A SCHEME aimed at getting people off benefits and into work has been launched on a Sunderland estate.

The In Work Benefits project is part of a four-year action plan to reduce unemployment in Pennywell, Ford, parts of South Hylton and Grindon.

Funded by central Government cash, the In Work Benefits advice service will focus on providing help to jobless people looking to return to work.

It is hoped the initiative will particularly help those trapped in the benefit system by offering specialist advice on back-to- work schemes.

Benefits have been introduced to encourage people to work, including working families tax credit, disabled person's tax credit, and the extended payment scheme for housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Alison Aisbitt, senior welfare rights officer, said: "Residents frequently ask us whether leaving benefit to go into work will make them any better off.

"Although we could help up to a point, there was no specific service geared up to advise on this.

"In work benefits advice is a very complicated and specialised field, and because of this it made sense to develop a project dedicated to this."

The project, the first of its kind in Sunderland, will be based at Pennywell Community Business, with a number of outreach sessions being held across the area.

Andrew Seekings, area regeneration coordinator, said: "Reducing unemployment has always been a priority of the area's regeneration programme. This project will go a long way towards achieving this.