Time to Take Control

What is the problem?

The public at large are confronted by inflation at levels not seen in many people’s lifetimes. This is exacerbated by vastly higher inflation in fuel prices only partly mitigated by government intervention in the price and additional grants to some households and specific groups. This challenge is shared by our stakeholders.

Adferiad’s client group already faced significant financial problems before the current crisis arose. Many were already on low incomes at or near the scarcely adequate level of Universal Credit. The cost-of-living crisis for them poses fresh challenges not just of uncertainty and anxiety but tangible hardship, especially for those whom the extra support provided does not fully compensate for increased bills for fuel, food, and other necessities.

A further problem for our client group is that many will already be distressed and anxious because of mental health problems and addiction – making it difficult for them to appraise their situation and plan their way through the months ahead. So, there is a risk that a very real lack of resources will be made much worse by the struggle to make a plan.

What is the purpose of the campaign?

To campaign for action by the UK and Welsh Governments, Local Authorities, NHS, and others to support our client group, and to provide practical and personal support so people can take control of their own situation and navigate their path through the crisis and beyond. We will work closely with partners to ensure carers and families are fully supported.

Who are our partners?

We will be working with UK and Welsh partners who share our campaign goals including Carers Wales and the St Giles Trust.

We will also be engaging constructively with key agencies nationally and locally, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Local Authorities, to facilitate dialogue and enhance their understanding and response to our clients’ needs. 

What is the timescale of the campaign?

Time to Take Control will go public at our launch on 9 May 2023 in the Vale of Glamorgan, and we will sustain national publicity and engage actively online throughout the campaign.

Alongside the national activity there will be 23 county events (all Welsh counties plus Lancashire) throughout the summer. Confirmed dates so far are:

May 2023
9 May – Vale of Glamorgan – Launch event
11 May – Anglesey
16 May – Flintshire
18 May – Ceredigion

June 2023
2 June – Bridgend
7 June – Denbighshire
14 June – Neath Port Talbot
21 June – Pembrokeshire

July 2023
4 July – RCT
10 July – Newport
11 July – Monmouthshire
12 July – Torfaen
13 July – Blaenau Gwent
14 July – Caerphilly
18 July – Wrexham
20 July – Carmarthenshire
25 July – Powys – Royal Welsh Show

August 2023
8 August – Gwynedd – National Eisteddfod
17 August – Chorley, Lancashire
23 August – Cardiff

September 2023
6 September – Merthyr
7 September – Conwy
14 September – Swansea

October 2023
10 October – World Mental Health Day – End of Campaign event 3

What are we asking government and others to do?

We will be pressing for action on a Ten Point Plan as follows:

The UK Government needs to:

• Ensure benefits for people with a disability or long-term sickness rise with inflation (inflation for people living in poverty is much higher because fuel costs represent a higher than average proportion of their spending – so this need to be factored in); also, implement a fairer and more easily accessible Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process which gets help to people quickly
• Restore the £20 additional weekly uplift on Universal Credit which was so helpful during the height of the Covid pandemic
• Improve financial support for carers, recognising the cost benefit of carers being able to play their role in providing support
• Long-term: start a national conversation about the future of benefits, with the goal of improving the lives of people who are at risk and depend on benefits
• Ramp up help for those with mental health and addiction problems who are ready to become economically active – improving support, training and incentives while not pressurising those unable to work

The Welsh Government needs to:

• Promote further the need to ensure that all those using secondary mental health services have an effective Care and Treatment Plan in place and that these include the outcomes to be achieved and what services are to be provided, or actions taken, under the ‘Finance and Money’ section
• Ensure that all adults at risk and their carers – and families of at-risk children – have easy and timely access to advice and advocacy relating to money management and debt
• The Welsh voluntary sector needs to:
• Prioritise support for people at risk who are most affected by poverty, including providing advice and support or facilitating access to support by specialists
• Provide a voice for people at risk so that their needs are heard by both the UK and Welsh Government.

And all of us can:

• Be good neighbours. Helping those around us can make a big difference, whether that means donating to a food bank or just helping an individual or family whom you know.

What will we do to help our beneficiaries directly?

We will engage all beneficiaries in the wider campaign directed at government and others by giving people a voice and opportunities to explain their problems and the help they need. But we will also encourage people to act for themselves.

Our Mental Health and Money Advice Service which we run in partnership with other UK charities will help people to get the benefits they need and tackle debt and other money problems.

Specifically, we will ensure:

• Our Money Advice Point service is highlighted at 23 local campaign events and at national campaign events and information and advice is made available
• A series of Money Advice guides is available during the campaign for distribution and discussion in local groups

Our Cyfle Cymru service will help our clients who are ready to become economically active to get onto the training and employment ladder so that they can make their own way towards greater prosperity. Specifically, it will:

• Provide a no-obligation training and employment opportunities interview for clients, their families, staff, and volunteers who request it in their areas of operation; in other areas they will sign-post to the appropriate agencies
• Provide a Training and Employment Advice Point at local campaign events and at national campaign events
• Publish a training and employment guide for distribution and discussion in local groups

Our local services will provide support to all our clients and other stakeholders on benefits, money management, training, employment, and related issues. Specifically, they will:

• Organise a series of local sessions at project meetings, carers groups, and at other opportunities where clients and other stakeholders can discuss, share ideas, and take action on the cost-of-living crisis
• Organise visits to and by key local agencies where stakeholders can meet and discuss benefits, employment, and related issues with the responsible agencies
• Work with local stakeholders to organise other activities of their choice to provide informative and engaging ways to help people through the cost-of-living crisis.

At the end of the campaign, we will share our findings widely and leave a legacy of good advice and practice. Specifically, we will:

• Publish a “Cost of Living Survival Guide” aimed at people with mental health and addiction problems and based on feedback from the campaign which we will distribute widely.
• Publish and distribute a report on the campaign contact and further information Head Office Tŷ Dafydd Alun 36 Princes Drive Colwyn Bay Conwy LL29 8LA Web: www.adferiad.org   Email: peter.martin@adferiad.org