My colleague and I are starting on a new project funded by the DWP to improve take-up of Pension Credit amongst the over 65s.
We were wondering if anyone has experience of a similar project, and whether they would be willing to share their experiences with us.
We have what seem like rather ambitious targets to meet!
Any ideas?!

Also, has anyone read, and do they know where we can get hold of, the "Code of Practice for CABx and the Pension Service" (Oct 2004) - sounds like it might be relevant?

Thanks.

You may want to have a look at this National Audit Office publication from November 2002, "Tackling Pensioner Poverty: Encouraging take-up of entitlements". Click on this link for a pdf copy.

Also, Age Concern England have various materials available that may be useful for you. Have a look at this page for more information.

And finally, you might want to have a look at the some of the materials produced by the Social Exclusion Unit, who are currently undertaking a project on older people, putting a renewed focus on the issue of tackling isolation and social exclusion among older people. More information is available here

Good luck and feel free to share your experiences with us as your project develops.

A recent DWP research report, 'Encouraging take-up: awareness and attitudes to Pension Credit', highlighted in the following rightsnet news story, may also be of interest to you -

Awareness of and attitudes to pension credit: New DWP research (10 March, 2005)

The link to Age Concern materials in Paul's post above doesn't work for me

If you've got the same problem try -- http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/information.htm
which is Age Concern England's Information & Policy homepage

alban

Thanks for pointing that out Alban, don't know what happened there, the specific page i was (trying) to link to was this one - http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/information_769.htm

There's been quite a bit of stuff published about take-up work. One essential message is that closely targeted work gets better results than unfocussed "claim it" type campaigns.

Outreach drop-in advice sessions also tend to have poor returns for the time invested (as Pension Service found despite being told so when they set up such work). Datamatching of HB/CTB records to identify and actively follow-up those who are not getting PC or other benefits work gets very good returns but misses out on those who are not on HB/CTB. Take-up of CTB has fallen in recent years and it is a benefit which needs more consistent promotion.

A slightly dated, albeit useful guide is the LGA's guide to benefit take-up among older people: www.lga.gov.uk/lga/socialaffairs/benefits.pdf. Their Quids of Kids guide, (which is also on their website) while aimed at a different customer group also has some helpful tips. Then there's the Pension Service's own guide to benefit take-up which draws on best practice but which has had scant publicity: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/statepensionforecast/localgov_downloads.asp This was actually mostly written by me and had strong input from various welfare rights advisers.

The DWP CTB take-up guide (which is somehere on the DWP website) is also worth looking at.

The DWP's Council Tax Benefit Take-up - A Best Practice Guide (pdf) is available here.

Hi

In 98 I and a colleague did just this in Eastbourne CAB with NLCB funding. The project is called Impact and is still running. We acheived high returns with just 2 of us running it and in 2000 the project expanded and I was project co-ordinator for the next 18 months. I then moved on to Housing 21 and 2 of us have been runnning take-up campaigns across england for H21 since Oct 01, in that time we've exceeded £2.5 million in extra yearly income for H21 residents (this is a mixture of PC, AA, DLA and H/CTB but I doubt that your targets are too ambitious as simply identifying AA potential leads to large PC gains).

If you would like to discuss how the projects were set up give me a ring 01323 872481 or e mail direct to daveyl@housing21.co.uk

Thanks for all the suggestions - a great help.

Does anyone have any reports or blue prints on eg collaborations with GP surgeries or PCT'S; and/or setting up Discharge from Hospital benefit health checks with Social Services Depts, they would like to share (Camden Council Welfare Rights Team did a brilliant one on setting up a service with local Mental Health Trust, has anyone done something similar with Older Adults).

The organisation i'm with should read Age Concern Dorchester, but due to my ineptitude with computers, my old work place came out

Sorry about the above