We operate a drop-in service for new clients – everyone is seen on a first come, first served basis. You don’t need to make an appointment or let us know you’re coming (although it’s no problem if you want to) – you can just turn up. We have limited capacity, and we’ve found that doing it this way means we can see more people.
If you can’t get to our drop-in at Chesterfield, we’ve got outreach sessions throughout North East Derbyshire – more info here. These can sometimes be less busy than Chesterfield (it can vary – feel free to ring us and ask. 01246 231441)
We ask people to come early rather than later to our drop-in sessions. A PIP form, for example, can take an hour or over to fill in: advisers are often busy in the afternoons, so we can’t always carry on working beyond the end of the drop-in, so if you come early it gives us the best chance of getting your query dealt with on the day. If we can’t deal with your issue on the day you attend, we might:
ask you to come back:
ring you later with advice:
or ask the DWP for an extension to give us longer.
We are only able to give advice on benefits – if you have a query about something else we might signpost you to another organisation.
We can’t guarantee that you will see the same person every time you come. All our advisers are trained to the same standard, and have access to central case records, so if it’s a different person it won’t cause a problem.
What info to bring to the drop-in
When you come to see us, it helps if you can bring the following:
Any letters that you’ve got about your benefits from e.g. the DWP, Jobcentre Plus, Pension Service or Council
Any decision letters that you want to challenge
Your national insurance number
Details of your income and savings
Information about your housing – if you rent who you rent from/ details of your mortgage
BUT – if you don’t have these things or are waiting for letters – come in anyway – we can still help you.