Welcome to the new Helpline Team — Scope | Disability forum
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Welcome to the new Helpline Team

Sam_Alumni
Sam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,671 Disability Gamechanger
edited May 2019 in Community updates
Today is the launch of the new Scope helpline, we are thrilled to have a whole host of new staff to be joining us here on the community. They will be available to offer support and information to us and we look forward to welcoming them. 

We thought it would be great to introduce them to you, so please join us in saying hi!

montage of helpline staff photos
@Laura_Scope and @Sharron_scope are the new team leaders. Laura has a background in financial and customer services and loves going to gigs and festivals and Sharron has previously trained as a social worker and has lived experience of supporting disabled family members, she is also a keen baker and loves to surf.

@Georgie_scope is the go-to person for fundraising queries on the Helpline, having a hearing impairment herself, she has a strong inclination to empower those who identify as disabled. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, cooking, going to the theatre and taking her dog for long walks.

@mark_Scope is married with 4 children, a dog and a cat. He has lived experience of disability and says:

"I appreciate how hard it can be getting back into work after a life changing event/diagnosis. I am happy to help with this. I’m an avid supporter of Huddersfield Town Football Club and enjoy spending quality time with family and friends."
@Joanne_Scopehas worked for the Parkinson’s Society and in advice roles, specialising in Welfare Rights, since 2001 for various charities and Bradford Council. She has extensive experience of the benefits system from initial benefit checks through to representing at appeals and everything in between.

@Ahsan_Scopewas a child carer for his mother who became disabled following a stroke and also cared for his elderly father. He will be covering diverse topics like mental health, debt, sales and banking. He also enjoy running and gardening.

drawn image of a telephone operator

@tomf_scope
is 23 and from North Yorkshire. He used to work at Citizens Advice and he says:

"I love helping people, and I have a lot of experience and knowledge in areas such as housing and employment."

@glenn_Scope also joins us and his specialist area is energy company obligations, having knowledge of managing energy debt, energy efficiency, benefits advice and help towards paying energy bills, alternative billing formats and priority services for vulnerable customers. 

@robin_scope has experience of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), having applied and helped people to apply for this benefit. As well as  lived (and working) experience of mental health, vision impairment and chronic pain, long term health conditions and obtaining mobility equipment.

@tom_scope says:
The ‘End the Awkward’ campaign really resonated with me. I loved the fact that these videos were presented in a humorous and relatable way as I have also had some strange and often entertaining encounters with the general public regarding my epilepsy; for instance, I have a penchant for jazzy jumpers and have been asked if these can trigger seizures before, despite my epilepsy not being photosensitive.
I have previous experience in speaking to vulnerable clients over the phone, a good understanding of the benefits system and signposting to other organisations. More generally I think I’m a happy, helpful and adaptable person!

@rebecca_Scope previously worked as an Educational Adviser at the Open University, working with disabled students studying in higher education, for example with Disabled Students Allowance and reasonable adjustments.  As a parent, she also has experience of supporting her neurodiverse son and nephews as they navigate their way through the education system.  


Say hello to the new team and we welcome them to the community, I know they will be a great support to us all.


Scope
Senior online community officer

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