Category: Accredited Training

  • We have 5 Brand New CPD Accredited courses and workshops! 

    We have 5 Brand New CPD Accredited courses and workshops! 

    We have 5 Brand New CPD Accredited courses and workshops!

    We are very excited to announce that 5 of our brand new courses have this week been CPD accredited!

    This means our training and workshops provide you with the reassurance that our learning activity has been independently assessed and scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality, and that it has reached the required Continuing Professional Development standards and benchmarks required by the CPD Certification Service.

    As a bonus, you will now also get a nice shiny certificate within 7 days of completing your training!

    Let’s have a look at some of the courses which have already had fantastic feedback……

    Get to Grips with Disability Living Allowance for Children (An Introduction) 4 CPD points.

    Do you work supporting people with children who have disabilities or long-term health conditions? DLA for Children is a massively underclaimed benefit which opens the doors to vital extra support for people responsible for Children.

    This 4 hour online/ 6 hours in person course looks at the following:

    • What DLA for children is and who is eligible.
    • The components of DLA for children and how they work.
    • How to apply for DLA for children and navigate the complex application form in detail.
    • How to challenge decisions from the DWP when it comes to DLA for children.
    • How DLA for a child can increase other benefits for the family and improve children’s wellbeing and environment.

    Prisoners and Welfare Benefits (An Introduction) 5.5 CPD Points

    Do you support people going into and coming out of prison and their families with welfare benefits and housing? Then this 6 hour online/ 7 hour in person course is for you, it looks at the following:

    •  How to support prisoners with welfare benefits including universal credit when they go into prison and when they leave.
    • How to support prisoners with homelessness.
    • The different types of sentencing of prisoners and the impact on their welfare support.
    • Where to get support for prisoners and their families.

    Get to Grips with Universal Credit (Advanced) 5.5 CPD Points

    Maintaining a Universal Credit claim can be a challenge especially if you suffer from addiction, are a mixed age couple or have just got out of prison. This course demonstrates how to support people with complex needs on Universal Credit.

    Perhaps you’ve already participated in our highly acclaimed Get to Grips with Universal Credit (An Introduction) course and fancy a deeper dive into the benefit?

    This 6 hour online/ 7 hour in-person course looks at the following:

    •  How much can you earn before a Universal Credit payment is reduced including the work allowance, taper rate and what is classed as savings, income, and capital.
    • How to manage a Universal Credit Claim if you are self-employed including start up periods , expenses and the minimum income floor.
    • How to support people with complex needs on Universal including claimants with learning disabilities, people suffering from domestic abuse, people struggling with addiction and people with physical and mental health conditions.
    • Understanding the payment structure of Universal Credit and how this can cause issues for people on fluctuating income or have a pay frequency that isn’t monthly.
    • Understanding the differences between the natural, voluntary, and managed migration to UC and identifying the positive and negative impacts on people as a result of the process.

    Challenging Welfare Decisions (Advanced) 6 CPD points

    The process of claiming benefits is not always an easy one, and sadly not everyone is given the award they deserve. Records show that 1 in 4 PIP (Personal Independence Payments) decisions go unchallenged due to the stress of the process. Universal Credit benefit sanctions are at there highest levels ever, but many people do not understand how to challenge decisions when they may have a ‘good reason’ which can overturn the sanction.

    Perhaps you have taken part in our highly acclaimed Get to Grips with Personal Independence Payment (An Introduction) and now want to learn how to challenge decisions regarding the benefit.

    This 6 hour online/ 7 hours in person course will explore:

    • Understanding which welfare benefits can be challenged and what are the timescales for   doing so.
    • Understanding complex DWP terminology and procedures including how and when to use Mandatory Reconsiderations, Revisions, Appeals and Supersessions.
    • Practical tools, tactics, insight, and skills to get the best outcomes for people needing support with challenging DWP decisions.
    • How to prepare a submission and appeal.

    Carers and Caring Benefits Workshop (An Introduction) 5 CPD points 

    There are an estimated 10.6 million carers in the UK that’s 1 in 5 adults with 600 people a day having to leave their job to provide full time unpaid care for a loved one or relative.

    Being a carer isn’t easy. Despite carers saving the government over £350 million a day in costs, just under half of carers in the UK are living in poverty and 36% of carers in a recent survey said not knowing what services and support were available were a barrier to getting the right support.

    If you support people who have care needs or carers, then this workshop is for you. This  5 hours online/ 6 hours in person workshop covers the following:

    • Which benefits can people with care needs claim and what are the qualifying benefits for carers to be able to claim carers benefits.
    • What is Carers Allowance, Carers Credit and the Carers Element of UC and how do they affect other benefits.
    • What are needs assessments, carers assessments, home adaptations and Disabled Facilities Grants.
    • How to identify additional support for carers.

