Our Customer Charter:

What are the Welfare Rights Services?

Welfare rights services help you find information, advice or help about:

• Social security benefits, pensions and tax credits;
• Housing rights;
• Employment rights;
• Personal debt;
• Saving energy; and
• Contacting relevant community services such as home help

We support these advice services by funding:

• Our Welfare Rights Unit;
• Rhyl Benefits Advice Shop; and
• Denbighshire Citizens Advice Bureau
• Between April 1996 and April 2007, these services helped local people gain £58.5million in social security benefits and tax credits.

Our aims:

Our service is based on our plans to improve local people’s health and wellbeing.

We aim to:

• Reduce poverty to improve people’s independence and health and allow them to take part in society more; and
• Deliver an efficient, cost-effective, high-quality service to all our customers.

Our principles:

• Confidential – your details stay within the Welfare Rights Unit unless you give us permission to share them with others.
• Fair – all our customers can expect the same high standard of service.
• Not judging you – we don’t judge people, we just focus on the job.
• Accurate – we give you accurate, honest advice.
• Free – our service will not cost you anything to use.

We deliver our service through:

• A free welfare rights helpline for everybody who lives in Denbighshire;
• A home visiting service for people who use social services and council housing;
• A Macmillan welfare rights service based at Glan Clwyd hospital;
• Help with disputes about benefits, and social security appeal tribunals;
• Free training on welfare rights;
• Publicity and information campaigns;
• Supporting adults in danger of becoming homeless to live safely, in their own homes;
• Giving people contact details for other relevant organisations;
• Working with Denbighshire Advice Network to improve advice services; and
• Co-ordinating and supporting Denbighshire’s anti-poverty plan.

When you use our service, we will:

• Provide a service which meets your needs;
• Be helpful and polite;
• Tell you the name and contact details of the person helping you;
• Listen to you properly and write down the main things you are asking for;
• Communicate with you clearly in the language you choose;
• Give you information in large print or on CD (if you ask);
• Answer your phone calls within 20 seconds, and get back to you within 10 working days if you leave a message;
• Reply to your letters within 10 working days; 
• Visit you at a time convenient to you and within a time limit we and you agree on;
• Provide a form so you can give us feedback on our service; and
• Let you know how we are performing through our annual report, which we will publish on Denbighshire County Council’s website.

Our service works within the Legal Services Commission’s quality framework to deliver a welfare benefits advice service. 

If you are not happy with the service you receive:

Please phone the welfare rights manager or the communications and complaints officer on

0800 032 1099 or
e-mail them at ssdcomments@denbighshire.gov.uk

Contact details for information, help and advice about your welfare rights:

Welfare Rights Helpline
Phone: 0800 169 6625 (calls to this number are free) 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday
E-mail: welfare.rights@denbighshire.gov.uk
Website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk

Benefits Advice Shop
Phone: 0800 074 0333 (calls to this number are free)

Shelter for Housing Advice
Phone: 0808 800 4444 (calls to this number are free)

Age Concern North Wales Central
Phone: 01745 816947

Disability Resource Centre
Phone: 01745 534525

Denbighshire Citizens Advice Bureau
Rhyl – 01745 334568
Denbigh – 01745 814 336

Ruthin – 01824 703 483
Llangollen – 01978 860 983
Money Advice Unit (for help with debt) – 01745 818 085