huge and complex topic generates an ever-increasing amount of enquiries in Zebra’s Post-box and on discussion forums. This Workshop provides an overview of supported accommodation and then deals in depth with four frequently recurring key issues that are raised

The Workshop is aimed  at local authority HB officers making decisions about supported accommodation cases: Whether HB can be paid and, if so, how much?  We provide a seperate Workshop and Programme for Accommodation PROVIDERS.

The growth of the supported accommodation sector in recent years, combined with the roll-out of Universal Credit, has led to this type of accommodation forming a progressively larger part of local authority HB departments’ workloads. This Workshop aims to provide delegates working at all levels with a thorough introduction to the issues affecting whether HB can be paid at all, if so, how much and how it is subsidised. 

A Landlord's / Support Provider's Guide To Benefits  Funding For Supported Accommodation Charges

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Thursday, 16th June, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £230 + VAT.    4th Place Free .     

HOUSING BENEFIT & SUPPORTED ACCOMMODATION 

 A Landlord's / Support Provider's Guide To Benefits Funding For Supported Accommodation Charges

The benefit rules governing supported accommodation charges can be a minefield for providers and administrators alike. 

THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THIS WORKSHOP ARE PEOPLE WORKING ON THE PROVIDER SIDE FOR A REGISTERED HOUSING ASSOCIATION IN ENGLAND. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP  

Wednesday, 22nd June, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £230  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

UNIVERSAL CREDIT - A REVIEW OF CURRENT KEY ISSUES 

(Including 'Mixed Aged Couples')

This Workshop is intended primarily for an audience of Local Authority Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction staff, focussing on the issues affecting people who migrate from HB to UC, people who claim UC and CTR and people who claim HB alongside UC for temporary and supported accommodation, as well as looking at the issues relating to benefit assessments for ‘Mixed Age Couples’.

Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.  

Workshop For Benefits Advisors & Benefits Assessment Staff

HOUSING BENEFIT FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

(Self-Employed  Sole Traders & Company Directors).

Looking At Income & Capital.

ONLINE WORKSHOP

Thursday, 23rd June, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30)  

Workshop Fee: £230  + VAT.    4th Place Free.   

Benefit claimants who run their own small business will be either a self-employed sole trader or the owner/director of a private limited company. While the day-to-day working lives of sole traders and directors may not seem to be much different in practice, the financial structure of the business means that very different issues arise when it comes to assessing income and capital for HB and CTR. This was recently highlighted when it came to eligibility for Government assistance during the Covid pandemic. Usually this is offered over two days , but here we cover all the key issues in a packed single day Workshop!   

 
Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.  

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Tuesday, 19th July, 2022. 

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30)  

Workshop Fee: £230  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

Assessing Earnings & Other Income For HB & CTR

Key Principles For Assessing Earnings & Other Income

A full-day Workshop looking at the key principles of assessing earnings and other income in HB and in the most common CTR schemes

This Workshop is aimed at Officers who assess HB and CTR cases, Team Leaders and Policy and Appeals staff members (suitable for all levels). 

Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.  

ONLINE WORKSHOP:  

September - Date to be arranged.

Full-Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30/4:45) 

Workshop Fee: £230  + VAT.    4th Place Free. 

HOUSING BENEFIT APPEALS & FIRST TIER TRIBUNALS 

Good Practice When Compiling An Appeal Submission

Now including Human Rights / Equality Act Challenges

This Workshop provides an ideal insight to the general principles and good practices when it comes to appeal submission writing. We recommend this Workshop for local authority staff who handle appeal cases or are preparing to do so. Housing association staff and claimant advisers seeking some insight into the HB appeals process from the local authority perspective are welcome to attend but should bear in mind it is assumed that all delegates will have reasonable knowledge of benefits generally. Due to an increasing number of questions being raised on appeals that rely on the Human Rights Act or Equality Act we have also now included a significant part of the day to focus on these issues. 

We have selected ‘Overpayments’ as the theme for this day: Partly because with the completion of the UC roll-out a couple of years ago, there are fewer opportunities for appeals to arise on issues predominantly associated with new claims (such as commerciality/contrivance), and partly because an overpayment submission tends to involve most of the important principles of submission writing generally. 

Recently the Supreme Court decided that Tribunals have the power to award remedies (by way of awarding or increasing HB) when the Council has applied the Regulations correctly but the Regulations in question are alleged to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. Due to the increasing interest in this topic we will spend a significant part of the afternoon looking at Convention rights, discrimination, justification, and possible remedies that a Tribunal can provide. We will also touch on the related subject of the Equality Act 2010 and whether this can be relied on a benefit appeal to a Tribunal.

“GOODIE-BAG”: Delegates will receive specimen skeleton appeal submissions in editable ‘Word’ format with numbered paragraphs and section headings and some “boilerplate” content addressing the key principles, as well as editable admin documents such as the AT37. 

Presented by Peter Barker. A hugely experienced trainer, appeals presenter and submission writer. He started as a local authority appeals officer in the 1980s, and for many years he has represented local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland at both First-tier and Upper Tribunal level. Tribunal Judges frequently comment on the high quality of Peter’s submissions. He combines a wealth of first-hand experience with expert knowledge of adjudication legislation and has a real enthusiasm for the topic.

Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.