    As always, Society Matters training is designed and delivered by experts with acute front-end experience of supporting people with the challenges we go on to train. Our aim is always to give participants in our training and workshops the confidence to make their mark on their own lives or the lives of the people they are aiming to help.

    People who have attended our courses will tell you they are never ‘death by PowerPoint’. We use real life case studies and keep interaction to a maximum with regular quizzes, insights and activities.

    Here at Society Matters, we’re extremely proud of our excellent reputation and feedback from our customers right across the UK. Take a look at our testimonials here

    If you are interested in any of our courses, we would love to talk to you, get in touch here

  • Why our courses can now earn you CPD points

    Why our courses can now earn you CPD points

    At Society Matters cic we’ve built a reputation for delivering great training that people need and want. But we’re also not resting on our laurels. We’re continuing to learn from our customers as much as our customers learn from us, and we listen.

    When we were asked why our courses weren’t accredited by the CPD Certification Service we had to ask ourselves the same question. Most of our training is delivered to professionals so it stands to reason that you’d want to align the time you’ve spent on our courses and workshops with your other professional development.

    So in the Autumn last year we set ourselves the target of getting at least 10 of our courses accredited by the CPD Certification Service within 12 months, and we’re already well on our way, with 3 courses already accredited and 3 more planned this side of Easter.

    What does CPD Certification mean?

    First of all CPD is a mark of quality. We are proud of the wonderful feedback we receive on our course content and delivery approach, but also recognises that having independent endorsement is so important.

    With CPD certification our customers can have absolute confidence in the quality of the material, the content and the delivery approach, so the learning opportunity will have the best possible impact on both personal and organisational development. For training to be awarded CPD certification it will always have been independently assessed and scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality to a high level.

    Over and above this, by attending a CPD certified course our customers are awarded CPD points which holds a genuine value in professional development terms, whether that’s simply through the CPD certificate we award after the training, or a serious contribution towards the continuous professional development standard expected by your professional body.

    CPD Certified courses – at the same affordable price

    We’ve prioritised the development of our most popular social welfare courses, and are proud to have now achieved CPD Certification, as well as being able to keep our prices at a level we know our customers can afford.

    Get to Grips with Universal Credit (5½ CPD points)
    Get to Grips with Personal Independence Payment (5 CPD points)  and
    Introduction to Current Welfare Benefits (3½ CPD points)

    Next up are our popular ‘Managing and Stress and Avoiding Burnout’ and ‘Mental Health Awareness’ courses, both of which have had rave reviews so you can book now with confidence that CPD accreditation will be in place by the time you attend.

    If there’s a course you’re keen to see CPD certified let us know, and we’ll keep you posted on progress over the next few months. If you haven’t already, sign up to our mailing list so we can keep you updated.

  • Bellway Homes sponsors Universal Credit training for charities

    Bellway Homes sponsors Universal Credit training for charities

    14 local charities will benefit from Bellway Homes’ donation to the Society Matters’ Pay It Forward programme, paying for quality accredited welfare benefits training on 6th May for community and voluntary organisations in Newcastle and Gateshead.

    Over 7 decades Bellway Homes has grown from a small, family-owned firm in Newcastle to one of the most successful house builders in the UK that now employs more than 2,000 people. Throughout its growth the company’s ethos has continued to be focused on supporting local communities, with each of its 22 divisions having a charity budget to support organisations and community groups in their local areas, as well as a charity committee that can donate funds to good causes that apply for assistance.

    Stephen Weldon, the company’s Head of Sustainability, awarded the donation to Society Matters cic, explaining

    “As a company founded in the North East of England, Bellway’s continues to support charities and groups delivering support to local communities in the region. Society Matters cic and its parent charity Citizens Advice Gateshead form a vital part of that support network and Bellway is proud to be supporting the delivery of the Get to Grips with Universal Credit course in Gateshead and Newcastle in May.”

    Through its donation to Society Matters’ Pay It Forward Scheme, Bellway will be providing 14 places on the Get to Grips with Welfare Benefits training course which has already met with huge acclaim from people and organisations across the North East and nationally.

    Phill Capewell explained how much the donation means to local communities:

    “The number of people now claiming Universal Credit has sky rocketed due to the pandemic, so it’s critical that the professionals that are approached for help across the CVS by families in need of support really understand how the benefit works. Our training does that. It’s unique in its approach to breaking down what is clearly a very complex topic, and has been endorsed independently by NCFE as a quality learning programme.

    Although our fair and affordable pricing policy makes this training very low cost and high value for money, in reality without this support from Bellway it’s highly unlikely that charities can access it. We owe a massive thanks to the team at Bellway that have recognised how important this is, and that have been prepared to make this donation.”

