The Story of DIAL North West Kent

DIAL stands for Disablement Information and Advice Line. It is a charity established to give disabled people, their carers and the people who work with them, information and advice about any issue connected with disability.

DIAL NW KENT was formed in 1983 by a group of local disabled people who believed that information was power; and that if disabled people knew of their rights and entitlements, and how to ask for them, they could improve their situation. The group started life in Dartford and then moved to Cygnet House close to the centre of Gravesend. In January 2007 we moved to the Northfleet Veterans Hall in Northfleet.

It was awarded the CLS Quality Mark in December 2001.

 DIAL NW Kent is one of around 150 organisations in the United Kingdom affiliated to DIAL UK and who meet their standards of service. They range from small operations with just a few advisors and limited opening hours to large organisations with many paid staff that offer services such as Shopmobility, wheelchair assessments, and health services. To be a DIAL organisation, both the managing body and the volunteer advisors must have a majority of disabled people.

DIAL NW KENT gives information and advice primarily by telephone although many people do visit our offices; however the office is very busy and it is better if people make an appointment. We can help people to fill in the complicated benefit application forms and advise and assist those people who have been turned down for benefits. We are representing an increasing number of people at welfare benefit appeals and tribunals and have a very high success rate (88%).

 We hold outreach sessions in both Medway and Dartford: we can arrange appointments at Medway Carer’s and St Edmunds Church in Dartford to complete forms for people who find it difficult to reach Gravesend, and we are looking to make the same service available at Darent Valley Hospital.

DIAL is currently staffed by a Project Manager, Welfare Rights Officer, part time Volunteer Co-ordinators and Office Administrator. 18 volunteer advisors, 4 administrative volunteers, an IT volunteer. Our volunteer advisors are disabled people themselves or are carers and therefore have a special understanding of the problems of being disabled and of the needs of carers. They are encouraged to serve on the Management Committee that runs the organisation so the majority of the Committee are disabled people and are involved in the day to day running of DIAL.

Training is very important to us: apart from the comprehensive benefits and disability rights training, each month there is a team meeting where all DIAL NW KENT staff come together to discuss any problems or information that arisen in the last month, and other training topics can be covered.

 DIAL NW KENT The Disablement Information and Advice Line

 All new trainees receive an introduction to welfare benefits which covers the main benefits that disabled people will be claiming. This is followed by separate training days, for each of the main benefits, including Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance. See the Training section for more details.

Those who have the aptitude and are keen to do more welfare rights work can be trained to represent people at tribunals. Our advisors work as a team, sharing and contributing to the different cases that come in to DIAL.

Support and encouragement is given at every stage of the training; volunteers work at their own pace and are not pushed to do anything that they are uncomfortable with. Some people prefer to give advice over the telephone, others prefer working face-to-face with people – it is your choice. Our aim is to help our volunteers achieve their potential in a supportive environment.

The advice service is available from 11 am - 3 pm each weekday although the office is open from 9 am – 4:30 pm.