Our Bilingual Community Navigation (Social Prescribing casework) service is now about to enter its 8th year. We help Service Users with their social, practical and emotional needs. Here is a recent case study which typifies the extremely valuable support our Bilingual Community Navigators provide.
Service User M was referred to us by a Children’s Social Worker. She had recently separated from her husband. It had been a very controlling and abusive relationship within which he was in charge of all of the family’s finances and affairs. M had very limited community support and was very isolated. She needed help to access benefits advice and apply for benefits. She also needed help to apply for longer term accommodation for herself and her children.
Having agreed upon an action plan with M, our Bilingual Community Navigator (BCN) helped with the following:
- Contacted St Luke’s advice service to get some benefits advice on the benefit cap and M’s eligibility for a Discretionary Housing Payment.
- Confirmed that M was receiving the correct Universal Credit entitlement.
- Helped with a Child Benefit application.
- Supported with a Direct Lets housing application through the council.
- Applied for a Discretionary Housing Payment to help with the shortfall in affording rental costs at new accommodation.
- Applied for Council Tax Reduction.
- Applied to the council’s Local Discretionary Social Fund for food vouchers.
- Helped M to apply for child maintenance.
- Referred for support with immigration documents.
M provided this feedback on the support from her BCN:
“My BCN helped me a lot. She was always available to support me with everything in order that I could become financially independent. She always answered my questions when I needed to clarify something, and she translated messages that I had received. She called me to explain everything to me and supported me with everything in a very detailed way.”
Note: We collaborate with Social Prescribers to write these stories but remove the names of the Social Prescribers, the language used and other details to ensure confidentiality for Service Users.
