Memorandum submitted by Blakenhall Community
Advice Centre
The Blakenhall Community Advice Centre operates
from a well established centre housed in a terraced property situated
on the main road running through the area and near to the shops,
other public services and on the main bus route. The centre is
open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday. During these hours
a telephone service is maintained to deal with enquires and the
provision of information and advice.
For those who of age, disability or family commitments
are unable to attend the Centre a home visiting service is provided.
An outreach service is held in a medical centre to make contact
with people who have been referred to the project by a member
of the Primary Care staff.
The project employs staff from ethnic minority
groups—so as to reflect the diverse make up of the community
and to provide a language facility for those whose first language
is not English and require interpreting and translation services.
Contact is maintained with other member organisations to share
information, engage in joint activities and facilitate opportunities.
The following will benefit from the services
provided by the project:
1. Significant proportions of people using
the services of the project are from ethnic minority sections
of the community. The majority of these people are from Asian
background and because of their ethnicity and language difficulties,
are among the most disadvantaged people living in the area.
2. A large number of those now seeking help
at the Centre come from asylum seeker/refugee groupings. Due to
the nature of the housing—stock (ie high rise flats), the
number of placements of asylum seekers and refugee continues to
increase. Their countries of origin are Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq,
Albania and the Czech Republic.
3. Older people and their carers from all
sections of the community, seek help with discovering their rights
to welfare benefits and to submit their claims.
4. Work is also done by the project workers
to assist those with a disability and their carers to claim Attendance
Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and related benefits.
With the Centre's constant liaising with the
local DWP, with our deliberations with them we have come across
no difficulties at all in relation to ethnic minority groups and
any refugees. Our experience in regular contacts with the DWP
raises no concerns at all.
Blakenhall Community Advice Centre
17 February 2004
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