Benefits Training

Our benefits training courses are ideal for advice workers, support workers, advocates, volunteer advisers and anyone else supporting clients with welfare benefits issues.  

Each course is run on Zoom in two parts over consecutive mornings, 10.00 am - 1.00 pm. They are practical and interactive, delivered through a combination of trainer presentation, exercises, case studies and group discussion. 

Benefit Essentials with Disability Rights UK and CPAG 

Cost £152 (10% discount for DR UK organisational members) 

• The structure of the benefits system and the difference between contributory, non-contributory and means-tested benefits  

• Who is eligible to claim each of the benefits  

• Disability benefits for disabled people and those with health conditions that affect their everyday lives  

• Getting work-related benefits for people who are unable to work due to a health condition or disability  

• The impact of claiming or being migrated onto Universal Credit for people already in receipt of certain benefits  

• The best way to ensure people are claiming everything they're entitled to.  

No dates currently scheduled

Challenging PIP Decisions

Cost £152 (10% discount for DR UK organisational members) 

Personal independence payment (PIP) was introduced on the same day as universal credit back in 2013 and PIP is now the main disability benefit for working age claimants. The DWP’s record of PIP decision-making accuracy is possibly the worst of all social security benefits, with nearly 70% of appealed decisions reversed by tribunal judges in favour of claimants. On the downside, many claimants elect not to appeal poor refusal decisions. This training course looks at how to ensure that a PIP revision or appeal should work to the best advantage of claimants.

• Summary: How the PIP rules operate, assessment criteria, finding the law

• The primacy of regulations 7 and 4(2A) in relation to PIP

• Where things go wrong in relation to PIP decision making

• The failure of PIP2 and poor Health Professional assessments

• How to ensure good medical evidence to support challenges

• Legal mechanisms to challenge PIP decisions

• How to draft an effective PIP challenge – naming the errors and making the case

No dates currently scheduled

All our courses include access to a host of other fantastic benefits, including:     

• A free 1-month trial of AskCPAG with regularly updated online books, time-saving tools and templates, and the latest articles to keep your advice current and accurate  

• 10% discount on the Disability Rights Handbook (print and online)  

• Access to a range of advice services, such as CPAG’s advice line, Upper Tribunal assistance project, Judicial Review project and CPAG’s unique service for advisers supporting people on Universal Credit in Greater London.    

DR UK organisational members can get 10% off the course price, as well as continuing telephone and email support through our own expert level welfare benefits advice line - a vital point of reference to help you to deal with complex cases and stay on top of the nuances of any new legislation as it is introduced.