No IT skills are barrier to benefits
Claimants need help, says charity
A leading charity is seeking funding to employ staff to tackle problems brought on by the rollout of Universal Credit in Rutherglen and Cambuslang.
The Citizens Advice Bureau say people who struggle to read, write and operate a computer are facing numerable barriers to claiming and managing their benefits which is predominantly done online.
Sharon Hampson, manager of the Cambuslang CAB, said her organisation was preparing to support some of the 1,150 people expected to claim Universal Credit in Rutherglen and Hamilton West between now and January.
Speaking three weeks after Universal Credit was rolled out across all of South Lanarkshire, Ms Hampson said: “Twenty per cent of claimants need some support to make and maintain their claims. The majority of them are coming in here for assistance.
“The majority of clients, they don’t have access to IT, they don’t have the knowledge of working with computers.”
Currently Universal Credit claimants are being directed to public buildings such as libraries to access computers and manage their benefits online.
But people have to provide proof of address and get a library card before they will be given access to the facilities.
Sharon added: “As far as I am aware the library staff just guide them to the computer, that’s not what is needed.
“You need someone to sit down with them to show them how to access computers, explain what DWP letters are saying, what sanctions mean. If you’re not computer literate you don’t have a clue what to do.”
Sharon and her team of staff and volunteers at Cambuslang CAB are doing all they can to help existing clients and prepare for those moving on to the benefit between now and Christmas.
She said: “I’m currently trying to find funding so we can employ someone to sit in the office purely to deal with Universal Credit claims.
“If we had someone employed just for Universal Credit to help people access their journal or make a new claim that would be ideal.
“It would be very beneficial if people could see the same person throughout their claim, it would reassure them rather than sending people from pillar to post to different organisations.
“It would be nice to have a dedicated person to deal with these people’s concerns.”