Policy in Practice has teamed up with Bill Irvine, UC Advice & Advocacy, to help housing associations learn how to prepare for managed migration to Universal Credit. This workshop featured the following speakers and topics:
Background to Universal Credit managed migration by Zoe Charlesworth, Policy in Practice
The view from the frontline by Nadine Burns and Michelle Birley, The Guinness Group
Key challenges to smooth delivery of managed migration by Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
Transitional Protection by Louise Murphy, Policy and Data Analyst, Policy in Practice
Best practice advice for preparing tenants by Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
How Royal Borough of Greenwich is preparing for managed migration by Corin Hammersley, Royal Borough of Greenwich
Develop your own proactive action plan for managed migration
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
2020 has brought fundamental changes to our lives, both personally and professionally. As our economy took second place to our health, so the welfare safety net came to the fore to support families who faced an income shock, seemingly overnight.
In this webinar Deven Ghelani, Zoe Charlesworth, Paul Howarth and Duncan Hatfield looked back at the policy response to the seismic shifts in our economy and society wrought by the pandemic. We revisited the research findings we uncovered from our analysis for clients across both local and central government. And, as the focus turns to the health of our economy, we look at what 2021 means for people facing redundancy, debt or lower incomes.
Listen back to the webinar to hear:
- How well the COVID-19 welfare changes worked, and what should happen next
- How living standards changed this year, and what the future holds
- The outlook for 2021 and how organisations can best support families
Our policy experts will discuss our analysis and what this means in 2021 for council tax support schemes, housing and homelessness demand, the outlook for living standards in the context of economic recovery, Universal Credit and Brexit.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
View the slides from our webinar: 2018: A policy review of the year. We were joined by guest speakers Deven Ghelani and Paul Howarth, Policy in Practice.
We reviewed the social policy analysis we delivered for clients in 2018 and recapped on key findings we uncovered. We also discussed what this means for local organisations in 2019.
Find out what we learnt about:
Homelessness and housing
Changing living standards of low income households
Universal Credit's impact on people
Universal Credit's impact on frontline organisations
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
We held a workshop in Flintshire in April for local authorities who are curious about what their data can tell them. Hosted by Peter Carter and Terrin Mathew, attendees from across Wales and the North West compared notes about the challenges of the welfare reforms and the rollout of Universal Credit, and how they're each using their data now.
The workshop inspired people with stories of success elsewhere and helped them to build the case for using local authority held datasets to better target your support for vulnerable households.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
In today’s economic climate falling into debt is perilously easy, getting out is hard. Firms in the debt sector have adopted flexible and ethical collection practices to support families who are struggling, yet costs and the time taken to collect have increased.
This Policy in Practice webinar featured guest speakers Carole Kenney, Director, Welfare and Customer Care, Gareth McNab, Social Inclusion Lead, Nationwide Building Society who spoke alongside Zoe Charlesworth, Director of Policy and Operations, Policy in Practice, and Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice.
Whether you’re a collection agency, utility company, advice organisation, local authority or housing association, you’re on the frontline for helping people in debt.
You can boost the financial resilience of households by helping them to increase their income. In this way, you can increase collection rates and social impact, in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing.
In this webinar we discussed:
- How COVID-19 has already hit people’s incomes, and what’s in store
- Who the newly vulnerable households are
- How to reduce existing arrears and the chance of a customer falling into arrears
- How to minimise the cost of debt collection
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
IRRV2015 - Progress on Welfare Reform by Deven GhelaniPolicy in Practice
The IRRV Annual Conference 2015 featured this presentation by Deven Ghelani about Progress on Welfare Reform.
Understanding the impact of cumulative and future welfare reforms on individual residents was at the heart of Deven's talk.
Stark insights from welfare reform impact analysis work done with Leeds City Council and Birmingham City Council were shared.
Deven outlined how specific welfare reforms have different impacts and what these mean to individual residents.
Policy makers in local authorities need to make sure that their policies are appropriate to local needs. Yet, without the insights that councils like Leeds and Birmingham have secured, the risk is that support programmes are blanket and wasteful, not targeted and effective.
2020 has brought fundamental changes to our lives, both personally and professionally. As our economy took second place to our health, so the welfare safety net came to the fore to support families who faced an income shock, seemingly overnight.
In this webinar Deven Ghelani, Zoe Charlesworth, Paul Howarth and Duncan Hatfield looked back at the policy response to the seismic shifts in our economy and society wrought by the pandemic. We revisited the research findings we uncovered from our analysis for clients across both local and central government. And, as the focus turns to the health of our economy, we look at what 2021 means for people facing redundancy, debt or lower incomes.
Listen back to the webinar to hear:
- How well the COVID-19 welfare changes worked, and what should happen next
- How living standards changed this year, and what the future holds
- The outlook for 2021 and how organisations can best support families
Our policy experts will discuss our analysis and what this means in 2021 for council tax support schemes, housing and homelessness demand, the outlook for living standards in the context of economic recovery, Universal Credit and Brexit.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
View the slides from our webinar: 2018: A policy review of the year. We were joined by guest speakers Deven Ghelani and Paul Howarth, Policy in Practice.
We reviewed the social policy analysis we delivered for clients in 2018 and recapped on key findings we uncovered. We also discussed what this means for local organisations in 2019.
