Trainers, Welfare Benefits Unit

Trainers

Our experienced Welfare Rights Advisers are involved in all areas of our service and lead training course development and provision. All our trainers have at least Level 3 Award in Education & Training or equivalent.

Jenny Shaw

Jenny began working as a welfare rights adviser in the same year that Incapacity Benefit was introduced, 1995.  She has mostly worked in the voluntary sector for both local and national organisations.  She has experience of delivering advice both to clients and advisers.  Jenny started delivering Welfare Rights training in the same year that Family Credit began being replaced by tax credits – 1999.

Kate Fincham

Kate has worked in a variety of advice roles, mainly in the voluntary sector, involving first and second-tier advice. She worked for 15 years at Citizens Advice in the Specialist Support benefit team, providing second-tier support to advisers. Working as part of a small team the role encompassed advising on queries from across the whole of the benefits spectrum, and supporting advisers in England and Wales through provision of training and information.

Jules Dymond

Jules has been working in welfare rights for more than 13 years. For most of that time, she has worked as a Welfare Adviser in a further and higher education college, providing benefits and funding advice to students and their parents. In addition to first-tier advice, Jules also has many years’ experience delivering presentations and training.

Kathryn Wordsworth

Kathryn has nearly 10 years experience in welfare rights.  Originally trained as a debt advice caseworker, she has more recently been providing first tier advice for a housing association. Kathryn started at the Welfare Benefits Unit as a freelance adviser before becoming an employee in early 2018.

Liz Wilson

Liz trained as a Citizens Advice adviser over 20 years ago and has since worked in a number of advice roles. She has worked for Citizens Advice, Family Fund, local carers and disability centres and most recently providing benefits and money advice for a housing association. Liz worked for Welfare Benefits Unit for four years previously and returned in 2014.