Benefit Safeguards - policy issues

It seems that DWP can report on the number of PIP claimants with additional support needs markers on their record: “At 28 February 2021, 523,800 claimants receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) were recorded as either having had Additional Support Requested or Confirmed on the PIP Computer System (PIPCS)”.

I don’t know whether DWP are able to use these markers to track ‘types’ of claimant through the PIP process (e.g. do people with a particular condition or additional support need experience a particular type of problem with the process).

As far as I know DWP can’t report on the number of UC claimants with complex needs recorded in their claimant profile

Emma Haddad, who had been DWP’s DG of the Service Excellence Directorate (the Directorate which, according to this letter , was set up ( in April 2019, so in the months before the Errol Graham inquest in June 2019) as a result of concerns about deaths among benefit claimants) has moved on to the Home Office.

She has been replaced by Amanda Reynolds, who appears to have joined DWP after a career in the private sector: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/amanda-reynolds

In a piece of interesting timing Emma appears to have left the role a couple of weeks after the hearing in Turner.

Advice NI briefing on benefit safeguards: https://www.adviceni.net/sites/default/files/adni_safeguarding_briefing_paper_december_2020td_2.pdf

DWP’s Senior Safeguarding Leaders get a mention on p.14 of the COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing recovery action plan:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-mental-health-and-wellbeing-recovery-action-plan

https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2283161/files