Find out what we learnt about:
Homelessness and housing
Changing living standards of low income households
Universal Credit's impact on people
Universal Credit's impact on frontline organisations
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
We held a workshop in Flintshire in April for local authorities who are curious about what their data can tell them. Hosted by Peter Carter and Terrin Mathew, attendees from across Wales and the North West compared notes about the challenges of the welfare reforms and the rollout of Universal Credit, and how they're each using their data now.
The workshop inspired people with stories of success elsewhere and helped them to build the case for using local authority held datasets to better target your support for vulnerable households.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
In today’s economic climate falling into debt is perilously easy, getting out is hard. Firms in the debt sector have adopted flexible and ethical collection practices to support families who are struggling, yet costs and the time taken to collect have increased.
This Policy in Practice webinar featured guest speakers Carole Kenney, Director, Welfare and Customer Care, Gareth McNab, Social Inclusion Lead, Nationwide Building Society who spoke alongside Zoe Charlesworth, Director of Policy and Operations, Policy in Practice, and Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice.
Whether you’re a collection agency, utility company, advice organisation, local authority or housing association, you’re on the frontline for helping people in debt.
You can boost the financial resilience of households by helping them to increase their income. In this way, you can increase collection rates and social impact, in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing.
In this webinar we discussed:
- How COVID-19 has already hit people’s incomes, and what’s in store
- Who the newly vulnerable households are
- How to reduce existing arrears and the chance of a customer falling into arrears
- How to minimise the cost of debt collection
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
IRRV2015 - Progress on Welfare Reform by Deven GhelaniPolicy in Practice
The IRRV Annual Conference 2015 featured this presentation by Deven Ghelani about Progress on Welfare Reform.
Understanding the impact of cumulative and future welfare reforms on individual residents was at the heart of Deven's talk.
Stark insights from welfare reform impact analysis work done with Leeds City Council and Birmingham City Council were shared.
Deven outlined how specific welfare reforms have different impacts and what these mean to individual residents.
Policy makers in local authorities need to make sure that their policies are appropriate to local needs. Yet, without the insights that councils like Leeds and Birmingham have secured, the risk is that support programmes are blanket and wasteful, not targeted and effective.
Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice, delivered this presentation to the Money Advice Liason Group (MALG) Virtual summit on Thursday 29 October.
Over 20 million of us don’t have the necessary skills to effectively manage our money and 11.5 million of us have less than £100 in savings.
With predictions of widespread unemployment and an expected tsunami of people needing debt advice and support during the coming months and years, this session explored the innovative new tools and approaches that will help organisations to improve the financial capability of customers, increase the financial resilience of customers and engage customers earlier.
Sarah Lambert from Policy in Practice discussed research and initiatives we've developed, including our award winning Benefit and Budgeting Calculator, to support organisations to get ahead of the curve.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
In October 2016 Foundations ran a series of DFG-focussed events to highlight some of the difficulties of the DFG process and to share best practice on how this can be improved to deliver better outcomes.
A lower benefit cap is being rolled out from 7 November 2016. Policy in Practice has been helping local authorities across the country to determine who will be impacted. In this webinar we shared some of the recent work we're doing with London Borough Croydon to help them identify potential exemptions, and prioritise both financial and employment support to affected households.
We were joined by Asha Vyas, Head of Enablement and Welfare, LB Croydon, who shared background and details about the key strategies the council is now following, as a result of the work with Policy in Practice.
View the slides to learn:
1. How we proactively identified which households will be affected by the lower benefit cap, and by how much.
2. How the most vulnerable households were segmented into 6 different groups, and what the characteristics of those groups are
3. What different strategies the council is now executing for each of those groups to mitigate the impact of the lower benefit cap
4. How our work builds on the DWP benefit cap scans and how it can help you identify potential exemptions
Webinar: Mapping The Impact of the Summer Budget in BirminghamPolicy in Practice
Birmingham City Council mapped the cumulative impact of the latest welfare reforms on residents using a data set all local authorities have.
View this slide deck to see the results of the analysis, and to learn how the council is using the information to shape their support for people impacted by welfare reforms.
Analysing SR2015: Will your customers be better or worse off under Universal ...Policy in Practice
The Chancellor's U-turn on tax credits cuts shows that he listened to many people, Policy in Practice included, who were concerned that the cuts announced in July would hit the pockets and the employment prospects of working families too hard.
Yet the welfare savings the Chancellor wants to achieve over the long term will still be realised within Universal Credit.
With the exception of households working mini-jobs, the new system leaves more people worse off in work than the current benefits system.
We've analysed the data from the SR2015 announcements and reveal our results in this webinar.
View this slide deck to learn:
> Why 52% of households working 16 hours or more will be worse off under UC
> Which groups of people will be most severely affected, and how
> When the biggest impacts will be felt over the next 4 years
> What actions local organisations can take now to mitigate against the impact of the cuts
Who should view these slides?
You should view these slides if you are designing support programmes or delivering change programmes, such as the welfare reform agenda, for your local organisation.
Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy at Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Virtual Annual Conference about those people who have struggled or missed out on support due to COVID-19 uncertainty.
