welcome to bob currell's guide to useful web sites for uk advice workers

 

Welcome to my web site. It is my own site and the content is entirely my own responsibility. No liability in any way for any thing on this site is to be attributed to my employer, Peterborough City Council, who employ me as Advice Services Manager in Peterborough Advice Centre.

The Advice Centre itself has advisors who are specialists in housing problems, debt counselling and money matters, and welfare rights. We offer a free, confidential and independent service ranging from advice and information, through casework and advocacy, to representation in formal arenas such as the County Court and Social Security Tribunals.

Accurate and current information is a basic tool of the trade. Much is available on the world wide web, but finding it is not easy. This guide lists some of the most useful sites I have come across. I try to keep it up to date, in the hope that others will find it useful too, without having to compile and update their own.

However, the list can only ever be considered as a starting point. Sites come and go and move frequently. I cannot guarantee the accuracy, currency or usefulness of any particular site. Information about corrections or deletions is appreciated, and suggestions for inclusion are always welcome.

You can email me at bob.currell@peterborough.gov.uk. Full details are at the end of this document.

www.altavista.looksmart.com

Legal search engine, covering the world - some specific to the UK.

www.bsa.org.uk

Building Societies Association site includes list of members, press releases, FAQs, information and B.S. news.

www.butterworths.co.uk

Catalogue of in-print and scheduled publications, plus daily news, cases digest and legal links

www.cas.gov.uk

Adjudication Officers Guide

Child Support Adjudication Officers Guide

Social Security Commissioners decisions (Neligan)

www.charity-commission.gov.uk

Information on services provided by the Commission, which is the regulatory body for all charities and their activities.

www.charitynet.org

Charities Aid Foundation site with over 700 charity links.

www.cml.org.uk

Address of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Includes frequently asked questions from consumers including the CML Possession Register. Full text of the mortgage code. Press and statistics. List of CML members and links to home pages.

www.community-care.org.uk

Site for info on community care issues

www.dss.gov.uk/ba

Benefits Agency general site

www.dss.gov.uk/ca

Contributions Agency general site

www.dss.gov.uk/csa/

Child Support Agency general site

www.dss.gov.uk/hq

DSS headquarters site

www.employmentservice.gov.uk

Employment Service general site

www.europa.eu.int/

Guide to citizens’ rights at home and abroad, and more, arising out of Britain’s membership of the European Union.

www.ferret.co.uk

Details of Ferret’s Welfare Benefits programmes and a benefit calculator. Section on latest benefit news. Links to other sites.

www.ftlawandtax.com/

Listing of The Times Law Reports, plus Solicitors Journal Lawbrief - weekly guide to important changes in law and practice.

www.gointeractive.co.uk

Address for the Society of Computers and Law. Includes a diary and issues of the Society’s magazine Computers and Law. Information about Legal Interest Groups, Notice Board, Legal Resources, Members.

www.hg.com

Address for the legal directory Catalaw. Includes links to other directories.

www.hg.org

Address for Hieros Gamos. Probably the largest legal site. Includes access to legal discussion groups.

www.hmso.gov.uk

All statutory instruments available at no charge.

www.hoy2000.org.uk

National Children’s Homes action for children site. Information and advice for under 18’s including legal position.

www.humansearch.w1.com

If in desperation, "Human Searches" service aims to put the Librarian into Cyberspace by doing the mouse work in locating the information a user requests. Its a free service and claims to provide results within 48 hours.

www.hywels.demon.co.uk/commrs

Summary of recent starred decisions on Social Security and Child Support. Accessible via subject index or numeric index. Regularly up-dated.

www.hywels.demon.co.uk/commrs/decns.htm

Full text of all starred Social Security Commissioner’s Decisions. Subject categories include Attendance Allowance, Child Benefit, Child Support, Disability Allowances, Disability Benefit, Family Credit, Funeral payments, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Industrial Injuries, prescribed diseases, Invalid Care Allowance, Overpayment, Practice and Procedure, Reduced Earnings Allowance, Review, Sickness Benefit, Supplementary Benefit, Unemployment Benefit, Widow’s Pensions.      

www.IcWeb2.loc.gov/glin/united-k.htm

Address of the Guide to Law On Line: United Kingdom. Mainly constitutional type queries, but links to other sites.

www.ilsn.org.uk

International Legal Services Network improving communication about the provision and improvement of services and access to justice.

www.infolaw.co.uk/ifl/

Home page of the Information for Lawyers site. Promotes use of electronic publishing and legal links.

www.irssf.demon.co.uk

Independent Review Service for Social Fund reviews. Access to current and back issues of the quarterly Journal and Digest of Decisions.

www.jrf.org.uk

Lists all Joseph Roundtree Foundation report findings, together with full text of all "Findings" reports since August 1994.

www.lag.org.uk

Address for Legal Action Group. Information on books, training and services.

www.lasa.org.uk/~lasa

Web site of the London Advice Services Alliance. Full range of LASA services including IT Strategy, Software Evaluation, Information and Advice. Legal Aid franchising information. Bulletins on benefits and refugees

www.lawreports.co.uk

Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales. Check details of reports that have been or are about to be published.

www.legal-island.demon.co.uk

Over 100 links to a vast array of legal information relating to Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland.

