Fairness in welfare benefits training day

A day to up skill  advisers, lawyers and social policy researchers on the use of (mostly) non-litigation remedies in public law to challenge DWP decision making and get fair outcomes.

Who should attend?

Welfare benefits advisers, paralegals and lawyers, social policy researchers

How it’s delivered and ticketed

The day is online, with all webinars recorded and available to delegates after the event.  Tickets purchased for the whole event get you access to every seminar. STTR is provided for the second two events of the day (with apologies for not getting the first one covered!).

We are happy to consider requests for free tickets for this event for lay or volunteer advisers, or those from small organisations that do not have a training budget.  Please e-mail events@publiclawproject.org.uk.

09.00 -10.30 Claimant Commitments

This session will cover getting the appropriate Claimant Commitment for your client, avoiding or challenging benefits sanctions including in the First Tier Tribunal.  The speakers will refer to PLP’s Claimant Commitment microsite and guides here.

• Mat Ahluwalia, Garden Court Chambers
• Martin Williams, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)

11.30 – 13.00 Challenging recovery of benefits overpayments and hardship payments

In May 2021 nearly a million (999,000) Universal Credit claims had deductions for benefit overpayments. DWP has discretion to waive benefit overpayment in certain circumstances – however according to DWP figures, in 2020/21 only 50 requests for waiver were made. This session will explain the DWP’s current policy on waiving recovery of benefit overpayments, the impact that overpayment recovery has on claimant benefit awards and the steps that individuals can take to challenge this recovery. This will include a discussion on preparing effective waiver requests and the availability of judicial review as a remedy if a waiver request is refused.

• Owen McCloskey, Law Centre Northern Ireland
• Aoife O’Reilly, Caroline Selman, Emma Vincent Miller Public Law Project

STTR is available for this seminar

14.00 – 15.30 Disability benefits and claimant rights: PIP, DLA and the First-tier Tribunal

Shirley will talk to PIP and DLA appeals in the first tier tribunal, negotiating with the DWP to lapse appeals prior to hearing, and the use of case law to win arguments. She will also look at case studies of PIP appeals in the Upper Tribunal.

Chair: Svetlana Kotova, Inclusion London
Shirley Hayes, Independent Adviser

STTR available

You can also purchase a ticket for the full week

Non-litigation remedies: complaints, appeals and investigations

Please note that all bookings are manually processed by a member of our Events team. Please allow 2-3 business days to receive confirmation.

All joining instructions are sent the working day before the start of the course.

For any ticket queries, please email PLP Events.