New service to help bereaved families and new parents notify authorities

Shropshire Council has teamed up with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to deliver a new service that will reduce stress and red tape when reporting a birth or death.

The Tell Us Once service will be launched on Thursday 1 December. 

Tell Us Once, automatically notifies relevant government departments and service authorities of a family’s birth or bereavement.   

For someone who has experienced a bereavement or birth there are lots of things that need to be done.  One of these things is contacting the government departments and local council services that need to be told about the birth or death.  Until now, these departments needed to be contacted individually.

Under the new service, a local registrar can now support a new parent or recently bereaved person through a step-by-step process that will automatically notify central and local governments of their change in circumstances.

By notifying up to 28 different services on their behalf, Tell Us Once is a much easier way for bereaved families and new parents to report their change in circumstances to the relevant authorities.

Overall, a person using the Tell Us Once service can expect to contact government seven fewer times when compared to previous arrangements.

Councillor Tina Woodward, Cabinet Member for Customer Service says:

“These are times in everybody’s lives better spent with family than dealing with government. Tell Us Once removes red tape and gives time back to families when they need it most.

“When something as major as a birth or death happens in a family, we understand that the last thing anybody wants to be doing is dealing with government administration. Tell Us Once turns what has been a traditionally cumbersome process into a fast and efficient service.”

Tell Us Once programme director Lyn McDonald says:

“We’ve done away with the red tape that usually confronts a person wanting to report a change in their circumstances to government. 

“In a single appointment at their local authority, a person can notify all the relevant government departments and service authorities of the change in circumstance.

“It’s a service that saves time and money.  We’re providing a simple process that responds to the specific needs of people who need to be with their families and not on the phone to government authorities.”

For more information about Tell Us Once and the service being provided in Shropshire, please call 0345 678 9016 or visit our website .