www.local.doe.gov.uk/

Access to all UK Local Authorities

www.Maa.ndirect.co.uk

Money Advice Association site. Information on services, policies, and bulletin board service to exchange information and ideas.

www.manchester.gov.uk./advice

Manchester City Council’s "Manchester Advice" site. Where to go for advice in Manchester; advice on welfare rights, money, housing, consumer. Also A-Z of Council services.

www.med.ic.ac.uk/df/dfgm/benefit

Lisson Grove Benefits Programme and Benefits News page. Includes information on the Fraud Act, Housing Benefit changes and mortgage interest rates for Income Support. Regularly up-dated.

www.members.aol.com/dialuk

Disability Information and Advice Line - telephone advice service for disabled people.

www.moneyweb.co.uk

Comprehensive personal finance site provides excellent overview of personal finance issues and links to other sites.

www.nacab.org.uk

National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux - details of social policy work and information on all CABx offices.

www.ncl.ac.uk/~nlawww

Web Journal of Current Legal Issues.

www.ndirect.co.uk/~law/bentham.htm

Bentham Archive of British Law. Includes data and links to other sites. Includes Small Claims Court details. Also links to Web pages of the Law Society.

www.online-law.co.uk

On line law comprising a set of searchable databases and further information. Includes details of Law Firms, Chambers, Barristers, Courts, expert Witnesses, Legal technology suppliers. Further links to other relevant Law sites.

www.open.gov.uk

Details of Local and Central Government departments, including Benefit Agency etc.

www.open.gov.uk/benefits/ba.html

Benefits agency news, rates info etc.

www.open.gov.uk/cas/

Open Government site for the Central Adjudication services. Includes starred Digest of Commissioners decisions and the Adjudication Officers Guide.

www.open.gov.uk/courts/court/cs_home.htm

Court of Appeal, giving reports on relevant judgements.

www.open.gov.uk/lgo

Local Government Ombudsman

www.open.gov.uk/nao/subject.htm

National Audit Office

www.parliament.uk

Reports from House of Commons and House of Lords. Parliamentary publications database. Parliamentary bookshop. Details of select committees. Details of Order paper and the weekly information bulletin. All editions of Hansard from October 1996 to the current day.

www.poptel.org.uk/cab

Address for the Manchester Citizen’s Advice Bureau site. Includes access to email enquiry service and searchable database.

www.poptel.org.uk/ein

The Electronic Immigration Network links major information providers, advice workers and practitioners dealing with immigration, refugee and nationality law and practice in the UK.

www.rightsnet

London Advice Services Alliance weekly up-dates on Social Security. Reviews on Social Security issues. Advice board for confidential exchanges. Information board for queries and information swaps.

www.ris.org.uk

Resource Information Service (RIS) with funding from Crisis have established this "Homelessness in the UK" Web site. General information about homelessness issues especially for single people. Information about legislation changes, new developments and research reports. Database of hostels and advice agencies. Also planning a direct access on line project linking hostels and indicating levels of vacancies.

www.shelter.org.uk/

Information from the Shelter Housing Campaign about courses, training, publication, research etc.

www.smlawpub.co.uk

Sweet & Maxwell Law Publishers. Details on all publications.

www.smlawpub.co.uk./add/locgov/index.html

Monthly update - replaces printed magazine. Outlines of current cases, articles, legislation, and grey material.

www.solicitec.co.uk/solicitec

Address for Solicitec Legal Systems - organisers of the annual exhibition for Legal Firms and providers of legal software and systems

www.suffolkcc.gov.uk/social-services

Suffolk County Council Welfare Rights Unit

www.the-lawyer.co.uk./

Complements "The Lawyer" newspaper. Updated Tuesdays with news, features and comment. Search facility for articles from the paper since 2 Aug. 1994.

www.thesite.org.uk

Provided by Youthnet UK, a charity providing information to young people about issues such as advice, drugs, education, freetime, health, housing, money, sex, sport and work. Includes links to other advice providers.

www.the-stationery-office.co.uk

All government publications

www.venables.co.uk/legal/

Home page of Delia Venables - legal computer consultant. Links to sites : parliament; Government Information Service; Lawyer magazine; Times Newspaper; Lord Chancellor’s Dept; Laurie West Knights legal resources; Butterworths; Legalease legal commentaries; David Swarbrick law reports; Information for lawyers.

www.wmlowpay.org.uk

West Midlands Low Pay Unit - employment rights leaflets, courses, publications, research and comment. Links and e-mail service.

www.york.ac.uk/inst/chp/

The Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York. Details of publications including synopsis of each. Research staff profiles. Full text of executive summaries of research reports. Newsletter of events and developments. Links to related housing sites.

 

This list is intended as a guide only. Sites come and go and move frequently. I cannot guarantee the accuracy, currency or usefulness of any particular site. Information about corrections or deletions is appreciated, and suggestions for inclusion are always welcome.

Last updated: 22 June 1999

 

Bob Currell

Advice Services Manager

The Advice Centre

39 Broadway

Peterborough

PE1 1SQ

Tel: 01733 558383 extn. 34

Fax: 01733 563307

 

email: bob.currell@peterborough.gov.uk

Web: www.peterborough.gov.uk