    As well as its recent donation to Society Matters which will enable over a dozen charities and voluntary organisations in Gateshead and Newcastle to be trained to Get to Grips with Universal Credit, Bellway is also proud to work with the Community Foundation, which covers Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, and with the Greggs Foundation Breakfast Club Programme. The company also works with a national partner – currently Cancer Research UK – raising money for this charity across all of its divisions, and matches any funds raised by employees outside of work for good causes close to their hearts.

    Small charities and community and voluntary sector organisations across Newcastle and Gateshead are being invited to book a free place on the Get to Grips with Universal Credit course being sponsored by Bellway Homes which will take place on 6th May 9.30 am until 3.30 pm in the Society Matters cic virtual classroom.

    Email training@societymatterscic.com

    to book your place

    14 places available. 1 place per charity please.

    If you would like to make your own donation to the Society Matters cic Pay it Forward Scheme, to support local charities to get access to training they need, but otherwise can’t afford, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

  • I’m on a mission to make a difference …

    I’m on a mission to make a difference …

    As a proud non-exec Director of social enterprise Society Matters cic I’m on a mission to make a difference. Alongside my talented co-Directors, our wonderful staff team and our parent charity Citizens Advice Gateshead, we have a vision of a fair society for all, with lives well lived.

    So what does that mean? To me, that means we are determined to help people in need to achieve their potential in life, to help families living in poverty, with disadvantage and deprivation, to become more self-reliant, resilient and move towards a lifestyle that is stable and secure. 

    You might say – “well good luck with that” – and yes, it is a huge job. 

    And it is one that is becoming more challenging daily while Covid takes its toll and employment – life itself – is ever more precarious.  Even people who are in employment are struggling to make ends meet and dealing with insecure jobs.

    So, to achieve our ambition we have looked really closely at the part Society Matters cic can play – how our small but perfectly formed team can help to support people on a journey that leads to them ultimately supporting themselves.

    Mobilising lived experience and specialist knowledge into the system

    Proper support for people in need is crucial to enable them to emerge from poverty and avoid the traps that come along with it that often have long term impacts.  Debt, health problems, fuel poverty, housing and the knock-on impacts on education and social isolation are only a few examples of issues that that put people in crisis situations that are difficult to get out of.  

    The Social Welfare system is there to provide such support but its complexities mean that people do not always get their entitlement and in many cases do not even realise they are eligible for benefits.  Accessing support can be difficult and not for the faint-hearted.  Not the best situation when you’re worried where the next meal is coming from or where you can get the bus fare to work.

    So to help people access the support they need our approach is to mobilise the knowledge that resides in the advisers who deal with the complications of the system on a daily basis. The value of those experts, whose knowledge is second to none, and who have made a tangible difference to people’s lives, can’t be over-estimated.  So those advisers have invested their lived experience and specialist knowledge into the design, development and delivery of cutting edge training which is now delivered in a virtual classroom by Society Matters cic.

    This is not training you can get from a book or a website. It’s coming at social welfare problems from the people perspective – not just relaying policy and practice. If you are one of the hundreds of people who have received this training, you’ll have the tools in your toolkit to really help people to navigate the social welfare and benefits system, and to get the best possible outcome for them and their families through your work.

    We need more people to be able to help more people 

    Like I said, this is a big job. So we’re on a mission to spread this acute, front-end knowledge far and wide.

    On the ground, that means more people accessing the benefits they so desperately need, more people avoiding crisis points, more people moving out of poverty, more people taking the step from benefits to employment – more people reaching their potential. More people living their lives as well as they can. Isn’t that what we, as a society, should expect for everyone?

    And of course, through the pandemic the public have grown a heightened awareness of the close connection between society and the economy. Through engendering more people with spending power the local economy gains, so we all gain. Did you know that in Gateshead alone in 2019-2020 the advice and information given to people by our parent charity Citizens Advice Gateshead  gained £7.8m additional income, most of which will have been spent locally – mind blowing!

    Just think what could be done across our region with a bit more know-how.

    Knowledge is power – Society Matters is mobilising knowledge through its training so the Social Welfare system provides the means to progress for people who need and want to battle successfully against poverty. And it’s already working.  Front line staff we’ve trained are picking up on potential problems with their users at early stages and averting crises like eviction and arrears, and people are being able to work through their disabilities because they have the right support to do so, because they’ve been helped in the right way to get what they needed.  Critically, through mobilising knowledge the trained support staff feel confident and empowered in their work, and the service users relieved – what’s not to like in such a great result. 

    This is real social value.

