Benefits - Benefit advice

Welfare Support Team

Our aim is to put more money in your pocket so that you can pay your bills, heat your home and have a better quality of life.

We can:

• Advise you about all the benefits and other entitlements that are available
• Undertake benefit checks to ensure you are not missing out on any benefits
• Provide assistance to help you complete the relevant forms
• Help you with advice and support if your application for benefit is turned down or you do not receive the amount you were expecting

Financial advice and support is available if you’re struggling, follow the steps in our worrying about money leaflet to find out where to get help in Highland.

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Worrying about money leaflet

• Are you worried about money or being in debt? There may be lots of reasons why you are worried about money.
• You may suddenly have no money, be in debt, owe money or you have to choose to spend money on food or heating or paying bills or you might be waiting on benefits payments.
• Here is some information on ways to contact people for help and advice with your money problems if you live in highland.

Organisation	Phone number	Website/Email
The Highland Council	0800 090 1004	welfare.support@highland.gov.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Caithness	01847 894243	www.caithnesscab.org
Citizens Advice Bureau North and West Sutherland	01971 521730	www.nwscab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau East and central Sutherland	01408 633000	www.ecscab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Ross and Cromarty	01349 883333	www.rossandcromartycab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Skye and Lochalsh	01478 612032	www.slcab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Nairn	01667 456677	www.nairncab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Lochaber	01397 705311	www.lochabercab.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey	01463 237664	www.invernesscab.org

Crisis Grant and Community Care Grant

• If you are experiencing a crisis or disaster and you have difficulties coping with unexpected expenses, you may be able to get a crisis grant or community care grant.
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s

Making your money go further

• Anyone who is worried about money can get a free benefit check this will make sure you are getting the right amount of money and get advice on other ways to save money. For example, cheaper gas or electricity or free school meals.
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s

Debt advice

• If you are in debt or owe money you can get help and advice about ways to pay off your debts each month
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s

Benefit Help

• If you have made a new claim for benefits you might be able to get money in advance to pay for things like rent or food. This money is a loan and must be paid back. It will be taken from your benefits once they start, so make sure to talk to someone before you ask for an advance benefit payment.
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s

Hardship Payment

• If you have had money stopped from your benefits you may be able to get a hardship payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
• These payments are not made straight away and not everyone will be able to get one.
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s
• If you get a hardship payment for universal credit you will need to pay this money back. If you get a hardship payment for JSA or employment supp all you do not need to pay this money back.

Challenging a decision

• You can challenge a decision about your benefits. This may be because they have been stopped or reduced. Or you have been refused benefits or told you have been overpaid. You will have to make this challenge within one month.
• Contact the Highland Council or one of the Citizens Advice Bureau’s

For a crisis grant contact the Scottish Welfare Fund, their phone number is 0800 083 1887.

You may be eligible for support from Social Security Scotland their phone number is 0800 182 2222.

For energy efficient advice to help save on bills contact Home Energy Scotland. Their phone number is 0808 8082282.

For housing advice contact Shelter. Their phone number is 0808 800 4444.

For mental health support you can contact Breathing Space their phone number is 0800 838587.

For housing advice contact the Salvation Army their phone number is 01463 234123.

And with thanks to easy on the eye for the use of their image bank exclusively inclusive for making this information in easy read. Adapted from the craven easy read leaflet by the independent food aid network.

This leaflet is based on learning from Scotland’s ‘a menu for change’ project and has been developed with support from the organisations: The Trussell Trust, NHS Highland, Public Health, Citizens Advice Bureau Scotland, The Independent Food Aid Network, Social Security Scotland and The Highland Council.

You can access the worrying about money leaflets for more information.

This information was last updated 03/04/2024

Getting in touch with us is the first step to maximising your potential income.

You can contact our team by:

• Phone 0800 090 1004
• Post - Welfare Support Team, The Highland Council, PO Box 5775, Inverness, IV1 9EN
• Online using our secure form