Universal Credit
Local Support Services
Update and Trialling Plan
David McKenlay
Head of Strategy for Local Support Services
20 December 2013
1
Outline
• Background
• Update
• Trialling Plan
• Next Steps
2
Universal Credit – overview
• Universal Credit replaces six in work and out of work benefits.
• Universal Credit requires claimants to accept a ‘Claimant Commitment’. This sets
out what is expected in return for receiving assistance, taking into account personal
circumstances and capability to earn.
• Claimants will be able to apply for their benefits online. Nearly 80 per cent of
benefit claimants already use the internet. Telephone and other support services
available if needed.
• A single payment will be made to a household rather than an individual. This will
include housing costs. It will be paid monthly, in arrears.
• Designed to make work pay. As claimants earn more money, financial support will
be withdrawn at a slower rate than is the case under the current system. Real Time
information (RTI) link with HMRC will facilitate this.
• Local support will be available to help claimants where appropriate. This will be
provided through DWP and local authority delivery partnerships.
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Background
4
What is the Local Support Services Framework?
• The Local Support Services Framework (published February 2013) outlines
how claimants with complex needs will be supported to ensure they can
make and manage a claim to UC
• Based on extensive research into claimant needs and services required to
meet those needs, including day visits to over 120 LAs and extensive
engagement with the Housing and Voluntary sectors.
• Written by a task force which includes LA Association reps from England,
Scotland and Wales, and co-signed by Sir Merrick Cockell
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Who do we think may require LSS services?
Claimants with mental
health issues
Geographically isolated
people
People with Financial
Inclusion or severe
debt issues
Domestic Violence
victims
Multi Agency Public
Protections
Agreement (MAPPA)
restricted claimants
• People with
literacy/numeracy
difficulties
Prison leavers
People with physical
and/or sensory
disabilities
People with English
language limitations
Claimants with learning
difficulties
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Entitled 16/17 year olds
Those under the
supervision of the
Troubled Families
Initiative
Non EEA citizens –
including refugees
Homeless people
People with addiction
problems
(drugs/alcohol/gambl
ing)
Care leavers
What existing services will be provided?
Home Visits
Evidence Verification
(by LAs and RSLs
as well as DWP)
Urgent support for
resolving an issue
with a claim (e.g.
DWP AJCS service)
Intermediary
support
Processing
exceptions to
normal payment
rules (payments to
landlords)
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Support around
housing choices
(and homelessness
prevention)
What new services will be provided?
Triage and Orientation
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Online access
Budgeting support
Funding local support services
• LSSF has been developed to enable a more holistic and joined up service
for claimants at a local level, which builds on the support already provided by
DWP, councils and other partners, such as housing providers, charities and
social care services
• The LSSF recognised that new funding would be required to reflect the
additional support provided to some claimants who need assistance to
access welfare and who need help to get online and manage their household
finances.
• LSSF funding will only be available for services newly required or
experiencing an increase in workloads as a direct consequence of Universal
Credit
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How services will be provided:
The Delivery Partnerships Approach
Under the Delivery Partnerships
Approach existing local planning
forums, usually LA led, will be
developed into Local Delivery Groups
for UC local claimant support services.
These must include DWP and Local
Authority representatives but should
also include other service providers.
They should have the flexibility to plan
support services and engage different
suppliers according to local
circumstances.
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Local Delivery Groups: What are we hoping to achieve?
LA
Partner
LA
Partner
Local
Authority
Welfare
LA
Partner
Rights
Adult
Education
LA
Partner
DWP
Social
District/Partnership
Landlords Homelessness
Managers
DWP
DWP
Partnerorgs
Partner
Disability
charities
Community
Reps
Digital
Charities
DWP
Partner
DWP
Partner
Adult Social
Care
LA Services
(e.g. libraries)
Ex-offender
Services
The real purpose of the Partnerships approach is joined up “single
claimant journey” for claimants with complex needs, from benefits
dependency to independence and, where appropriate, work
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The Partnering Construct
A common Overarching Partnering Agreement
(OPA), signed at the corporate level between the
DWP and LA representative bodies (LGA, WLGA
and COSLA) setting out a number of general terms,
obligations and expectations that apply to all DWP
and LA delivery partnerships
A set of local level Delivery Partnerships
Agreements (DPA), signed between the DWP and
LAs locally, will give details of specific service
providers locally.
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Universal Credit Update
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Universal Credit timeline
Transition & Migration
End-state Service Development
2014
2015
Claimant Commitment
Digital Jobcentre
Universal Jobmatch
Expand scope,
starting in
Summer 2014
Test & Learn
Couples
Expand scale, once scope
expansion is safely tested
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Children
North West
2016
2017
Roll out from October 2013 – Spring 2014
• October to Spring 2014: Progressive roll out of Universal Credit begins to a
further 6 Jobcentres across England, Scotland & Wales, with offices taking
new claims to Universal Credit:
– Hammersmith, Rugby and Inverness are now taking Universal Credit new
claims
– Bath, Harrogate & Shotton will take new claims by Spring 2014
• October to Spring 2014: Claimant Commitment rolling out nationally to
around 100 Jobcentres a month for new claimants to Jobseekers’ Allowance,
to support cultural transformation:
– 25,000 Jobcentre Plus advisers retrained to deliver Claimant Commitment
• From October: 11 in-work progression pilots being delivered.
• From October: Improved digital services rolling out nationally across
Jobcentre Plus:
– 6,000 new computers will be installed across the country, helping
claimants search and apply for jobs online, claim on-line benefits and
improve their digital skills.
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Roll out from Summer 2014
• We will continue to expand our current live service and functionality:
– From summer 2014 we will progressively start to take new claims for
Universal Credit for couples
– From autumn 2014 we will take new claims from families
– Once it’s safely tested we will also expand the roll out to cover more of the
North West of England.
• Our plans will allow us to make Universal Credit available in each part of
Great Britain during 2016:
– New claims to existing benefits Universal Credit replaces will close down
– The vast majority of the remaining claimants moving onto Universal Credit
during 2016 and 2017.
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Pathfinder
Universal Credit Pathfinder
• Pathfinder is testing the new system with
local authorities, employers and claimants in
a live environment.
• It provides an opportunity to learn lessons
before extending the service and bringing in
more complex cases.
Scope
• Pathfinder focuses on new single,
unemployed people, with or without rented
housing costs, in selected areas in
Tameside, Wigan, Oldham and Warrington
local authority areas.
• It started with Ashton-under-Lyne on 29 April.
Wigan joined on 1 July, Oldham and
Warrington started on 29 July.
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Pathfinder update (1)
• All Pathfinder locations of Ashton-under-Lyne, Wigan, Warrington and Oldham are
now taking claims to Universal Credit.
• The majority of claims from Universal Credit claimants in all 4 Pathfinder locations
have been made online.
• Already seeing people moving into work as you would expect with this claimant group.
• Claimants making use of services provided by local authorities
– Internet Access Devices
– support to make a Universal Credit claim on line
– Personal Budgeting Support
• Process in place to make alternative payments to vulnerable claimants, including:
– split payment
– managed payment, i.e. landlord paid housing costs
– more frequent payment period, i.e. fortnightly
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Pathfinder update (2)
Early evaluation of Pathfinder:
• Almost two-thirds of Universal Credit claimants think that the new system
provides a better financial incentive to work
• Universal Credit claimants are doing more to get into work than jobseekers
claiming under the current system
• 90% of Universal Credit claimants are making their claims online and over
three-quarters (78%) of Universal Credit claimants also feel confident about
their ability to budget with monthly payments
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Local Support Service
Update and Trialling Plan
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An opportunity to re-focus
•
We published the Universal Credit Local Support Services Update and Trialling Plan on 6 December in
collaboration with local authority associations representing England, Scotland and Wales.
•
The update follows February’s original Framework, which provides a structure for the delivery of local support
services to individuals needing additional help with the new demands of Universal Credit. And it refocuses the
local support services work following the July and December announcements on the roll out of Universal Credit.
•
Universal Credit involves significant changes to the way that benefits are delivered. Evidence from previous
reforms, together with data now emerging from the Direct Payment Demonstration Projects indicates that most
people will be able to cope with the new features of the Universal Credit system.
•
However, we recognise that some people will need extra help; this could include help with getting online or with
managing on a monthly budget and paying their own rent. This is why we created the Local Support Services
Framework.
•
The Update sets out how we plan to trial and test elements of the Framework. It also provides information on
progress and agreement since the February publication. This includes:
·
Aspects of the financial model and incentive structure;
·
Use of the European Social Fund as a potential funding stream;
·
Partnership development;
·
Development of Personal Budgeting Support initiatives;
·
Service mapping; and
·
Social Justice delivery
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What are we going to trial?
• Partnership working
• Partnership Agreements
• Financial Management
• Effective Delivery of front-line services
• Applicability of the European Social Fund
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Where will we do the trialling?
• Pathfinder sites
• LA-Led Pilot Sites
• Volunteer sites
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Good practice and lessons learned
Direct Payment Demonstration Projects
Identifying what interventions best help tenants
and landlords – e.g. different levels of arrears
at which direct payment reverts back to
landlords, ways of providing support to tenants
and using a range of payment methods.
West Dunbarton
North Lanarkshire
Edinburgh
Local authority led pilots
Aim to explore approaches on how local
expertise can support residents to claim
Universal Credit, and so:
a) Partnership working which is key area of
work
b) encourage people to access online support
independently;
c) improve their financial independence and
how they manage their money;
d) deliver efficiencies and reduce
homelessness.
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Dumfries &
Galloway
Oldham
Wigan
Wakefield
West Lindsey
Shropshire
Birmingham
Caerphilly
Newport
Torfaen
Rushcliffe
Melton
Oxford
Southwark
Bath & NES
Lewisham
North Dorset
Key:
UC LA led pilots
Direct Payment Demonstration Projects
Next Steps
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What can LAs be doing now?
• Examine local planning forums already in place in respect of their ability to
plan for a holistic, single claimant journey under UC.
• Invite DWP District Managers/Partnerships Managers to attend appropriate
welfare reform planning events, especially forums that could, eventually, act
as Local Delivery Groups.
• Start to map out relevant services, examining both levels of provision and
gaps.
• Build alliances with potential delivery Partners and starting wider
conversations.
• Engage with representative bodies included within the Task Force (e.g. the
LGA) over how things are progressing.
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What can Social Landlords and Charities be doing
now?
• Speaking to your LA contacts about planning that’s taking place (this is
preferable to approaching DWP DMs)
• Thinking about your relative organisational strengths and capacity – what are
you already doing well? What services could you provide as part of a
Partnership?
• Review the support that you provide to tenants in the context of the “single
claimant journey” from dependency on benefits towards independence and,
wherever possible, into work.
• Keep an eye on the UC for LAs website for further developments
www.dwp.gov.uk/ucla
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Questions?
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