Can you tell us about a case you’ve worked on?

One of my proudest moments was securing substantial benefits for a young, single mother who had recently suffered gender violence.

She wanted but couldn’t afford private talking therapy at an extremely difficult time in her life. She had so little money she had to choose between paying for nappies for her young child and paying the council tax each month.

We applied for and then appealed Personal Independence Payment, securing £145 per week and an additional £336 per month in Universal Credit..

Now, she’s getting the right support and has started talking therapy. Her feedback detailed:

“Your adviser took my mental illness seriously. He treated me like a human being rather than a number on a bit of paper.”

I’m proud of what we did to help this client, but we shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to secure a reasonable income and standard of living for people. Far from ‘making work pay’, reforms like Universal Credit can have devastating effects on people’s lives, encouraging many who are calling for reform.

Case Study

For many clients, the fact we listened to their story was just as important as helping them to challenge the decision. When a client of ours was interview by BBC Points West, they told the reporter: “for the first time someone seemed to believe my story and that in itself was a big help.”

“I was in a situation where I felt alone & abandoned by society because of my anxiety & ADHD.

You believed me and were willing to help. I am very happy with the outcome because not only can I fund things to help me manage my conditions, I also feel vindicated and that I am not being dismissed anymore.”