As well as a busy staff and volunteer team, we also employ part-time “Associates” who support us with particular projects. As we head into the new financial year, we’re taking the time to get to know our Associate team members. In this interview our Fundraising and Development manager, Ben Parker, spoke to Fiona Campbell our Benefits and Welfare Advice associate.
Ben: Tell us a bit about yourself – what’s your professional background and experience?
Fiona: I’ve got a strong background in social housing. I first started working in housing at the beginning of my career in local government. Initially that work involved various aspects of housing management but, after some time, I specialised into housing and council tax benefit. As Benefits Manager in one of the larger unitary authorities I represented COSLA on various working groups at the Department for Work and Pensions, where I spent a couple of years on secondment before ultimately deciding to go freelance and offer advice services to clients like HOS.
Ben: How did you first get involved with HOS?
Fiona: I met HOS CEO Moira Bayne when she was working in East Dunbartonshire Council, making links between the housing and social work departments. At the time, Moira’s role was to rehouse people out of institutionalised care environments and I was working in housing. Moira and I kept in touch and when I went freelance, she asked me to come on board with HOS as an associate to support the staff team to increase their knowledge of the benefits system. This was around 2009 when the charity still went by “Ownership Options Scotland”.
Ben: Has your role changed much over the years?
Fiona: Some parts of the role have changed, but other aspects have stayed the same. Thinking about the benefits system, housing benefit regulations have been in place since 1988 and the basic framework has stayed more or less the same in that time. That said, there has been some broader change with the devolution of certain benefits to the Scottish Government, and some additional Scotland specific benefits now being made available too. From the perspective of our clients at HOS, disability benefits are in the process of migrating over from the UK government to Scottish Government and that’s causing some anxiety as people have fears about being lost in the system. Part of our job is to reassure them that that won’t be the case. Now the UK government is talking about tightening up rules and eligibility for some benefits even further, this work is more important than ever. We await to see how the Scottish Government will respond to any changes made to benefits at a UK level but I’m sure this will have an impact on our work too.
Ben: What specific support do you offer HOS on a day to day basis?
Fiona: In the early days, I did more training and awareness raising sessions for staff to make them aware of the different benefits and any changes to allowances which might affect people’s housing. Nowadays I field specific enquiries from staff to help with casework. A lot is to do with procedures and advising about the best way to navigate the system with government – the benefits system is extremely complicated!
Ben: Can you explain why you think it’s important you’re involved with the HOS team?
Fiona: HOS is a really good organisation – we make sure that we are a one stop shop for clients. From their perspective, they get in touch with one problem in that they need somewhere to live, but the reality is that there are lots of complicated, related issues – such as benefits advice – which need to be explored alongside finding a housing solution. Working with brokers to ensure they are equipped to offer all relevant advice to a client is excellent and my insider knowledge is very useful to HOS – I can translate the world of the DWP and local authorities to the brokers and point to the easiest way through the paperwork for them to help the clients.