As experienced advice workers our main role is working closely with young people in need across Leeds and keeping up to date with the law and practice in relation to welfare rights. Another key part of our work relates to social policy issues: raising awareness and campaigning against poverty and marginalisation and promoting genuine social security for those in need.

We carry out our campaigning in various ways. For instance, we use the knowledge we gain from working on the frontline with people in receipt of benefits to contribute evidence to inquiries run by the Department for Work and Pensions and other organisations, such as the Social Security Advisory Committee. Last year, we contributed to the call for evidence from the DWP Select Committee on how the Department and Universal Credit had been able to respond to the crisis resulting from coronavirus and were able to highlight some of the shortcomings, such as the minimum five week wait for first payments.

Another way – and this is where you can come in – is by taking part in research projects particularly those run by universities.

One such project started with Dr Ruth Patrick’s research into ‘lived experience of welfare reform’. Beginning in 2010, this study looked at the ongoing impact of the Government policy of ‘welfare reform’. People involved spoke with Ruth individually and as a group. They gained a great deal from sharing their experiences resulting in establishing the ‘Dole Animators’ group and participating in the development of an animated film illustrating key findings from Ruth’s research. The Dole Animators have continued long after the end of Ruth’s research.  

Sharing lived experience in a group can help with feelings of isolation and being alone. When you’re destitute with just a fiver to your name and making hard decisions as to whether to eat or feed the electric meter, you tend to think these issues only impact you.  Where people have got together on research projects, the peer support they’ve received has been really positive. With the right people involved, the right project and the right support in place, taking part in research like this can be very beneficial. People involved in Dole Animators had a number of opportunities open up to them such as a visit to the House of Commons, media training, being interviewed on the news and speaking at a welfare rights conference. While these opportunities don’t come along with every project, taking part in social policy research like this can be a great way of getting your voice heard.

Is there an issue you feel passionately about? Maybe you feel there’s disparity in education, especially in current times where technology is playing such a key part in continued learning but not everyone has access to it. Or are you pulling your hair out over Universal Credit? Whatever it may be, click here to get in touch and we can talk about it.

Together we can make a difference.