Contents
- Welcome to the Local Offer for young adults leaving care in Bexley
- What the children and social work act 2017 says about the care leaver offer
- Your local offer in summary
- Your home
- Education, employment and training
- Health and wellbeing
- Money
- Preparing to leave care
- Participation in society
- Help to understand your history
- What to do if things go wrong
- Our commitments in Bexley
- Your commitments to us
- Key contacts
- UK benefits that you could be entitled to
UK benefits that you could be entitled to
Understanding if you are eligible to receive benefits and knowing how to claim them can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the UK benefits system.
Depending on your personal circumstances, you may be entitled to some form of assistance. We have listed some of the main benefits below and the criteria you must meet to be eligible to receive them.
| Benefit name | Type of support |
|---|---|
| Universal Credit (UC) | Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit supporting people of working age on a low income. Working age means under state pension age. |
| New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) | If you are unemployed or work less than 16 hours a week, you may be eligible for the New Style Jobseekers Allowance. This is a contribution-based benefit. You may be eligible if you have paid and/or been credited with enough Class 1 National Insurance contributions in the two full tax years before the calendar year of your claim. The benefit is paid for up to 182 days. |
| New Style Employment and Support Allowance / Contribution-Based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) | New Style/Contribution Employment and Support Allowance is a benefit for people under state pension age, who have limited capability to work due to an illness or disability and are not receiving statutory sick pay. As with New Style/Contribution Based JSA, it is a contribution-based benefit. You must have paid/been credited with enough Class 1 or 2 National Insurance Contributions during the last two full tax years prior to the year you claim. |
| Housing Benefit | Housing Benefit is provided through your local council and is a means-tested benefit to help people on low incomes with their rent. A claim for Housing Benefit can be made if:
If you do not fall into one of these categories, and you require assistance with your rent, you should claim Universal Credit. |
| Discretionary Housing Payment | Discretionary Housing Payment is discretionary assistance available through your local council and can be provided to assist with rent shortfalls if you are already in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit where a housing element is included for rental costs. Assistance can also be applied for to help with the costs of starting a tenancy such as a rental deposit or rent in advance if you need to move. |
| Council Tax Support | This benefit is provided by your local council and is a means-tested benefit to help people on a low income with their Council Tax bill. This benefit is localised and the support you receive depends on your local council’s rules, although they are broadly similar across the country. Council Tax support is:
|
| Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | This is a benefit for people who are aged between 16 and state retirement age, and have additional care needs due to an illness or disability. If you are in receipt of PIP before you reach state retirement age your claim will continue past state pension age if your additional care needs remain. |
| Disability Living Allowance (DLA) | DLA is a benefit for children who have additional care or mobility needs due to an illness or disability. They must be under the age of 16 to make a claim. There are additional age rules in relation to the mobility element of DLA. DLA has two components - the personal care component and mobility component. It is non-means tested and therefore capital or income is not taken into consideration. |
| Carers Allowance | This benefit is paid to people who provide more than 35 hours’ informal care for those in receipt of the following benefits:
All of the following must apply:
|