The new COVID-19 schemes operate alongside means-tested benefits, pay different amounts and cater to different kinds of eligibility, resulting in a wide yet inequitable net of support. Zoe Charlesworth presents analysis by Policy in Practice that looked at over 2,500 individual cases of households who struggled with or missed out on support. Zoe will explore the characteristics of eight groups who you should watch out for as you advise residents, and a worked example of surplus earnings rules. Delegates learnt who missed out on support, what impact of COVID-19 support has had on inequality and, practically, who will need more guidance as their circumstances change.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
IRRV virtual conference 2020: COVID-19 who has fallen between the gaps?Policy in Practice
In October 2020 Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy Operations presented to IRRV Annual Conference and Exhibition attendees on COVID-19: Who has fallen between the gaps?
Watch the full presentation: www.policyinpractice.co.uk/IRRV-2020
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Current Challenges and the Future Direction of Social Security ReformPolicy in Practice
Westminster Insight’s timely Welfare Reform Forum explored how to process the huge upsurge in claims, improving advice for those dealing with immediate cash flow problems, changing assessment processes to safeguard claimants, identifying people falling through gaps in the system and supporting the most vulnerable people financially affected by the pandemic.
Zoe's keynote address covered:
- The implications of the Government’s response to COVID 19 on the social security system
- Improving system design, delivery, flexibility and speed to support people in times of crisis
- Ensuring the social security system can weather the longer-term effects of the crisis
- Creating a person-centred, holistic and supportive social security system
IRRV WELFARE REFORM AND BENEFITS SEMINAR: The Reality of the Social Impact of...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Welfare Reform and Benefits Seminar – Are We Facing An Impending Disaster? on
The IRRV’s annual seminar on Welfare Reform and Benefits addressed the key issues on Welfare Reform and looked in detail at the Government’s proposal for the months and years to come.
Deven Ghelani, CEO and Founder, Policy in Practice, will delivered the following session at 10:35 am:
The Reality of the Social Impact of Welfare Reform
What will be the detailed social impact of Welfare Reform? What pressure will be placed on local authorities in delivering their statutory functions particularly in relation to housing and local taxation? How will local authorities continue to maintain these functions whilst facing up to the demands of the Governments austerity programme?
View his slides here.
Learn about the 2020 Federal spending budget, congress, Social Security, Medicare programs and they're solvency. Learn how Medicare is financed and what to look forward to regarding Medicare changes in 2022
Universal Credit: how are frontline advisors responding?Policy in Practice
As Universal Credit rollout progresses from the live service to full service we asked what the changes mean and how frontline advisors are faring. In this webinar we also looked at what local organisations can do to prepare people now for managed migration.
Policy in Practice's Zoe Charlesworth and Peter Carter were joined by Darren Thomas, Senior Welfare Officer, Grwp Cynefin who will share how their tenant's journey compares under the legacy system and Universal Credit.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 0889 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
Sarah Lambert, Affordability Assessment Manager, Policy in Practice, delivered this presentation to the Money Advice Liason Group (MALG) Virtual summit on Thursday 29 October.
Over 20 million of us don’t have the necessary skills to effectively manage our money and 11.5 million of us have less than £100 in savings.
With predictions of widespread unemployment and an expected tsunami of people needing debt advice and support during the coming months and years, this session explored the innovative new tools and approaches that will help organisations to improve the financial capability of customers, increase the financial resilience of customers and engage customers earlier.
Sarah Lambert from Policy in Practice discussed research and initiatives we've developed, including our award winning Benefit and Budgeting Calculator, to support organisations to get ahead of the curve.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
In October 2016 Foundations ran a series of DFG-focussed events to highlight some of the difficulties of the DFG process and to share best practice on how this can be improved to deliver better outcomes.
A lower benefit cap is being rolled out from 7 November 2016. Policy in Practice has been helping local authorities across the country to determine who will be impacted. In this webinar we shared some of the recent work we're doing with London Borough Croydon to help them identify potential exemptions, and prioritise both financial and employment support to affected households.
We were joined by Asha Vyas, Head of Enablement and Welfare, LB Croydon, who shared background and details about the key strategies the council is now following, as a result of the work with Policy in Practice.
View the slides to learn:
1. How we proactively identified which households will be affected by the lower benefit cap, and by how much.
2. How the most vulnerable households were segmented into 6 different groups, and what the characteristics of those groups are
3. What different strategies the council is now executing for each of those groups to mitigate the impact of the lower benefit cap
4. How our work builds on the DWP benefit cap scans and how it can help you identify potential exemptions
Webinar: Mapping The Impact of the Summer Budget in BirminghamPolicy in Practice
Birmingham City Council mapped the cumulative impact of the latest welfare reforms on residents using a data set all local authorities have.
View this slide deck to see the results of the analysis, and to learn how the council is using the information to shape their support for people impacted by welfare reforms.
Analysing SR2015: Will your customers be better or worse off under Universal ...Policy in Practice
The Chancellor's U-turn on tax credits cuts shows that he listened to many people, Policy in Practice included, who were concerned that the cuts announced in July would hit the pockets and the employment prospects of working families too hard.
Yet the welfare savings the Chancellor wants to achieve over the long term will still be realised within Universal Credit.
With the exception of households working mini-jobs, the new system leaves more people worse off in work than the current benefits system.
We've analysed the data from the SR2015 announcements and reveal our results in this webinar.
View this slide deck to learn:
> Why 52% of households working 16 hours or more will be worse off under UC
> Which groups of people will be most severely affected, and how
> When the biggest impacts will be felt over the next 4 years
> What actions local organisations can take now to mitigate against the impact of the cuts
Who should view these slides?
