At Stevens we make sure all our lawyers are able to recognise Welfare Benefit issues. We have several lawyers who have welfare benefit expertise and we work closely with the local Citizen's Advice Bureau. However, we no longer do welfare benefit casework unless closely linked with other matters upon which we are providing you with advice.
If you have a problem or query relating to your benefits we suggest you contact the local Citizen's Advice Bureau. You can view the National Association of Citizen's Advice Bureau site at www.nacab.org.uk where you can obtain details of your nearest Bureau.
Alternatively, you may wish to do your own research. You can get help on the internet from a number of sites including advice about benefits and a selection of leaflets available on the Department for Work and Pensions web-site at www.dwp.gov.uk.
The Child Poverty Action Group has a web-site which carries some articles about coming legislation and information about their publications at www.cpag.org.uk. The Child Poverty Action Group produce an excellent handbook every year with details of all benefits explained in comprehensible terms.
The RightsNet web-site at www.rightsnet.org.uk carries details of new legislation and policies affecting social security benefits. It also has links to other useful sites.
Most Acts and Regulations can be found on the government information web site at www.hmso.gov.uk
There are a number of useful telephone advice lines run by the DSS. The numbers are:
There are also numbers available for advisors only (but not from members of the public). The CPAG run a telephone advice line from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday on 020 7833 4627 for this purpose.