Information and Advice

Free, confidential and impartial information & advice service for older people, their families and carers.

*Please note we are unable to do face to face I&A appointments at both our Malvern Gate and Ross Office. Our Information and Advice team is still here to support you via telephone and email. Please see our contact details at the bottom of the page*

What can we help you with?

Our advisers are trained to help you on a range of queries, such as:

• Social care 
  Provide information on finding a care home or help at home. For online information visit The Care Service Directory.
  
  
• Your income 
  Free benefits checks and help with applying for benefits and pensions. Visit Age UKs Benefits Calculator.
  

  Brexit – New Rules for UK Benefits and the EU. There are new rules in place from 1st January 2021. Updated advice and information is available on GOV.UK. Read more here

  Tell Us Once Service - This video explains the Tell us once service this is a service for bereaved citizens to inform many government departments just once, of a death. View the video here 
• Tax
  We offer free Tax Surgeries for the over 50s, in partnership with Tax Help for Older People.
  
  
• Your home
  Information on staying safe, warm and independent in your own home.
  
  
• Legal issues 
  Wills, Power of Attorney, and how to deal with an estate. Free 30 minute appointments with our expert legal advisor at one of our Legal Surgeries - book an appointment.
  
  
• Form filling
  We can help you fill out forms, including applications for most available benefits.
  
  
• Wellbeing 
  Advice on staying safe and healthy in later life, including local activity programmes.
  
  
• Signposting
  If we don't offer a service you need, we can point you in the right direction!
  
  
• Useful information guides and links
  A range of free information guides and links to useful services. If you need hard copies of our free information guides & factsheets, please contact us.

We currently work across Worcestershire & Herefordshire, providing a wide range of support services to ensure fairness and equality for all members of our community.

How to access the service:

Useful information:

Find a trusted trader:

You can look online to find a trader you can trust, for example, a builder, plumber, or car dealer. If you are looking for a trader here are some online resources you can look at:

Your local council -you can find your local council here: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Schemes that recommend traders:

You might need to try more than one scheme to find one that covers your area and the kind of trader you’re looking for.

You can try:

• TrustMark - the Government’s trader scheme

• The Consumer Codes Approval Scheme

• Buy with Confidence

• Checkatrade

• Which? Trusted Trader

If you cannot find what you are looking for or cannot access the internet please contact us using the details below.

If you have a problem with a trader or work that has been done then you can contact: The Citizens Advice consumer helpline

We hold the Advice Quality Standard, which provides you with assurance that the we have met certain criteria that demonstrate a commitment to quality: