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SELF HELP LINKS
Anglian Water
There are times when our customers may require extra support – whatever they need – we’re here to help offer both practical and financial assistance.
This QR code can be scanned by a smart phone and you will be taken directly to the support page on their website or please click here
Priority Services Register
The Priority Services Register provides free practical support to a range of people who might need extra help due varying factors including age, ill health or disability. This includes families with young children or those with caring responsibilities.
The wide range of support services includes: –
- Sending bills in alternative formats
- Proactively contacting our customers in the event of an incident and if necessary supplying bottled water to them
- Helping read our customers water meters if they’re unable to do it themselves
- Protecting our customers against bogus callers and scams with our password scheme
- For our customers whose first language isn’t English, we can communicate through over 3000 languages using an interpreters service & also Sign Language.
- We have our knock and wait service, for our customers who need a little extra time to get to the door
Financial Support
Our Extra Care Support is in place to help our customers who are finding bills difficult. We can help with everything from managing payments to debt. Here are some of the ways in which we can support our customers experiencing affordability issues:-
- Switch to a meter
- Offer various payment methods
- Adjust payment plans to ensure it’s affordable for the customer
- Discounted tariffs
- Help maximise a customers income through providing benefit advice and signposting to any additional support they may be entitled to e.g. Blue Badge, Warm Homes Discount
- If a customer is struggling with debt or experiencing financial hardship, we can offer a payment holiday or breathing space which will allow them some time to seek advice
- We have in house debt-forgiveness schemes which can help get customers back on track who have fallen into debt with their water bill. This includes a crisis fund called the Anglian Water Assistance Fund
Did you know?
We play a vital role in connecting individuals with the support and resources they need to navigate various challenges in their lives.
Did you know? – my daily work involves making referrals on behalf of beneficiaries, providing them with a range of services and advice to address their diverse needs. By taking a proactive approach, we avoid the repetitive process of signposting and instead offer direct referrals to external agencies, streamlining the support process and helping individuals overcome communication barriers.
Our expanded referral services cater to a broad spectrum of issues, demonstrating our commitment to comprehensive support. Some of the significant areas we cover are: energy support and advice, ensuring that individuals struggling with utility bills or accessing energy-related assistance can receive the help they need.
Additionally, we offer referrals for pet food and medical help, acknowledging the critical role pets play in people’s lives and the challenges of accessing essential resources for both humans and animals.
Our services also extend to critical areas such as domestic abuse support, where you provide access to specialised resources and expertise to help individuals escape abusive situations.
Furthermore, we’ve incorporated gambling and drug and alcohol addiction support, recognising the complex nature of these issues and the importance of addressing them head-on. Housing-related benefits and homeless prevention services are also part of our offerings, helping individuals avoid homelessness and access stable housing solutions.
By providing these expanded services, we not only address immediate needs but also work towards long-term solutions that empower individuals to regain control over their lives. Our dedication to this work is a testament to our compassion and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those we help. By reducing barriers to support and increasing access to essential resources, we are creating a more just and equitable society, one referral at a time.
Take a look at services available on our website.
Gambling Support and Advice
Gambling issues are widespread in this country. Recent data from UKHSA (formerly Public Health England) shows that more than 1 in 10 employees in the UK are affected by gambling harms. Whilst there seems to be plenty of awareness and advice on alcohol and drug issues, it can be more difficult to find the right support for gambling. Furthermore, the financial consequences of gambling harms means that it’s likely that a food aid organisation will have clients struggling with this issue. This guidance has been put together with the help of Ara Recovery for all.
Further Gambling Support Services
There are other helpful agencies that can support with gambling concerns and addictions.
Energy Grant Providers
Healthy Start Vouchers
Low-income families are eligible for Healthy Start Vouchers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Best Start Food in Scotland. The current value of the Healthy Start Vouchers (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) is £4.25 per child per week to help buy healthy foods (fruit, veg, milk and formula milk). Currently uptake of the scheme is low and only 55% of eligible families are signed up.
To apply, families fill in a paper booklet and send in the freepost envelope provided. Applicant can also call 0300 330 7010 or email healthy.start@nhsbsa.nhs.uk to apply.
The Department of Health and Social Care has recently agreed to temporarily extend the Healthy Start scheme to British children (aged 0-4), whose parent/guardian meet the financial eligibility criteria and are excluded from claiming public funds as a consequence of their immigration status (NRPF). To qualify for the temporary extension, you must meet all the following criteria: – you have a child, or more than one child, who is aged 0-4; – your families take-home pay is less than £408 per month; and – your immigration status includes the condition that you cannot access public funds (NRPF).
Please write to this email (Healthystartclaim@dhsc.gov. uk) stating if you believe you qualify, and they will be in touch with you to discuss the application process.
Please also visit the link below:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/how-to-apply/
Family Fund’s mission and vision
Family Fund believes that families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people should have the same choices, quality of life, opportunities and aspirations as wider families. We try to make this happen every day by:
Giving grants to families on a low income for items they may not otherwise be able to afford. For example family breaks, digital equipment, white goods, clothing, bedding, furniture and play equipment.
Offering services to help parents and carers to achieve the outcomes they want for their child and family. This includes where to go for support with money, benefits and budget planning, information on mental health and wellbeing. And practical workshops to help people get online and use digital tools.
Providing ways for families to share their experiences, so they can influence lasting change on issues that matter to them.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is the UK’s pioneering personal safety charity and leading stalking authority, established in 1986, following the disappearance of 25-year-old Suzy Lamplugh, an estate agent and lone worker who went to meet a client and never returned. Suzy was never found and eventually declared deceased after seven years in 1993.
Suzy Lamplugh Trust is widely regarded as a field expert in lone-working and personal safety training, stalking training, as well as consultancy, campaigning, and support services. It has a long history of working within the Violence Against Women and Girls sector, dealing particularly with stalking and harassment, given that it is believed, and indeed the evidence suggests Suzy may have been targeted by a stalker. The National Stalking Helpline was set up by the Trust in 2010, it has helped over 85,000 victims since its inception, and is the only service of its kind globally.
The Trust exists so that what happened to Suzy does not happen to anyone else, and for 35 years, we have worked towards reducing the risk of harassment, stalking, aggression, and violence by empowering people to take steps to avoid, mitigate or manage risks across all aspects of their life.
The Trust campaigns heavily to raise greater awareness of personal safety and stalking issues, demand systemic change where needed, influence public policy, and promote a society in which people are safer and feel safer. Its longest running campaign has been the licensing of the operators and drivers of minicabs and private hire vehicles, which begun in 1998. This campaigning and policy work has been pivotal to changes in legislation and practice nationally – including in the introduction of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which introduced specific offences for stalking, and the 2020 stalking protection orders.
Below are the links for our work as well as Right To Be:
Please also find below the signposting from the last slide:
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Additional Self help links
Other SELF HELP LINKS
We do not personally give debt advice or offer counselling, however here are some helpful, local agencies that can help you.
“Hunger doesn't take a day off, so neither do we”
contact Us
- diamondhampers@yahoo.com
- 07769312711 Lianne
