About the Service
Our specialist Disability Rights Service is for disabled adults across Cheshire West.
We’re here to help, whatever your situation to make sure you can access legal rights, welfare benefits, disability-related support and community services.
Unlike general advice services, we focus on complex disability-related issues and often support people through lengthy benefits challenges, tribunal appeals, mandatory reconsiderations and crisis situations.
How Can We Help
Free, confidential, independent advice on completing benefit claim forms and appeal processes.
The service provides free, confidential, independent and practical support and information to disabled people in Cheshire West and Cheshire.
We offer an appointment-based disability rights service for help including:
- Support to claim welfare benefits e.g., Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment & Support Allowance (ESA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Capability to Work (UC50).
- Support to appeal against unsuccessful benefit claims
- Support to apply for a blue badge (disabled persons parking scheme)
- Support to apply for grants for disabled people in need
We also work with partners and give out information about other services to make sure you get all the help you need.
Appointments can be by telephone, video-call or in person at your home, in the community or at our office.
For assistance in completing benefit forms, we serve the following postcode areas: CH1, CH2, CH3, CH4 (CW&C addresses only), CH64, CH65 and CH66.
If you live outside these areas, please contact Citizens Advice for support.
Benefits Claims and Appeals
The advice service offers an appointment-based service to support form filling.
Please note: we cannot offer an appointment until you have received your form from DWP.
We have limited capacity to help with appealing a decision. We will endeavour to support individuals for whom we filled in the initial application. If we are unable to support you, we will signpost you to alternative sources of help including the Disability Positive Advocacy Team
Crisis & Resilience Fund
We offer assistance in applications for funding from the Crisis and Resilience Fund
The Crisis and Resilience Fund offers crisis support to people who experience a financial ‘shock’.
It can help you to build long-term financial resilience, reducing your dependence and the future need for emergency help such as food parcels.
The Fund provides a safety net for people in England who are in crisis and in need of immediate financial help, including with housing costs in some cases.
Eligibility Criteria
The criteria for assistance from Disability Positive are as follows:
- Applicants must reside in Cheshire West and Chester
- A disabled person must live in the household or someone with a long-term health condition who has applied for disability benefits and this not yet been awarded. This includes Universal Credit (UC) claimants who may have to wait up to 5 weeks before their first payment
- The disabled person or household is on a low income and in financial crisis
- Proof of low income will be required as evidence of eligibility, for example a full UC statement clearly showing name and address and all elements of the award
If you do not meet the criteria above your application will not be considered.
Proof of Eligibility required
If you or someone in your household gets benefits, Universal Credit (UC) or other income support you will need to upload evidence of the support. Please make sure you have it ready.
This should be a letter from DWP to show what benefit you get (for example Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or Attendance Allowance and should show your name, address and National Insurance (NI) number.
For Universal Credit or other income support claimants including Employment Support Allowance you must provide evidence of the award. This must include your full name, address and all of the elements awarded to you.
To access your Universal Credit award:
- Log in to your Universal Credit account.
- Go to the Statement Summary page.
- Click on the latest statement.
- The statement will appear on your screen. This MUST include your name, address and elements awarded.
- On the right-hand side, double click on ‘save as PDF’. Save to a filename and location of your choice.
- You can then upload the PDF file with your application.
If you or someone in your household does not get benefits and is in employment either full/part-time or self-employed, you will need to give evidence of your household’s financial income such as a payslip(s) and/or bank statement. Please make sure you have it ready.
The form will take about 10 minutes to complete.
Attachments to email communications are not secure, so please blank-out the bank account number and sort code, and NI number if they are printed on the evidence.
If your application is not complete, we may need to refuse it and you will need to re-apply in full. Please make sure you fill in all the required questions and provide the evidence listed.
To apply online for support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund, please click here: CRF Enquiry
Other ways to apply: If you can’t to make your application on our website, please get in touch during our normal opening hours to ask for a paper application form or get help to complete it over the phone. Ring 01606 331853 and ask to be put through to the Information & Advice Service – option 3. Printed proof of eligibility will need to be attached to your application.
Further information about funding is available from the Council’s website Cheshire West and Chester – Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Information & Signposting
Get support to find the right people or organisations
Do you need support to find the right information, activities, or advice?
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information out there and don’t know where to turn?
Our Information and Signposting Line can help you find the right people and organisations to support you with your or your family’s needs.
Already with Community Connections?
If you’re registered with our Community Connections service, you can use this line:
- If you have a disabled child aged 0–18
- For information about out-of-school activity groups and clubs in your area — we can help find a club that matches your child’s interests, or something on a particular day that suits your family
Important: please tell the person who answers your call that you’re contacting us through Community Connections.
How to get help
Two easy ways to reach us.
Call us
Ring 01606 331853 and ask to be put through to the Information & Advice Service – option 3.
Email us
Drop a line to advicedisabilitypositive.org and we'll get back to you.
Our phone lines are open 10am-4pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10am-12pm on Wednesday.
Advice Quality Standard
Disability Positive holds the AQS (Advice Quality Standard) quality mark for providing advice to the public on social welfare issues. We have been able to demonstrate that we are easily accessible, effectively managed, and employ staff with the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of our clients.