  • Call for Community and Voluntary sector to complete short skills survey

    Call for Community and Voluntary sector to complete short skills survey

    Social enterprise Society Matters cic is looking into skills gaps that are challenging the community and voluntary sector. particularly with respect to understanding the complexities of welfare benefits such as Universal Credit and PIP, and is calling for as many people across the sector to complete the survey, for a chance to win a free welfare benefits training course for up to 12 people early in 2021.

    The team at Society Matters needs to understand the gaps that exist because they are looking for ways to support the sector at a time when investing in training is not currently on the agenda, for obvious reasons. Hundreds of paid staff and volunteers from the sector who have attended Society Matters’ social welfare training have said that without the right skills and knowledge they had found it difficult to provide the right help to the communities they support, and that once they understood the detail of the benefits being claimed by many of their clients they had so much more confidence, just after a few hours spent on learning and development.

    Lee Booth, Trading Manager at Society Matters cic, who’s leading the survey explained

    “this year has been challenging for us all, but the community and voluntary sector has stepped up to make such a difference to so many people’s lives, and we send our sincere thanks. Through completing this survey the community and voluntary sector can help us to design programmes that can be delivered free to those who need it most, but don’t have the resources to pay.”

    So please complete the short 2 minute survey to help Society Matters to understand the skills gaps you are experiencing in your organisation, and have a chance to win a free accredited welfare benefits training course of your choice for up to 12 staff and volunteers to give you a great start to 2021.

    CLICK HERE TO START THE SURVEY

  • PIP Claims and how to get the basics right

    PIP Claims and how to get the basics right

    Welfare benefits claims are far from easy to navigate and people often have complex needs which can prove to be barriers to their benefit applications. The stakes are heightened with Personal Independence Payment claims, and the complexity of the application process can stand in the way of a successful claim for people who are really in need of the support.

    That’s why, through our training, we share acute front-end experience of how to successfully support people through the claims process for PIP. But to get you started, our Social Welfare Instructor Adam has prepared some pointers that will make sure you get the basics right.  

    What is PIP?

    Personal Independence Payment (known as PIP), is a benefit designed to help people with the additional costs involved in having a long term health condition or being disabled and isn’t means tested. That means that anyone can apply for PIP, regardless of their income or savings. The benefit replaced Disability Living Allowance in the UK. 

    There are eligibility criteria that need to be fulfilled before claiming for PIP, including age and how the condition affects the potential claimant, so check these before getting started. You can find out more here https:

    Collect medical evidence before starting the claim

    Once you get started with a PIP claim the process is time limited, so it’s a really good idea to encourage your client to invest some time in collecting as much medical evidence as possible to support the application.

    Prospective claimants should contact their GP and any medical professionals that have been working with them in the last 12 months and let them know they are applying for PIP. You will find that most professionals are really empathetic and will write a supporting letter to accompany a claim.

    Remember PIP is designed to respond to how someone’s condition affects them, so the more medical evidence they get the better.

    Help with form filling

    The PIP application form is 33 pages long and can be quite daunting, so it’s always a good idea for a claimant to get help from someone with experience of successfully completing PIP forms.

    After your client has made their initial claim over the phone with the DWP, a PIP form should be sent out within 14 days, then they will have a month to fill in the form (if they need longer, for example because they need help to fill in the form, if they let the DWP know in good time they may be granted an extension).

    Stick to the descriptors

    We can’t stress enough how important it is for a claimant to stick to the descriptors, and cross reference their mobility and daily living needs to score as many legitimate points as possible. In our Get to Grips with PIP training we really get into the detail of each of the twelve descriptors but you can also get a basic understanding of each of the PIP descriptors in this short video series.

    Be prepared for the assessment

    The assessment is an important part of the claims process so preparation is key. It is well worth seeing if a home visit is feasible if the claimant is not well enough to attend an external venue (they may need medical evidence to prove this). Whether it’s at home or at an assessment centre, it is always worth the claimant being accompanied to the assessment for support.

    It’s also a really good idea for the claimant to keep a diary of how their condition affects them for a few weeks before the assessment date, so they can properly explain this to the assessor, to make sure they don’t forget anything if they feel a bit nervous. 

    Don’t give up

    If the PIP claim is unsuccessful first time round don’t give up.  In the event of a successful claim it’s definitely best to get help from organisations such as Citizens Advice to handle a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ and appeal if it gets to this stage. It may also be worth getting further medical evidence to back up the claim.

    The Tribunals Service statistics show that claimants are winning PIP appeals at the highest rate ever recorded. Overall, an extraordinary 73% of social security appeals are successful, with the claimant getting a better award than they originally received from the DWP. Our parent charity Citizens Advice Gateshead recently reported a 93% success rate when it comes to appeals.

    If you would like to learn more about PIP claims check out our series of short videos here, and if you’d like to learn more about how to help your own clients to improve their chances of a making a successful PIP claim please get in touch today to talk through how we can help.