The first ever claimant-produced guide to universal credit has been unveiled by UC:Us, a group of universal credit recipients in Northern Ireland working with researchers at Ulster University (Mark Simpson and Ciara Fitzpatrick) and the University of York (Ruth Patrick).
Launched just ahead of the closure of the coronavirus jobs retention scheme, which is likely to see a significant number of people claim universal credit for the first time, the guide is intended to demystify and destigmatise the application and claim management process. UC:Us members and the research team have teamed up with social security experts from the Law Centre NI and Housing Rights NI to help others navigate the system and avoid some of the problems they experienced when starting their claims.
The guide, which received more than 2,400 visitors in its first day, can be found at www.ucus.org.uk, along with a webcast of the launch event at Belfast City Hall. UC:Us’s work has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.