Civil news: third party financial support for CW1 and CW2 work
New form aims to simplify means assessment evidence requirements for third party support
A new form has been made available for clients to provide evidence of any third party financial support they receive when applying for legal help.
We recommend using the ‘third party financial support evidence pro-forma’ when completing:
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CW1: legal help, help at court and family help (lower)
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CW2 IMM: controlled legal representation (Immigration)
This should simplify applications for clients because they will no longer need to obtain letters from the supporting party.
Why are we doing this?
Letters provided by third parties do not always contain the information we need to confirm eligibility for funding.
This will help to ensure consistency in the information we receive and speed up the application process.
How does the form work?
Information still needs to be provided by a third party. But the form will help the person filling it in to see quickly what is needed. These are the main elements:
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name and address of person providing support and their relationship to the client
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type of support provided i.e. ‘accommodation only’ or ‘basic needs subsistence non-financial’ or ‘financial’
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where financial support is provided the amount and frequency
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date support started
Benefits
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simpler to see that the correct means assessment evidence for third party support is being supplied
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fewer cost reductions upon assessment or audit
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reduction in time spent appealing decisions
Further information
CW1 financial eligibility for legal aid clients – to download CW1 form and new pro-forma
CW2 (IMM) for representation – to download CW2 form and new pro-forma