You should view these slides if you are designing support programmes or delivering change programmes, such as the welfare reform agenda, for your local organisation.
Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy at Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Virtual Annual Conference about those people who have struggled or missed out on support due to COVID-19 uncertainty.
The new COVID-19 schemes operate alongside means-tested benefits, pay different amounts and cater to different kinds of eligibility, resulting in a wide yet inequitable net of support. Zoe Charlesworth presents analysis by Policy in Practice that looked at over 2,500 individual cases of households who struggled with or missed out on support. Zoe will explore the characteristics of eight groups who you should watch out for as you advise residents, and a worked example of surplus earnings rules. Delegates learnt who missed out on support, what impact of COVID-19 support has had on inequality and, practically, who will need more guidance as their circumstances change.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
IRRV virtual conference 2020: COVID-19 who has fallen between the gaps?Policy in Practice
In October 2020 Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy Operations presented to IRRV Annual Conference and Exhibition attendees on COVID-19: Who has fallen between the gaps?
Watch the full presentation: www.policyinpractice.co.uk/IRRV-2020
For more information please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Current Challenges and the Future Direction of Social Security ReformPolicy in Practice
Westminster Insight’s timely Welfare Reform Forum explored how to process the huge upsurge in claims, improving advice for those dealing with immediate cash flow problems, changing assessment processes to safeguard claimants, identifying people falling through gaps in the system and supporting the most vulnerable people financially affected by the pandemic.
Zoe's keynote address covered:
- The implications of the Government’s response to COVID 19 on the social security system
- Improving system design, delivery, flexibility and speed to support people in times of crisis
- Ensuring the social security system can weather the longer-term effects of the crisis
- Creating a person-centred, holistic and supportive social security system
IRRV WELFARE REFORM AND BENEFITS SEMINAR: The Reality of the Social Impact of...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Welfare Reform and Benefits Seminar – Are We Facing An Impending Disaster? on
The IRRV’s annual seminar on Welfare Reform and Benefits addressed the key issues on Welfare Reform and looked in detail at the Government’s proposal for the months and years to come.
Deven Ghelani, CEO and Founder, Policy in Practice, will delivered the following session at 10:35 am:
The Reality of the Social Impact of Welfare Reform
What will be the detailed social impact of Welfare Reform? What pressure will be placed on local authorities in delivering their statutory functions particularly in relation to housing and local taxation? How will local authorities continue to maintain these functions whilst facing up to the demands of the Governments austerity programme?
View his slides here.
Learn about the 2020 Federal spending budget, congress, Social Security, Medicare programs and they're solvency. Learn how Medicare is financed and what to look forward to regarding Medicare changes in 2022
Universal Credit: how are frontline advisors responding?Policy in Practice
As Universal Credit rollout progresses from the live service to full service we asked what the changes mean and how frontline advisors are faring. In this webinar we also looked at what local organisations can do to prepare people now for managed migration.
Policy in Practice's Zoe Charlesworth and Peter Carter were joined by Darren Thomas, Senior Welfare Officer, Grwp Cynefin who will share how their tenant's journey compares under the legacy system and Universal Credit.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 0889 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
Policy in Practice present local initiatives to support vulnerable households...Policy in Practice
Policy in Practice present local initiatives to support vulnerable households to the Utility Sector.
-Make your social tariffs accessible through GOV.UK
-Give holistic support to vulnerable consumers
-Use data to provide more targeted support
Webinar: Council tax support Models that Members can sign up toPolicy in Practice
Listen back to hear Policy in Practice in conversation with Allan Clark, Barnet Council, to learn how they're changing their council tax support scheme for Universal Credit.
We cover how Policy in Practice's comprehensive impact modelling provided the data that Barnet Council's Members needed to agree amended schemes with confidence.
Listen back to learn:
- How LAs’ CTS schemes have evolved since they were first introduced
- What factors Barnet modelled, and why
- What schemes Barnet considered, rejected and implemented
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Westminster Insight: Delivering Universal Credit full service Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director, Policy in Practice, was invited to speak at Westminster Insight's Welfare Reform Conference on the subject of Universal Credit full service roll out.
In his talk he covered Universal Universal Credit rollout to date and looked forward to managed migration. Giving practical examples and tips, Deven referenced the House of Commons Library tool as well as Policy in Practice's LIFT Dashboard which is helping a number of local authorities to understand which households will struggle with Universal Credit. He gave examples of how other local authorities use this data to identify, target and track vulnerability.
For more information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Webinar: How Citizens Advice is helping Universal Credit claimantsPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, was joined by Kayley Hignell, Citizens Advice and Nicky Rees, Citizens Advice Peterborough, to discuss Universal Credit. View the slides from this webinar recording.
As Universal Credit receives a refresh, courtesy of new Secretary of State Amber Rudd, we asked what the recent changes mean for people affected, and how the Citizens Advice Service nationwide is responding.
We also looked at what some LCAs are doing to support people and were joined by Kayley Hignell, Head of Policy (Families, Welfare and Work), Citizens Advice, and Nicky Rees, Advice Operations Supervisor at Citizens Advice Peterborough.
In this webinar we covered:
- What the recent policy changes and new Secretary of State mean for Universal Credit
- How Citizens Advice approach to Universal Credit is changing
- How Citizens Advice Peterborough helps people to maximise income and budget well
- Brief introduction to software used by some Local Citizens Advice advisors to give accurate and easy to digest advice
"The Benefit and Budgeting Calculator is amazing, the frontline volunteers find it really useful. I especially like the calendar that shows claimants who get paid weekly how their monthly Universal Credit payments will be affected over the next 12 months."
