Home visits

Visiting officers will visit you at home if you cannot get to one of our offices and we are unable to help you by letter, telephone or email. We may also visit you to ask for any information we need to make sure that your benefit is paid correctly.

Visiting you home

Before we visit you at home we will normally arrange a mutually convenient date and approximate time.

It is difficult for us to make an appointment for an exact time as sometimes previous appointments may take longer than planned.

However when an appointment is made we aim to arrive at your home within 60 minutes of the agreed time.

You can normally expect to be advised of the name and telephone number of the member of staff who will be visiting you and the expected length of time of the appointment.

Visiting officers will:

always show their identification card and give their name
provide you with relevant information and check that you understand it
remember they are a guest in your home
be honest and open with you and expect the same in return

When we arrive

You can expect us to identify ourselves by name and identity card and only enter your home when specifically invited to.

Smokefree policy: Important information for people receiving home visits.

Please consider the needs of our staff by providing them with a smokefree environment. Second-hand smoke has been shown to cause serious health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease and asthma attacks. Being exposed to second hand smoke even for a short time can cause eye irritation, headaches, coughs, sore throat, dizziness and nausea.

The Social Security Division has a duty to provide a safe working environment for all our staff. During our visit, your home is also our working environment, so please help us take care of our workers by doing everything possible to provide a smokefree environment.

We request that if you, your family or visitors smoke, please refrain from smoking for the duration of the visit. Wherever possible, ask other smokers to go outside to smoke whilst our staff are visiting.

Help to quit

There is free help on the Island to quit smoking – More information on Quit4You Services or call Public Health on +44 1624 642404.

During our visit

We will provide you with accurate, current information about benefits applicable to your situation. We will check that you understand what to do if any further action is required and how you can comment if you disagree with anything we have said.

You will be treated with courtesy, respect and politeness at all times.

We may need to ask in-depth questions, but this will only be when necessary for the benefit involved. For example, we will need full bank statement details if you are claiming Income Support.

We will be honest and open with you and ask that you are honest and open with us in return. This means we will treat you as an individual with a genuine interest in your welfare. You are assured of our discretion and the information you give to us will only be passed to the section dealing with your benefit.

Communications

You can expect us to answer your questions and any concerns clearly and honestly. The staff of Social Security are committed to providing a clear and concise response in all communications.

We aim to ensure that all written information is in plain English, helpful and in an easy to read format. On request, we can provide information in large print. Any other assistance will be provided on request.

Feedback and comments

Your comments are welcome as they will help us to improve the service we offer.

For example, you may like to send us a compliment if you have received excellent service from us. Alternatively, you may have a concern which you would like to bring to our attention. If you request a written response, you will receive it from us within 10 working days.

Complaints

We aim to get things right the first time but if for any reason, you think we haven’t, we want you to feel that your complaint has been handled fairly and efficiently.

The Social Security Division has a formal complaints procedure.

Our commitment to you

The Visiting Officers are committed to improving all aspects of service based on what our customers say.

We feel sure that you will want to help us ensure that the services we provide are of the highest standard and meet your needs.

We welcome your comments which will allow us continually to improve the service we offer.