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Volunteering and benefits
Interesting piece on Volunteering England website about volunteers and benefits.
We continue to receive a high level of enquiries from our members about the rules around volunteering and benefits. Whilst there is still some confusion within the voluntary sector itself, in most cases they’re a result of individual members of Jobcentre Plus staff providing incorrect information.
The ‘16 hour’ myth - The biggest myth used to be that you can only volunteer for a maximum of 16 hours a week before a benefits claim is affected. Thankfully this does seem to be coming up less, but there are still some people who aren’t clear about the rules.
Our volunteers regularly report being told they can volunteer for only 16 hours a week by JC+.
There are contact details at the end of the article if you want to contact Volunteering England - they say they are working with DWP to try and ensure that JCP advisors are properly briefed and passing on correct information to people affected,
Interesting, just been reading in Third Sector that the Prince’s Trust is to move into Jobcentre Plus offices, starting in Hull. The charity will work in about 30 offices round the UK, offering information on volunteering and training to unemployed people.
The desks, which will help unemployed people into volunteering and training opportunities, will be staffed free of charge by the trust, as well as several other local and national charities.