Nicky Rees, Citizens Advice Peterborough
For more information on Policy in Practice please visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Understanding the impact of welfare reforms on households in the South EastPolicy in Practice
With the lower Benefit Cap coming in Autumn 2016 and Universal Credit firmly in its implementation phase, knowing what impact welfare reform policies will have on individual households is more critical than ever.
It’s also important to understand the impact of interventions. Targeting support to those households where it will have the greatest impact is crucial as local authorities continue to find ways to deliver more with less.
This Policy in Practice seminar from Wednesday 28 September 2016 showcased pioneering work being done by two London councils, Croydon and Tower Hamlets. Their work combines pre-emptive analysis with proactive programmes that will reach out to households and offer support, before reforms hit them.
Presentation delivered by Tim Anslee, The Wealth Care Partnership; Ruth Corden, West Sussex County Council and Lynda Ryan, Age UK West Sussex for TLAP's Information, Advice and Brokerage workshop for Care Act compliance.
National Housing Federation: How frontline organisations can prepare for mana...Policy in Practice
Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy, was invited to present to the National Housing Federation’s Southwest meeting in June to discuss migration to Universal Credit and its implications for providers. Zoe, together with Policy and Operations Intern, Sam Tims, talked about the work our client, The Guinness Group, is doing to plan for their clients moving to Universal Credit, during both natural and managed migration.
With the UC rollout continuing providers are keen to learn from each other about the changes UC brings. One aspect that housing association representatives raised was whether clients should take the DWP’s advance, and therefore receive lower monthly income for a while, in order to cover the five-week wait. The discussion revealed no common view, though providers need tools to support clients with different circumstances in order to provide the right advice and avoid arrears.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 03300889242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
The most underclaimed benefits and how to drive take upPolicy in Practice
We know that £10 billion of benefits go unclaimed each year by people who are eligible for them but not receiving them. Some households aren’t claiming support that could be worth thousands of pounds each year to them.
In this webinar we showcased innovative work councils are doing to encourage take-up of some of the most unclaimed benefits, and heard how this can lead to wider conversations that build financial resilience.
View these slides to learn:
- Which income-related benefits are most underclaimed
- One council’s work to drive up pension credit and tax credit claims
- How to determine the ROI of intervention campaigns so you know what works
- How software can help to identify vulnerability, target support and track change
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Is your post COVID-19 Council Tax Support Scheme sustainable?Policy in Practice
The £500 million Hardship Fund allows councils to give extra support to help people affected by Coronavirus. Councils are expected to use this welcome funding to reduce the council tax bills of working-age people who are already receiving council tax support, by £150 in 2020/21.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth presented new nationwide analysis on the Hardship Fund allocations and discussed what this means for collection rates. Megan Mclean explored what this means for those who become newly unemployed, as well as CTR support schemes. Finally, Deven Ghelani looked at what councils can do now to proactively support people.
Review the slides to learn:
- How the Hardship Fund and council tax collection rates interact
- What the future looks like, and how you can plan for future vulnerability
- How to identify the most vulnerable households in your area so you can target additional support
At IRRV Scotland Conference 2018 in Crieff Deven Ghelani, Founder and Director of Policy in Practice, was invited to speak about analysis and policy updates on Universal Credit.
In his presentation Deven talked about the Social Security Act in Scotland and Universal Credit, covering how different demographic groups are likely to be impacted. He highlighted analysis that Scottish local authorities can do with the household level data they collect on their local income households and gave examples of how other local authorities use this data to identify, target and track vulnerability.
For further details please contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk.
How data can help support vulnerable utility customersPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani spoke at Utility Week's #consumerdebt conference in Birmingham on 27 February 2018.
In his talk, titled The changing living standards of low income households and their ability to pay, he focused on:
- assessing the initial effect of universal credit on low-income households
- the impact of wider welfare reforms and
- how organisations can support vulnerable customers..
For further information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Deven Ghelani spoke at Destin Solutions webinar on the impact the Breathing Space policy will have on local authorities.
View these slides to find out:
- The context for debt and collections in the UK
- What is Breathing Space?
- The impact on council tax collection
- Our findings for the GLA
- The case for early intervention: ReImagine Debt
For more details call 0330 088 9242
https://policyinpractice.co.uk/webinar-how-to-influence-central-government/
Jade Alsop, Commercial Director at Policy in Practice, spoke at Housemark's Ten Days of Data festival about embedding a data driven culture within organisations such as housing providers, local authorities and others.
Commitment to embrace data-driven decision making is needed at all levels of an organisation to realise the full value of insights. At this event Jade joined the speaker panel with Charlotte Carpenter from Karbon Homes and Colin Sales from 3C Consultants to explore how to lead by example to ensure what we do, say and ask, fosters a data-driven culture and embeds the use of data across an organisation.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Lessons learned: our year modelling Council Tax Reduction SchemesPolicy in Practice
In this webinar Policy in Practice gave a review of the 150 or so council tax reduction (CTR) support schemes we modelled for local authority clients in 2019. Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy, and Megan Mclean, Policy and Operations Analyst, recapped on highlights from our analysis, discussed trends we've identified and considered what this means for local authorities in 2020.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
Universal Credit: Protect rental income and support tenantsPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani and Donna Gallagher, Policy in Practice, spoke at the Digital Housing Conference in Manchester on 31 October 2018. This is the slide deck they presented.
