Since having meningitis as a child, Devon has struggled with her mental health. Devon has anxiety and depression which makes going to work very difficult. Devon spends most of her days in bed due to her very low mood making it difficult for her to function and carry out and complete everyday tasks.
Devon’s independent living officer referred her to ICANN after the DWP sent her an appointment letter asking her to attend a telephone work capability assessment. This was her first assessment, and she was really worried about it. Devon felt that she would be unable to attend the assessment if she did not have a professional advocate with her.
Before attending the assessment, an ICANN advocate called Devon and arranged a telephone pre meet to help Devon prepare for and understand what was going to happen during the assessment. This enabled Devon to attend her assessment because she had her experienced advocate by her side. This gave Devon the confidence to attend her assessment and know that she was not doing it alone. Our advocate helped Devon to understand the questions and answer them clearly, giving recent examples which helped to support her claim. The experienced advocate helped to calm Devon’s nerves and reduce her anxiety levels.
Once the assessment had finished, our advocate did a follow up phone call to find out how Devon felt now that it was over and how she thought the assessment had gone and to answer any of her immediate questions.
Our advocate reminded Devon about contacting the DWP in about 2 weeks to get a copy of the assessor’s report. This would help Devon if she did not agree with the outcome of her assessment and wanted to challenge it.
“Without the reassurance from my advocate, I would have been able to even answer the phone when the assessor rang.” – Devon
As an advocacy organisation, we ensure that we place people at the heart of what we do. Everybody is different and we adapt our approach to meet our clients’ individual needs. With a non-judgemental approach Devon was empowered and able to attend the assessment and make a successful claim.
Informing Devon about the steps she could take after the assessment to help her should she wish to challenge to decision allowed her to feel in control.
“The thing I love most about my job is empowering people to be heard.” – Advocate –– ICANN
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