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She has been replaced by Amanda Reynolds, who appears to have joined DWP after a career in the private sector: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/amanda-reynolds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

This article includes information about safeguarding referrals made by DWP to local authority social services departments: https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/atos-capita-and-maximus-send-almost-no-safeguarding-referrals-to-councils/

“DWP itself appears to be continuing to make slow progress on safeguarding, with the local authorities reporting 225 referrals from the department in their responses to Owen*.

This compares with 111 referrals from DWP in the three years to February 2019 across 80 local authorities.”

DWP see local authorities as the organisation with ultimate responsibility for safeguarding individuals and so I suspect we’re likely to see these figures increase over coming years given that (a) DWP have introduced a new case conferencing process and a network of Senior Safeguarding Leaders (for details of SSLs see this post) and (b) WCA and sanction decisions will presumably start to increase over the coming months after big drops during 2020

*not me!

UC business case review, includes some reflections on preparations for managed migration https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2283181/files

The report includes a couple of points on complex needs and vulnerability at 6.15 and 6.22

We were told at the stakeholder forum last week that safeguarding leaders have now been renamed ‘advanced customer support senior leaders’ - much more catchy…

Classic DWP - if in doubt rename it, ideally making it as boring as possible

See also ‘internal process reviews’ and ‘removal of the spare room subsidy’

A new tranche of UC guidance has been deposited in the HoC library: https://depositedpapers.parliament.uk/depositedpaper/2283183/files?page=1

I’ve only looked through a few of the updated documents.  The ‘Home Visits’ document now includes a brief reference to the new case conference process.

The ‘safeguarding’ document has removed the following text:
‘Universal Credit has a responsibility to ensure that anyone who accesses our service and benefits can do so safely. ‘

Guidance now all updated in our resources section

New items include -

Biographical checks
Coronavirus resources
Claimants who must pay housing costs without having a tenancy
Commercial tenancies
Consent and disclosure including when to share with third parties
Eligibility for housing support
List of UC trusted partners
Payment overview
Social rented sector
Supported accommodation
The size criteria for renters
Youth offer

Cool, thanks Daphne

Attached is ‘Guidance- Helping Customers Who Require Advanced Support’ which was apparently uploaded to the DWP staff intranet on 24th March

It seems that DWP may have (finally!) started collecting stats on core visits to vulnerable claimants: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/748900/response/1782601/attach/3/Response 30728.pdf

The figures previously supplied by Esther McVey in 2015 were based on ‘operational estimates’ (i.e. guessing) : https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/9149/#44808

The issue of stats regarding these procedures was raised, in relation to sanctions, in a 2016 submission to the NAO by DRUK: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2016/april/our-submission-nao-sanctions-study

This PIP document includes, from p.3366, information about escalating concerns about vulnerable PIP claimants and the role of the various people and teams involved in the escalation process.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/749012/response/1782183/attach/5/PIP%20Instructions%20redacted%20PDF.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Owen_Stevens - 05 May 2021 05:00 PM

This PIP document includes, from p.3366, information about escalating concerns about vulnerable PIP claimants and the role of the various people and teams involved in the escalation process.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/749012/response/1782183/attach/5/PIP%20Instructions%20redacted%20PDF.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Really handy!!!

Owen_Stevens - 05 May 2021 05:00 PM

This PIP document includes, from p.3366, information about escalating concerns about vulnerable PIP claimants and the role of the various people and teams involved in the escalation process.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/749012/response/1782183/attach/5/PIP%20Instructions%20redacted%20PDF.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

That’s a lot of pages you got through there Owen!! Thanks :)