Can welfare-rights advice targeted at older people reduce social exclusion?

Abstract

It is known that, in general, people of pensionable age have gained in income compared to other age groups in the British population over the last two decades, but that a substantial minority still experience relative poverty. This paper reports a small qualitative study into the effectiveness of a welfare-rights advice and acquisition service for men and women aged 60 or more years that was provided through a local primary health-care service. Additional financial and non-financial resources were obtained by accessing previously unclaimed state-welfare benefits. It was found that these significantly improved the participants' quality of life. Fourteen of the 25 participants received some type of financial award as a result of the service offered, with the median income gain being £57 (€84 or US $101) per week. The impact of additional resources was considerable and included: increased affordability of necessities and occasional expenses; increased capacity to cope with emergencies; and reduced stress related to financial worries. Knowledge of and access to welfare-rights services also appeared to have a positive effect. It is argued that a level of material resources above a basic level is necessary for social relations and for accessing services and civic activities, and can reduce social exclusion among older people.

Assessing the health benefits of advice services: using research evidence and logic model methods to explore complex pathways

“…2001, Greasley 2003, Borland & Owens 2004, Greasley & Small 2005a,b, Moffatt et al. 2006a, 2010, Doncaster 2008, Moffatt & Scambler 2008).…”

Understanding welfare conditionality in the context of a generational habitus: A qualitative study of older citizens in England

“…Not surprisingly, the fact that conditional benefits were surrounded by moral debate was reflected in reported reluctance to apply for them, given the experienced or expected humiliations involved, as has been widely reported in other studies (Garthwaite, 2014, Salway et al, 2007, Moffatt and Higgs, 2007, Moffatt and Scambler, 2008.…”

“…Sen (1995) outlined the potential negative effects of targeted benefits, including perverse incentives, dissuasion of uptake, and the stigmatising of recipients. As has been well documented Higgs, 2007, Moffatt andScambler, 2008), applying for conditional benefits is complex, and the administrative challenges are a deterrent to uptake. Older citizens may be particularly vulnerable to these threats.…”

Exposing the impact of intensive advice services on health: A realist evaluation

“…Some evidence exists to substantiate these pathways. Existing research has demonstrated that advice services can lead to improvements in mental health and well‐being for recipients (Abbott, Hobby, Hobby, & Cotter, ; Burrows, Baxter, Baxter, Baird, Hirst, & Goyder, ; Citizens Advice Bureau, ; Hirst & Minter, ; Moffatt & Scambler, ). However, further research is required to test these pathways empirically, and to understand the underpinning mechanisms through which advice services generate these health outcomes.…”