They spoke about Universal Credit: protect rental income and support tenants to officers and managers from housing associations.
In particular they covered:
Introduction to Policy in Practice
The impact of Universal Credit
Rollout update
The impact on rent arrears
Budget 2018 policy changes
What do you know about your tenants?
Mapping the aggregate impact of UC on tenants
The impact on individual families and how to engage them
How housing associations are meeting these challenges
The experience at Your Homes Newcastle
The experience with other housing associations
For further information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
IntoWork2015 Conference: Targeting Support - Who Will Welfare Reforms Hit Har...Policy in Practice
Targeting Support: Who Will Welfare Reforms Hit Hardest?
Speakers: Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, Guy Chaundy, Birmingham City Council
Event: Inclusion's IntoWork2015 Convention, Wed 15 July 2015, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London.
The speakers told attendees how data insights are helping reshape the distribution of scarce support resources for two large councils in England.
By analysing data they are collect the councils have gained valuable knowledge about the cumulative impact of welfare reforms on individual households in their respective areas.
What's more, those councils have also forecasted what the likely impact of future welfare reforms will be.
This means they know which households are most vulnerable to cuts, and which will be better off under Universal Credit.
Crucially, these insights allow them to therefore deliver support campaigns where they're most needed.
Deven Ghelani is the director of Policy in Practice, an organisation founded to ensure that policy works for people on the frontline. He was joined by Guy Chaundy from Birmingham City Council.
On 4th December 2015 the Big Lottery Fund and CBO evaluation team ran a peer learning event for people developing SIBs related to employment, housing and crime. These slides are from the afternoon workshop on working with investors.
Similar to How landlords can prepare for managed migration workshop (20)
Browse our webinar slides to learn how to influence central government policy development and get your frontline experiences heard. With Paul Howarth and Jake Love Soper.
A new Parliamentary term brings fresh opportunity to talk to decision-makers about the things that really matter.
We think it’s important that policy hears from practice. But we also know it can be hard for people on the front line to get their voice heard above the noise.
Our guest speakers spoke about how to influence central government policy development and get your frontline experiences heard. With Paul Howarth and Jake Love Soper.
For more details call 0330 088 9242
https://policyinpractice.co.uk/webinar-how-to-influence-central-government/
Deven Ghelani was invited to talk about the the impact of the benefit cap through the use of administrative data at a webinar organised by the University of York on Thursday 26 November 2020.
He was joined by a range of speakers, Dr Kitty Stewart, LSE and Dr Donald Hirsch, Loughborough University and Claire Hall, Child Poverty Action Group, to name but a few.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
The Future of the Welfare State: Universal Credit, Furlough Schemes and Other...Policy in Practice
Deven Ghelani was invited to talk about the effectiveness of Universal Credit and the social policies introduced in the light of COVID-19 at this conference by Public Policy Exchange on Thursday 1 October 2020.
He joined speakers Debbie Abrahams MP, Steve McCabe MP, Dr Sophie Wickham and Dr Guy Standing.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
AIM: Data protection, data governance, data managementPolicy in Practice
Tues 29 Sept: Deven Ghelani spoke with Paul Withers, DPO for Walsall Council, about our lessons so far from a powerful new project backed by the LGA and NHS digital to link data across adult services, children's services, public health, the NHS and police. Good data science relies upon access to good data, and we spoke about focusing on impact to win over stakeholders, actively raising and resolving data governance concerns upfront, and how the basics of good data management (security, data cleaning, data linking) are harder and more important than the 'sexy' data science that this project will become known for.
For more information email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
Councils are looking ahead to what COVID-19 means for collection rates, people’s ability to pay, and whether their council tax support schemes can cope with increased demand.
Zoe and Megan share key findings of three new reports:
- An 18 month project working with 22 Welsh local authorities for the Welsh Government on Universal Credit, council tax reduction scheme and rent arrears in Wales Reports for the Greater London
- Authority on the impact of the Coronavirus Hardship Fund, and on the impact that a flexible approach to collections has on collection rates Analysis for the Cabinet Office on the effectiveness of an early intervention approach to managing arrears in two councils, Newcastle and Barking and Dagenham Council tax arrears were already £3.5 billion pre-crisis and are forecast to reach nearly £5 billion by the end of parliament.
Zoe Charlesworth examines what the worsening financial crisis means for council’s collection rates, budget setting and council tax support schemes, and will look at efforts across central and local government to improve how council tax debt is recovered.
Reimagine Debt. A tale of two councils: Reimagine Debt CollectionPolicy in Practice
Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder of Policy in Practice, spoke at the IRRV Virtual Annual Conference about the Cabinet Office's reimagine debt pilot scheme.
As COVID-19 continues to hit the financial resilience of many families councils are looking ahead to what this means for collection rates. With council tax arrears already at £3.5 billion pre-crisis, and forecast to reach nearly £5 billion by the end of parliament, councils will need to find new ways to maximise collections. Deven Ghelani spoke about how two councils identified which residents owed multiple debts to them, how they stabilised their incomes, and how they tracked the effectiveness of support. Attendees learnt how early intervention offers a proven approach for other councils to consider to prevent problem debt.
