Advocacy And Welgfare Rights Advice

We offer private, independent advocacy services and charge an hourly fee ( discounts available for households on means tested benefits, subject to proof of benefit). Examples of advocacy services include:  in-person support for official meetings/

appointments (i.e. DWP assessments, health appointments and tribunal appeal hearings) across Cheshire. Our team can also help remotely if you live anywhere in the UK. We can provide in-person advocacy within a 100-mile radius of our registered office in Warrington, subject to addition fees for mileage. You will find further information on the range of services and welfare rights areas we can provide advice for on this page.  Please note: WE DO NOT currently provide Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) under the Mental Health Act (2007) or Independent Care Act

Advocacy under the Care Act 2014. Please contact you local authority social care department for advice on this type of advocacy. 

We regularly support clients with issues related to housing. We can deal with private and social landlords or local authority representatives on your behalf and have a very good track record of achieving positive outcomes on behalf of our clients. 

The range of housing matters we can support with is extensive, and issues include: potential homelessness, unsuitable housing conditions, housing allocation waiting lists,  problems with private/social landlords, anti-social behaviour, disability discrimination and more. Although our services are currently only available to self-funders, we do offer a reduced hourly rate for households on meanstested benefits, subject to proof. Please send us an e-mail with brief details of  your welfare rights enquiry, and one of our friendly advisers will get in touch with you. 

Many of our clients are entitled to social security benefits, such as Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Council Tax exemption, Attendance Allowance etc.,   but feel overwhelmed by the prospect of completing a claim form. We can check your benefit entitlement and support you to make a well written claim, detailing the impact of  your health condition/disability. Should your claim still be unsuccessful, we can advise you on the merits of your case and support you with  with mandatory reconsideration requests and appeals. Our advocates are also experienced at representing and supporting clients at tribunal hearings. We will spend time over the course of several appointments to get to know you and your situation, to give you the best chance of succeeding with your claim/ application. Our clients frequently tell us how having our support made all the difference and that they would have given up during the process without our help or not claimed a benefit  they were entitled to. 

We offer specialised Personal Assistance  support for our neurodiverse clients in Cheshire, through our experienced and reliable team of DBS-checked, support workers. Most of our clients will have had an adult needs assessment through their  local authority adult social care team and fund our PA support through direct payments allocated by their LA. We careful match each client with the right supporter working, creating a highly personalised independent living support plan.

Local authority needs assessments

We believe that everyone should receive the support they are entitled to. Our team works with parents/carers and  adults to help them understand their child's and/or their own rights, navigate the social care system, and advocate for their rights. We can support you through the process of requesting a needs assessment, offer face-to -face support during visits and meeting with social care professionals and advise you on your rights and options. 

Understanding Disability Discrimination

Disability discrimination occurs when an individual with a disability is treated unfairly or placed at a disadvantage due to their condition in any of the scenarios covered by the Equality Act. This might be a one-time occurrence, the implementation of a policy or rule, or the presence of physical or communication obstacles that make accessing something difficult or impossible. Unlawful discrimination can occur even if it wasn't intentional. We can advise you on your rights and help make a disability discrimination claim on your behalf.