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Any assistance for vulnerable claimants to access bank accounts?
Is anyone aware of any innovative schemes that work or can share any good practice from anywhere in the country that help vulnerable claimants to access basic banking?
Specifically asking in the context of UC and difficulties accessing ID & verifying identity.
A credit union may offer such a service, if any are available in the clients’ areas.
We use our Credit Union extensively.
A statement from the UC payment history is half the ID needed, for the other half a birth certificate is quickly ordered and only costs about £15; most can beg or borrow that.
I can also ask for a statement of entilement from PIP which is good for ID in most cases; a PIP2 is proof of NINo, correspondence from our assessment provider is also good for ID.
Will add this, as I know these new alternatives, will open you an account with less scrutiny than a traditional bank ...