For more information visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 088 9242 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk
At the Government Data Science Festival 2020 Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder of Policy in Practice, joined Paul Withers, Data Protection Manager for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, to present a case study of data science in local government.
Deven and Paul introduced the Active Intervention Management (AIM) project to the audience of local government data and digital officers. AIM is one of three Social Care Digital Innovation (SCDIA) 2020/21 projects that's run by CC2i on behalf of the Local Government Association with match funding from NHS Digital.
AIM uses basic level data to identify potential vulnerabilities and support the improvement of early intervention services. Organisations from fire and rescue, children's services and police authorities are all taking part in AIM.
For more information contact Deven Ghelani via deven@policyinpractice.co.uk or Paul Withers via paul.withers@walsall.gov.uk. Alternatively contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242.
Identifying people at risk of homelessness is a key priority for all local authorities. Deven Ghelani, Director and founder of Policy in Practice was invited to present to the Housing and Homelessness Needs group of London Councils on Friday 11 September 2020.
In his presentation to Deven covered the following agenda:
- Uncertainty: The outlook for the end of furlough and 2021
- The impact of COVID-19 to date: Data from 20 London BoroughsHousing affordability – who is at risk of homelessness
- The future outlook: Caseload, financial resilience and service demand
- Insight into action
For more details and to discuss how Policy in Practice can help your local authority to identify vulnerability, target support and track change using data please contact 020 3239 5579 or email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk.
COVID-19 has created residents who are newly financially vulnerable and who will be looking to you for help in the near future. But who are these people, and what action can you take now to stop them falling into crisis? And, critically, how will your support services need to adapt?
As the pandemic continues to hit the financial resilience of many families, councils are looking ahead to what this means for collection rates, and whether their council tax support schemes can cope with increased demand.
In this webinar, Zoe Charlesworth summarised the latest and forthcoming policy updates which will drive the need for local authorities to redesign their CTR schemes, highlighting the importance of how understanding this context can assist scheme design.
Paul Howarth presented some key insights from our analysis on Understanding the Impact of Universal Credit on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Rent Arrears in Wales.
Dr Ben Fell shared details of our latest work on future modelling and how it can help you future-proof CTR schemes for local authorities.
Finally, Sally Sanders shared how working with Policy in Practice has helped Enfield Council model a new scheme to help protect residents from COVID-19 income shocks.
Listen back to hear:
- New analysis for the Welsh Government on the impact of Universal Credit on rent and council tax arrears
- How COVID-19 is expected to change your caseload, and what this means for your council tax support scheme
-Measures you can take to boost future collection rates and minimise arrears
The future is uncertain and recovery will be tough. It’s difficult to make projections about what the policy landscape will look like, what the wider economic trends will be and what will happen to different groups of people.
But we need to make projections to see implications for demand for council support and services, and indebtedness.
Listen back to hear:
- Key findings from our rapid-response COVID-19 analysis for the Greater London Authority
- How a new approach to real-time analytics can support councils with their economic and social recovery plan
- What our new future modelling analysis is predicting for both household and council finances
Roundtable - Who are the most vulnerable residents in London?Policy in Practice
Local authorities have stepped up in the fight against Coronavirus. As the lockdown lifts and our thoughts turn to recovery, proactively identifying and targeting support to those who need help most, using all of the insights available, has never been more important.
In this roundtable, hosted by Policy in Practice, we discussed who the most vulnerable residents in London are, both now and in the future.
We shared the latest analysis from our data-led investigation into the causes and consequences of poverty in London, supported by Trust for London.
We also revealed findings from our research for the Greater London Authority on how different welfare support policies have impacted London's poorest households.
We explored what the findings mean for London's local authorities and how services may need to change to proactively safeguard the wellbeing of London's residents.
Listen back to learn about:
- The financial situation of London's residents before COVID-19
- How an Innovate UK backed project can local authorities a real-time view of living standards now
- Which households will be most vulnerable in 2021, how this will impact council finances, and actions councils can take to mitigate the impact on residents
- Findings from research for GLA into the impacts of COVID-19 on low-income Londoners and best practice in flexible collection practices
Our Trust for London supported project will continue for another six months so councils who have not yet taken part still have time to do so. Email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242for details.
Many self-employed people will receive a grant through the new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) this month. These payments can be up to £7,500 and will be counted as earnings under Universal Credit.
As a result, lots of self-employed households will be affected by the complex 'surplus earnings' rules for the first time. In short, these rules mean that for many households, the SEISS money will be taken into account as earnings not just for the month it was received, but for future months as well.
Welfare advisors need to understand the rules, and need a tool that can calculate eligibility all in one place, in order to advise people what their Universal Credit payments will be, and when they need to reclaim.
Hear from Sue McCarron from Citizens Advice Wirral who shared how frontline staff have supported customers facing with fluctuating income using the Benefit and Budgeting Calculator.
Review the slide to learn:
- A simple guide to the SEISS, Universal Credit and surplus earnings rules
- Worked examples to illustrate the challenge, and what to look out for
- How our Benefit and Budgeting Calculator helps
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has made life tough for people who are scared for their health and their finances. It’s also brought huge pressure to frontline organisations who are there to help.
In this webinar we are joined by Ellie Kershaw, Tower Hamlets and Grant Bailey, Cheltenham Borough Homes to discuss how they are dealing with the current changes, and how the crisis now will affect their residents in the future.
