With the ongoing cost of living crisis pushing more families to require council assistance, Staff within the council are left shouldering a significant increase in benefits applications. This is often coupled with a largely paper-based system that was not built to handle it, meaning the pressure to provide an efficient service to residents is greater than ever. 

In the last year, The Trussell Trust saw a 38% increase in the number of families who have needed support for the first time, compared to the same period last year (Trussell Trust, 2023).

To minimise the strain of an increase in families dependent upon council assistance during this difficult time, it is vital to ensure that families are aware of all of the support that they are entitled to. BetterOff provides the means through which a user is able to simply input their circumstances and receive an estimation of eligible entitlements for all relevant local and national policies.

With an emphasis on clear, easily understood content and a straightforward customer journey – BetterOff enables users to digitally maximise their income independently, whilst still receiving the wealth of information that would be expected from undertaking an entitlements check with a staff member in a 1-1 setting.

Parents are presented with a personalised list of eligibility for financial assistance in the chosen key areas of their life. As well as advice and information on getting back into work, childcare, budgeting and more. Children benefit from the bettering stability of their household, financial support and additional suggested eligibility checks that are unique to their circumstances through the use of BetterOff.

With the help of BetterOff, Kirklees Council has seen an additional £119,530,040.15 enter the local economy (2018-2022) supporting families at an average gain of £6,258.77 per assessment.

With BetterOff providing a self-assessment route for citizens to maximise their income, staff have the time and flexibility to focus on those who are still reliant on human aid – meaning that all residents are provided with an efficient service.

If you’d like to find out more about BetterOff and the results it can bring to staff and citizens  at your local council, please book a demonstration using the link below.