Volunteer with Know Your Rights UK
I built Know Your Rights UK because the benefits system felt as if it had been designed to wear people down, and not to give them what they are entitled to. When I had to claim for the first time I gave them everything they asked for, and I was still refused PIP. At tribunal I was awarded it, and I was told it should never have been refused. I do not want anyone else to go through that without knowing where they stand.
The aim is free guides to your rights in the UK, written in everyday language for someone who may be stressed or unwell, checked against official sources and kept up to date, so that nobody has to work it out alone. I run the site myself, and keeping every guide right is more than one person can do well. That is where you come in.
These are unpaid roles. The site is free to read and is paid for by display advertising. You can do as much or as little as suits you, and stop whenever you like. I will never ask you to give advice on an individual's case.
Steven Butler, editor
Roles I need help with
Source checker
You take one guide, open the official pages it cites on GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or the NHS, and confirm that each figure and rule says what the guide says. You do not need legal training. You need patience and an eye for detail.
Email me about this roleReader with lived experience
You have been through a benefit claim, an appeal, a housing problem or a debt dispute. You read a draft as the person it is written for and tell me where it is confusing, cold or missing the thing you wished someone had told you.
Email me about this roleWelfare rights adviser, solicitor or paralegal
You work, or have worked, in advice or law. You review a guide in the area you know and tell me what is wrong, out of date or misleading. I will credit you by name on the guide if you want that, and not if you do not.
Email me about this roleProofreader and editor
You tidy the wording of a finished guide so it is clear, kind and easy to read for someone who is stressed or unwell. I write in British English and do not use jargon where an everyday word will do.
Email me about this roleAccessibility tester
You use a screen reader, keyboard only, magnification, speech input or a phone with large text, and you tell me where the site gets in your way.
Email me about this roleCommunity links
You are involved with a food bank, library, carers group, church, tenants association or similar, and can tell me what your members keep asking, or tell them the guides exist.
Email me about this roleHow it works
Email me at contact@knowyourrightsuk.com with the role you are interested in and a line or two about you. You do not need a CV. I will reply, agree a first small piece of work such as one guide, and take it from there.
Anything you check or review is held to the standard in the site's editorial policy: official sources only, and nothing is published that cannot be confirmed against one. I only publish your name if you ask me to.
If you would rather tell me about a mistake than volunteer, the contact page is the place for that.