Free | Benefits and mental health awareness workshops

Do you work with people with Serious Mental Ill Health (SMI)?

Would you like to find out more about the benefits system and the barriers that people with SMI face when trying to access welfare?

The Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation working in partnership with City of Wolverhampton Council’s Welfare Rights Service are providing practical help and support to people to ensure that they are receiving all the Social Security benefits to which they are entitled. To be eligible for help the person must be living in Dudley / have a Dudley area GP and be considered to have severe mental ill-health (SMI).

As part of the work that is being undertaken to support this group and to promote the overall work of the project, FREE workshop places are available to people who work or volunteer for a local group or organisation on the following training courses, which are being delivered online over MS Teams.

Workshop One: Is designed to focus on:
❖ the key benefits available to people of working age including when they are unemployed or too sick to work or disabled; and
❖ the key benefits for people of pension age which are designed to provide them with a minimum amount of pension income and financial support when they need help with their personal care.

It will also look at the overall structure of the benefit system.

Workshop Two: Examines:
❖ why people do not receive the Social Security benefits that they are entitled to; and
❖ the challenges people have in applying for / obtaining benefit full entitlement.
It will also look at how people can dispute, and appeal benefit decisions.

Each workshop will provide details of how referrals may be made to the project.

Workshop One Dates:
❖ Tuesday 3rd October 2023 – 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm
❖ Thursday 5th October 2023 – 9.30 am to 12.30 pm
❖ Wednesday 18th October 2023 – 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm

Workshop Two Dates:
❖ Friday 20th October 2023 – 9.30 am to 12.30 pm
❖ Tuesday 31st October 2023 – 9.30 am to 12.30 pm
❖ Thursday 2nd November 2023 – 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm

You can make a booking for yourself and/or a colleague by simply emailing : wrs.training@wolverhampton.gov.uk

When doing so please provide the names and email addresses of the people who will be attending the training, the name of the organisation they work (or volunteer) for and the dates of the particular course each person would like to attend.