MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING RESOURCE
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Financial support
People with mental health problems are entitled to certain welfare benefits, such as incapacity benefit, to support them while they are experiencing difficulties. These benefits should also be available to refugees with full refugee status or exceptional leave to remain (ELR). Asylum seekers still going through the asylum process are not entitled to support through the welfare system but can usually receive basic support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS).
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Alison Cobb , Diverse Minds Issue 11
An article in Mind's magazine dealing with race and mental health, Diverse Minds, looking at issues of work and benefits for people with mental health problems and the change from therapeutic earnings to permitted work.
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Rethink (formerly the National Schizophrenia fellowship) offer detailed guidelines on the welfare benefits available to people with mental health problems. This includes information on help with the cost of prescriptions, means-tested benefits, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Carer's Allowance.
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Rethink also detail ways of getting back into work after a period of ill health and explain government support for back-to-work initiatives such as voluntary work. They also provide information on 'permitted' work (formerly 'therapeutic' work) and how it affects any means-tested benefits.
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Asylum seekers who are granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain (ELR) can claim full income support from the date of their new status. The Refugee Council provides details of welfare entitlements following a positive asylum decision.
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NASS was established by the Home Office in April 2000 under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which removed asylum seekers from the mainstream welfare system. NASS provides a basic package of support to asylum seekers. To qualify for this support, an asylum seeker has to show that s/he is destitute (i.e. has no other means of support), or likely to become so within 14 days. The Refugee Council offers details of support provided by NASS.
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On 8th January 2003, the Government implemented Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Act 2002. This allowed the Home Office to deny in-country asylum applicants access to NASS support. The policy was successfully challenged in the High Court; a Home Office appeal was dismissed. This means that although the Home Office will continue to make decisions on eligibility for support under Section 55, it will have to overhaul procedures to make the screening and decision making process fairer and more reasonable.
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A one-off grant of £300 will be paid to parents of new-born babies who are supported by NASS, provided the application is made up to one month before the expected delivery date or up to two weeks after the birth. The Refugee Council provides further details on entitlement for pregnant women and children.
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