‘We’re here to break down barriers’: Advocate Linda on supporting disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits
A VoiceAbility advocate based in West Dunbartonshire has been speaking about her work supporting disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits, including how she helps “break down barriers” and the importance of being client-led.
Linda Maguire was interviewed about our Scotland-wide independent advocacy service by Clydesider Magazine, as part of a National Lottery-funded cost of living campaign to raise awareness and challenge stigma associated with financial challenge.
Our service provides free 1-1 support to access benefits from Social Security Scotland to anyone who identifies as disabled, and is available from the moment anyone wants to start a benefits application. This support is also available to parents, guardians or carers accessing benefits for a disabled child.
Speaking to Clydesider Magazine, Linda said: “Personally I’ve been with VoiceAbility for about 18 months and have worked with about 350 clients.
“It’s about having good engagement, breaking down those barriers, helping them to get the supporting evidence to do that claim. We can say anything for those claims, but we need the evidence to back it up.
“The applications can be very overwhelming. They come through the post and some people are just like, ‘I can’t even open the envelope. I feel the weight of it, I can’t face it.’
“This is what we hear more often that not. I’ve had clients hand me the envelope and it’s literally not been opened yet.
But we go through it with them and with each appointment you can see the weight is getting lifted off their shoulders. It’s a good journey to be on.
“People know what they want to say, it’s just getting those words out. That’s what we’re here for. We can break down the questions and explain it a wee bit better for them, if they need that.
“Sometimes they can go ahead and manage it all, but they just need that wee bit of extra support.“
Linda also reflected on the importance of being led by the person she’s supporting, from the first time they get in contact.
It’s always client-led, it’s always what suits that client.
“If you say to me I like to be called between 10am-12pm we would schedule that telephone call in and I would just ask you what support you’re looking for, what benefit you’re looking for support with.
“I’d ask if you want this service delivered on the phone, remotely, if you want to meet into a community venue.
“We also work from hubs and we do outreach, so you could say to me ‘oh I fancy going for a coffee’ and we would have that initial chat, and then as the application progresses we would look for something a wee bit more private so that your privacy is protected.“
If you need support to access Social Security Scotland benefits then please make a referral on our voiceability.org website, call us for free on 0300 303 1660 or email helpline.scotland@voiceability.org.