SOME people embrace and welcome change but for others change can be a very unsettling process and major changes are currently taking place within our welfare benefits system which many will have read and heard about but won’t necessarily understand what it means for them. 

We refer to this as Managed Migration which, put simply, is the move from “old style” benefits to Universal Credit. 

From January 2024 the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is writing to everyone claiming benefits to tell them how the changes affect them and what they need to do.

They are starting to contact people who are claiming Working Tax Credits and/or Child Tax Credits.

The aim is to work systematically through the different classes of current benefits giving people three months notice of the need to change. 

It's a big step and a daunting one for many people and in the meantime there are things that you can do.

Here at Citizens Advice Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon we are able to help with any questions you may have and there is a very clear and comprehensive leaflet that outlines the changes that can be downloaded from our website using this link Managed Migration - Rural Devon Citizens Advice ( citizensadvicetnmwd.org.uk) 

Further information is available on: www.citizensadvice.org.uk/helptoclaim  or you can telephone the dedicated helpline on 0800 144 8 444.

Our free, local AdviceLine is available on 0808 27 87 999. 

This change will affect everyone who is claiming benefits currently so we strongly advise people to look into it before getting the letter from DWP (the migration notice), so that you can be very clear about how the change will affect you and what you will need to do. 

If you would like to join us as a volunteer helping people deal with problems like this please do get in touch.

Full training and ongoing support is given and as this indicates, more and more people are in need of our help.

Please email: [email protected]  in the first instance – we would love to hear from you! 

Citizens Advice Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon