improving the benefits experience for bromley residents

Improving the Benefits Experience for Bromley Residents

Share your thoughts:#BASSCbenefits

Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013

Sara BowreyAssistant Director: Housing NeedsLondon Borough of Bromley [email protected]


Benefit cap and bedroom size criteria roll out – a cautious startPreparation: • Vigorous testing/ detailed analysis• Mapping the customer journey• Briefings & awareness raising• Mitigation plans• Protocols/joint working

Applying the changes:• 1,600 affected by the bedroom size criteria• 148 capped cases• 100+ into work• 12 moves• 12 evictions



What worked well/Lessons Learnt• Take control• What works best in the locality• Joint working/co-location• information sharing• Don’t underestimate the time it takes to engage• The right staff & partners• The right skills• Consistent messages• Agreed outcomes


Welfare Reforms



Mandi Grice Jobcentre [email protected]


Universal CreditSome changes have already been made as part of the wider welfare reform, which link directly to preparation for Universal Credit rollout these include:

• Social Fund Reforms

• Benefit Cap

• Universal Jobmatch

• Disability Living Allowance reforms

• Conditionality & SanctionsShare your thoughts:#BASSCbenefits


Claimant commitment• Claimant Commitment will be introduced in Bromley

from 25 November 2013• Initially it will be rolled out for customers making a

new claim to Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and work programme completers



What is claimant commitment?• A claimant commitment is:

the claimants record of the responsibilities that they have accepted in return for receiving benefits and the consequences of not meeting them.

• It is centred on a contractual concept that provides a range of support in return for claimant’s meeting an explicit set of responsibilities.



Claimant commitment• The JSA Claimant Commitment is the primary document for

agreeing and recording key information about the claimant’s

• Availability for work

• Types of work they are most suited to do

• High level regular work search activities



Work Plan• Every claimant will be issued with a work plan booklet. This

allows claimants to take more responsibility for their work search actions, by planning how they will effectively look for work and so commit to meeting the requirements agreed on their Claimant Commitment

• Claimants will be expected to take all reasonable steps to give themselves the best prospects of finding work. If they do not meet this requirement they will risk losing benefits

• Claimants will be asked to prepare a detailed plan on how they will meet this requirement and provide evidence as to what they have done


The Impact of Universal Credit for our Clients



Loraine Whittaker Chief Executive Officer Bromley Citizens Advice Bureau [email protected]


Citizens Advice - Nationally• A third of all our advice given is about benefits • More than 90% of the 700,000 benefit clients will be affected by

the forthcoming changes to welfare• 50 per cent of everyday CAB clients (1,779 of 3,460) were

identified as ‘Universal Credit relevant’



Citizens Advice – Findings from Pilot Areas• 49% are not ready to complete online application forms • 83% say they are not ready to budget with single monthly

payments• 83% would find an adjustment period of fortnightly, rather

than monthly, payments helpful • 86% claim they do not have the information they need

about changes• 75% would find it helpful to have rent continued to be paid

directly to their landlord to help them manage their finances



Bromley Citizens Advice Bureau• Benefits – 8,647

• Debt – 4,170

• Housing – 3,000



Bromley CAB – Universal Credit Survey• 65% of our client group will be affected because they are of

working age and currently receive one or more of the Universal Credit benefits.

• July 2013 – October 2013

• 112 clients participated in the survey



Bromley CAB Findings• 63% (71 out of 112) had not heard of Universal Credit before

the Questionnaire

• 89% (100 out of 112) indicated that they did not know whether they would be affected by Universal Credit

• 72% (63 out of 88) said they were unaware of the change that Universal Credit will make to the way in which their benefits are paid



Budgeting• 71% (66 out of 93) said they would find it difficult to manage if

there are changes to the amount of money they have coming in

• 44% (40 out of 90) said they had trouble keeping up with their priority bills i.e. rent



Digital Inclusion• 30% did not have access to the internet

• 49% (34 out of 69) would need help to fill out a detailed form online

• 49% (34 out of 69) felt they would need support from us to move onto Universal Credit



Biggest Challenge• Budgeting – 41% (45 out of 110) said they did not keep a

budget

• No of people who felt unable to claim online without help



How Can We help?• One of the great strengths of Bromley CAB is our local real time

knowledge

• We want to share this local knowledge to contribute to the understanding of local need & service development




John comes to his CAB worried about what UC means for him as he is already struggling with debt

CAB advisor explains UC and helps him get online

CAB arranges for him to have advice on how to manage a monthly budget

As John is worried that his current debts mean he will not be able to manage paying his own rent. His CAB advisor helps him make his case to DWP that for a short time he needs to have his housing benefit paid directly to his social landlord

John feels more confident with managing money and now can manage to pay his own rent.

Single client journey



Start preparing people now with budgeting skills – and make sure there’s going to be provision in

place

Identify people now who need help claiming online – it will

save you money in the medium

term

Be prepared to learn and change in real time


And lastly,

thank you!and,

if you have any other ideas after today, let us know by Twitter by using #BASSCbenefits


improving the benefits experience for bromley residents

Documents

work types of work

range of support

work planevery claimant

work search actions

work programme completers

work plan booklet

claimants availability

claimants record