Over the past two years, Welfare Rights Officer Audrey Ritchie has been offering parents and carers free, impartial, and confidential benefits advice and she has helped to put more than £1 million into families’ bank accounts during this time.

Audrey is part of North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s Money Matters team, which helps ensure people across North Ayrshire get the correct state benefits by:

• Carrying out a full benefits check for you and your household
• Confirming which benefits you are entitled to
• Helping you make a claim
• Advising you if you dispute a benefit decision or sanctions
• Providing representation at an appeal and
• Completing referrals to partner agencies for debt, budgeting and household bills advice.

The demand for the team’s services has spiked during the Cost-of-Living Crisis, with people from all walks of life looking for support.

Audrey, who currently works within all of the council’s nine secondary schools, explained: “My role as a Welfare Rights Officer is to ensure that everybody understands their rights and responsibilities when it comes to welfare benefits.

“I can check to ensure people are claiming what they are entitled to, help them understand the rules, complete forms, understand decisions that are made and offer support and guidance to challenge decisions including representation at appeal if required.

“The aim is to offer improved access to welfare rights advice and wider services in a non-judgemental way that best addresses local people’s needs. In the two years I have been working with parents and carers in our schools we have put more than £1m into the pockets of North Ayrshire residents.

“Anyone on a low income or whose circumstances have recently changed may be entitled to some help. This could be because a baby has been born, work hours have changed, there has been a change in health, someone has move into or out of the household or a child is leaving school.

“I would urge everyone to have a household benefits check - it costs nothing, and you could be missing out financially.”

Mandy Wilson and Lizzy Frew both have children who are pupils at Irvine Royal Academy, and they are on the Parent Council. Mandy, who is treasurer, added: “I spoke to Audrey because there was a change to my personal circumstances that impacted my income. Having that conversation took a lot of stress and anxiety out of my life.”

Lizzy, who is vice chair, commented: “Audrey was able to put me at ease, talk me through everything and help me realise that filling in the benefits forms doesn’t need to be stressful.”

Young Persons’ Support Worker Karen Johnstone has referred families to Audrey and says all of their feedback has been positive.

“Every one of them has had their benefits fully maximised, and said the process was very straightforward. One family said Audrey has been a godsend, and that Christmas past was the first Christmas they weren’t in debt because of the extra income they had.”

Councillor Margaret Johnson, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “It is encouraging to see the success that Audrey is having in our secondary schools.

“By helping parents to navigate the welfare benefits system - and ensuring they are claiming what they are entitled to – she is putting vital funds into families’ bank accounts. And this is crucial as we continue to make our way through the Cost-of-Living Crisis.”