Health grants for organisations

Organisation: 

Disability Action in Islington (DAII)

Cloudesley grants: 

2024: £70,000 (£35k per year for two years)

2021: £90,000 (£30k per year for three years)

About the Organisation: 

Disability Action in Islington (DAII) is a user‑led organisation supporting D/deaf and disabled people who experience poverty, exclusion, and inequality in the borough. Founded in 1996 by local disabled residents, DAII is run by and for disabled people, ensuring that lived experience informs every aspect of its work.

The organisation provides advice, information and advocacy to help disabled people access essential services and entitlements, including health and social care, welfare benefits, and housing. Alongside this direct support, DAII works with statutory and voluntary sector providers to challenge discrimination and reduce systemic barriers, delivering training and guidance to improve accessibility and inclusion across local services.

Project Funded  

Cloudesley’s funding supports a dedicated Complex Caseworker post, enabling the organisation to respond effectively to the growing number of D/deaf and disabled residents facing multiple, interconnected challenges. The role provides intensive, one‑to‑one, face‑to‑face support for individuals with complex needs who are often unable to access services independently or engage with phone‑based provision.

The Complex Caseworker works with clients over extended periods to address issues including disability benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance(DLA), housing insecurity, access to health and social care, and interactions with statutory agencies. The role involves managing cases requiring multiple interventions, coordinating with external partners, and supporting clients to understand processes, manage expectations and navigate lengthy or stressful systems.

In addition to direct casework, the post strengthens organisational capacity by sharing expertise across the team, mentoring other caseworkers to handle more complex cases. This has increased DAII’s ability to provide sustained, high‑quality support to a greater number of people experiencing the most severe barriers, leading to improved outcomes and greater financial stability for clients.

Many clients are unable to access telephone‑based support due to access needs, making face‑to‑face assistance essential. Demand for the service is high, particularly for support with Blue Badge applications, housing issues, and disability benefits such as PIP and DLA. Clients engage with the service for an average of six months, reflecting both the complexity of cases and the need for sustained, relationship‑based support.

The service has significantly strengthened DAII’s capacity to manage complex need. The complex caseworker now supports and trains other staff to handle more complex cases, leading to a notable increase in the number of high‑need cases the organisation can effectively manage. Close partnership working with the City Legal Advice Centre has been especially important for housing cases, where managing expectations and navigating lengthy processes are a key part of the support provided.

Through ongoing engagement, individuals have achieved improved outcomes, including successful benefit claims, resolution of housing issues and increased financial stability.

What the group says 

Before the introduction of the Complex Caseworker role, many D/deaf and disabled residents with multiple and interconnected needs were unable to access the sustained support required to resolve complex issues. While advice services could address individual problems, many clients faced overlapping challenges relating to housing, benefits, social care, health services, and advocacy that required ongoing coordination across multiple agencies. Without dedicated support, people often struggled to navigate complex systems, leaving key needs unmet and increasing the risk of poverty, exclusion, and crisis.

Funding for the Complex Caseworker has enabled Disability Action in Islington to provide sustained, person-centred support for residents experiencing multiple barriers. Clients benefit from a trusted worker who can coordinate services, advocate on their behalf and provide consistent support over time. This approach not only helps resolve immediate issues, but also builds confidence, strengthens understanding of rights and improves longer-term stability, while enhancing the organisation’s capacity to deliver accessible, effective support for the wider D/deaf and disabled community.

The Cloudesley perspective – why did this project gain support? 

This project gained Cloudesley’s support because it directly addresses poverty and exclusion faced by D/deaf and disabled people in Islington. Funding a dedicated Complex Caseworker enables sustained, face‑to‑face support for residents with multiple and complex needs who are unable to access services independently. This aligns with Cloudesley’s aim to support Islington residents experiencing multiple disadvantage.

Cloudesley valued the project’s strong partnership working with specialist legal services, and its work building long‑term service capacity. As a user‑led organisation, Disability Action in Islington brings lived experience to the heart of delivery, ensuring support is accessible, trusted, and effective.