Free places can now be booked for a series of Understanding Your Benefits Rights online advice workshops with Autism Berkshire’s expert advisers after Easter.
These workshops help parents and carers and autistic young people and adults (aged 16+) who live in the Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire council areas to understand their entitlement to benefits, how to make an application and the appeals process.
- We strongly recommend that you get in touch with our advisers and take part in a workshop before starting any application for benefits, to help increase the likelihood of a favourable initial decision from the Department for Work & Pensions and avoid the need for an appeal.
The workshops include a look at what supporting evidence should be included in an application and how to present it.
They will all run online from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Mondays, using video links.
Places can be booked for the following benefits advice workshops:
- April 12: For autistic young people and adults aged 16+, and their parents and carers, looking at applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Click here to register.
- May 10: For autistic young people and adults aged 16+, and their parents and carers, looking at applying for Universal Credit and Employment & Support Allowance (ESA). Click here to register.
- May 24: For parents and carers of autistic children aged up to 15, looking at applying for Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Click here to register.
Our benefits advisers are also able to help with enquiries about the benefits listed above and to provide individual advice about mandatory reconsiderations and appeals, if initial applications are turned down.
They can also help with applications for Carer’s Allowance – the Government has relaxed some of the rules about this benefit during the coronavirus pandemic, so please contact us for advice about whether you may be eligible to apply.
To contact our Benefits Service, email benefits@autismberkshire.org.uk or call 01189 594 594 (option 2) and leave a message, including your contact details. One of our advisers will get in touch to discuss how they can help.
Click here for full details of Autism Berkshire’s Benefits Service.
- The workshops are supported by Reading Borough Council’s New Directions College adult education service.
