Big Books continues our collaboration with Community Housing Cymru (CHC), and their Your Benefits Are Changing Campaign and based on our new joint publication Your Big Book of Benefits.
The story so far
CHC are the umbrella body for housing associations and other support organisations in Wales.
Their YBAC campaign aims to help tenants, member organisations and staff with big changes so far (such as the “bedroom tax”) and big changes ahead, such as the switch to Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit. The hope is that together we can minimise financial losses and disruption to tenants from the changes, tackle underclaiming and help tenants both afford the rent and asapt to changes and minimise rent arrears.
CHC liked our Big Book of Benefits and Mental Health so much that they commissioned their own more general version. You can see more details about this new Your Big Book of Benefits on its own page on this website here and purchase copies from CHC here.
The Spring training courses
And now, CHC have asked Big Books to offer a range of courses linked to the Book. These include:
- a general overview and introduction (essential for newcomers)
- , more advanced updates of welfare reform changes,
- a detailed look at Housing Benefit and changes (eg bedroom tax, EU migrants rules) and its future merger into Universal Credit
- in depth practical look at Personal Independence Payment and helping with those forms
- a good look at Universal Credit as it starts to break out from pilots to reach all parts of the UK (for some claimants anyway)
You can see the full range of courses and more details by clicking on CHC – Big Book training programme Spring 2015.
Participants may just want to have better awareness of changes to understand queries and issues and act as more informed signposters. Or they may want to update practical skills in supporting and advising tenants in making claims.
The courses are running in February and March at CHC venues in Cardiff (for South Wales) and Bangor (in North Wales). There are very few differences in the issues for organisations and tenants across the border, so these courses are very suitable for visitors across the border.
The £99 campaign special course price includes lunch, refreshments and your very own copy of Your Big Book of Benefits to take away with you. We will use the Book extensively on the day, so you can get familiar with this practical toolkit.
We hope then that you will find it a trusty guide, friend and resource as you take your training away and go out and make a real difference :-).
To book your place please either complete the online form from the relevant course in the CHC course list here or please e-mail: jennifer-horton@chcymru.org.uk
Or we can come to you…
Costs come down further and convenience increases again, if we come to you. If you have a suitable venue and up to 16 participants (from your organisation or together with local partners) we have courses and will travel !
To discuss arrangements and costs for delivery of these CHC courses within Wales, then please e-mail: jennifer-horton@chcymru.org.uk
We can also come to you outside Wales or deliver any of our other Big Book courses on an in house basis across the UK. We can also tailor and adapt to your requirements . Please see the main Training page on this website here for more details or contact me direct on tommessere@gmail.com
Big Book of Benefits 