Getting advice on the impact on your benefitsIt can be complicated trying to understand all the options. It is important to understand the information yourself as often the people who are advising you know all about their area but not everything about all the other areas that link in. A good starting point is the beginners guide to benefits. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the ‘Beginners Guide’ part of the Direct Gov site. (www.direct.gov.uk/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/ BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/BeginnersGuideToBenefits/fs/en) You can also try and work out the options for yourself online. There is a site called Entitled To that provides free calculators to help you work out your entitlement to benefits and tax credits. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Entitled To site. (www.entitledto.co.uk) If you would rather talk things through on the phone, there is a confidential advice line about benefits. The person taking your call will not have your personal papers but will be able to give you general advice about what could happen so you can talk freely about the options you have. It is a freephone number, so it doesn’t cost you anything to call them. It is called the Benefits Enquiry Line and is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm and Saturday, 9.00am to 1.00pm. The London Advice Services Alliance have produced their own website detailing benefits and entitlements called Rightsnet. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Rightsnet site. (www.rightsnet.org.uk ) The Citizen’s Advice Bureau has information about benefits and support. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Citizen’s Advice Bureaus’ information site. (www.adviceguide.org). You can also make an appointment to see someone and talk through things directly with your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Citizen’s Advice Bureaus’ site. You can also go directly to your Job Centre and ask for advice and support. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Job Centre Plus site. www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/index.html Some London boroughs provide information on benefits and work and the options that are open to you. Barking and Dagenham, for instance, have a number of organisations that can help provide welfare benefit advice and are Community Legal Service registered. Some even offer home visits so check out your local borough to see what support is available. To get to the website of your London Borough, use this link. The link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to a list of all the boroughs in London on the London Gov site, which is the official website for the Mayor of London, the London Assembly and the Greater London Authority (www.london.gov.uk/london/links.jsp). Some of the leading disability charities offer support to individuals – either on their web pages or through publications and guides. For example, Mencap has a factsheet on employment and benefits for aimed at people with learning disabilities (but useful for everyone!) This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to this factsheet on the ask Mencap site ( www.askmencap.info/IFM/GenInfo.nsf/GenInfo/ 8680F9D95889D51B80256DA4004B41CC?OpenDocument). Check out the websites for the disability groups that are relevant to you to see what else is available. This link will take you straight to the list of disability groups within the Keeping Going section of the artist’s resource site. You can also pay to see an independent benefits advisor. These can be found at specialist advice centres or some solicitors. To find a local advice centre or solicitor offering this service, try the Advice Now website. 
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Frequently asked questions about benefits
Starting Blocks
Ready
Steady
Go
The Race
Keeping Going