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:

20th  & 21st September, 2022.  

2 x Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30 each day)
Workshop Fee: £445 + 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. 

Returned to our Autumn Programme following increasing customer requests 

for this topic!

ONLINE WORKSHOP:

Wednesday, 14th September, 2022.

Half-Day Workshop (9:30 - 1:00)

Fee: £145 + VAT. 4th Place Free.

BENEFITS FOR MIXED AGE COUPLES

A half-day Workshop looking at the benefit entitlements of mixed age 

couples: HB, CTR, UC, SPC and legacy working age benefits.

Mixed age couples are the subject of one of the most complex welfare 

reforms of recent years. Changes in their circumstances can result in a 

dramatic reduction to their income: correct advice and assessment 

procedures are vital in situations including: 

Older member reaching SPC age so that an existing couple “ages into” 

mixed age status;

*  Newly formed mixed age couples;

*  Separation or death of partner;

*  Younger partner loses entitlement to working age legacy benefit;

*  Different eligibility and aggregation rules in UC and legacy benefits.

Presented by Peter Barker. If you choose to run this course in-house, 

the notes will be tailored to include the treatment of MACs in the 

local scheme.

Contact us for In-House & Online Workshop booking information for this topic.  

ONLINE WORKSHOP:  

Tuesday, 20th September, 2022.

Full Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30)   

Workshop Fee: £240  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

HB ADJUDICATION: 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 & Online Workshop booking information for this topic. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP:  

Wednesday, 21st September, 2022.

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

Workshop Fee: £240  + 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 & Online Workshop booking information for this topic. 

For Local Authority Policy & Benefits Staff

ONLINE WORKSHOP:

Tuesday, 27th September, 2022.

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

Workshop Fee: £240 + 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 the key issues.

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.

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Thursday, 29th September, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop: (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £240 + 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 & Online Workshop booking information for this topic. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP  

Tuesday, 4th October, 2022.

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30) 

Workshop Fee: £240  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

Our new Universal Credit Workshop for Autumn 2022...

Universal Credit - Towards Managed Migration

This Workshop is intended primarily for an audience of Local Authority Housing Benefit & Council Tax Reduction staff, focussing on the expected managed migration of legacy benefit claimants over the next two years, as well as providing an update on the day to day issues arising while UC and legacy benefits continue to exist alongside one another. The Workshop also includes a detailed segment on the often misunderstood benefit assessment involved for ‘Mixed-Age Couples’.

Contact us for In-House & Online Workshop booking information for this topic. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP: 

Wednesday, 5th October, 2022. 

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30)  

Workshop Fee: £240  + 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 & Online Workshop booking information for this topic. 

ONLINE WORKSHOP

Thursday, 13th October, 2022. 

Full-Day Workshop (9:30 - 4:30)  

Workshop Fee: £240  + VAT.    4th Place Free.  

HOUSING BENEFIT FOR SMALL COMPANY OWNERS 

(Company Directors).

Assessing the income and capital of a claimant who owns and runs his/her own limited company is often cited as one of the most difficult topics for benefits staff to understand. At first sight, many owner/directors draw a small salary and have no other visible personal earnings or capital, but is it always correct to assess HB and CTR on just this salary? In this workshop we will look at the different ways in which company owner/directors receive income: earnings, dividends, loans and repayment of debt. We will also consider when it is appropriate to take into account the value of the claimant’s shareholding as capital and when to disregard it.

 
Contact us for In-House & Online Workshop booking information for this topic.