We explore how services may need to change and how organisations can be proactive now to safeguard their residents’ wellbeing.
Review the slides to learn:
- How other organisations are helping people deal with Coronavirus
- Ideas to consider that can drive a proactive, prevention approach
- Best practice for dealing with increased demand with limited resources
May recap of the major benefits changes and Coronavirus (COVID-19)Policy in Practice
As new measures to control Coronavirus (COVID-19) are introduced Policy in Practice's Head of Policy, Zoe Charlesworth, summarises the major changes to the welfare system.
As part of the support we've been providing we’ve answered hundreds of questions from people worried about the impact of Coronavirus on their income.
In addition, Megan Mclean shares some of the common questions we’ve received on our Coronavirus support page from people who are worried about their income.
Special guest Victoria Todd, Low Incomes Tax Reform Group, updates us on tax credits.
Finally, Peter Carter briefly walks through software tools that help our clients to give the best advice possible to their customers.
Review the slides to learn:
- What policy measures are in place to protect people
- The impact of COVID-19 welfare measures
- What the main concerns of people are
- How organisations are responding
Register now for our next webinar 'Coronavirus: Stories from the frontline' taking place on May 20 at 10:30 here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7790971575243794701
If the date of this webinar has passed you can view our webinars on demand here http://policyinpractice.co.uk/events/
Recap of the major benefits changes and Coronavirus (COVID-19)Policy in Practice
As new measures to control Coronavirus (COVID-19) are introduced Policy in Practice's Head of Policy, Zoe Charlesworth, summarises the major changes to the welfare system.
As part of the support we've been providing we’ve answered hundreds of questions from people worried about the impact of Coronavirus on their income. Zoe shares of the common themes emerging and our thoughts on policy changes that could help. Zoe also shares highlights from the analysis we've done to show the impact of the new measures and how they will help households hit by Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Review the slides to learn:
- What benefits people in different situations might get
- How to get the most support for families and households
- Common questions people are asking, and our answers
- What the impact of the 3 main changes mean for households
As new measures to control Coronavirus (COVID-19) are introduced, Policy in Practice was joined by RedQuadrant to discuss how data analytics can identify people who are most highly impacted by the virus, and the best way to engage with those of us who are most vulnerable.
Review the slides to learn:
- What policy measures have been put in place to protect people
- Who is vulnerable: The three main groups
- How you can best identify vulnerable people
- How you can best engage with vulnerable people
In this Policy in Practice webinar Deven Ghelani and Louise Murphy were joined by Mark Fowler, Community Solutions Director for London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to talk about designing effective data-led local authorities.
Today's forward thinking local authorities are adopting a data led approach to deliver the highest quality, people-centred services for their residents. By applying smart analysis techniques to their data, councils are developing big ideas for change that are working in their areas.
In the latest of our webinars showcasing how public sector administrative data is being used for good, join us to hear how our guest speakers are using data to transform their organisations intelligently.
Listen back to hear how data analysis has:
- Helped redesign corporate strategy
- Enabled services to be redesigned around residents
- Evidenced service need that's driven decision making
To find out more visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk, email hello@policyinpractice.co.uk or call 0330 088 9242
hority clients who are analysing their administrative datasets using a LIFT Dashboard to identify vulnerability, target support and track change amongst their low income families.
For more information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 008 9242 or visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Benefit and Budgeting Calculator Steering Group 23 January 2020Policy in Practice
in Practice clients including housing associations, local authorities, utility and third sector organisations.
For more information contact hello@policyinpractice.co.uk, call 0330 008 9242 or visit www.policyinpractice.co.uk
Explore our comprehensive data analysis project presentation on predicting product ad campaign performance. Learn how data-driven insights can optimize your marketing strategies and enhance campaign effectiveness. Perfect for professionals and students looking to understand the power of data analysis in advertising. for more details visit: https://bostoninstituteofanalytics.org/data-science-and-artificial-intelligence/
Levelwise PageRank with Loop-Based Dead End Handling Strategy : SHORT REPORT ...Subhajit Sahu
Abstract — Levelwise PageRank is an alternative method of PageRank computation which decomposes the input graph into a directed acyclic block-graph of strongly connected components, and processes them in topological order, one level at a time. This enables calculation for ranks in a distributed fashion without per-iteration communication, unlike the standard method where all vertices are processed in each iteration. It however comes with a precondition of the absence of dead ends in the input graph. Here, the native non-distributed performance of Levelwise PageRank was compared against Monolithic PageRank on a CPU as well as a GPU. To ensure a fair comparison, Monolithic PageRank was also performed on a graph where vertices were split by components. Results indicate that Levelwise PageRank is about as fast as Monolithic PageRank on the CPU, but quite a bit slower on the GPU. Slowdown on the GPU is likely caused by a large submission of small workloads, and expected to be non-issue when the computation is performed on massive graphs.
Data Centers - Striving Within A Narrow Range - Research Report - MCG - May 2...pchutichetpong
M Capital Group (“MCG”) expects to see demand and the changing evolution of supply, facilitated through institutional investment rotation out of offices and into work from home (“WFH”), while the ever-expanding need for data storage as global internet usage expands, with experts predicting 5.3 billion users by 2023. These market factors will be underpinned by technological changes, such as progressing cloud services and edge sites, allowing the industry to see strong expected annual growth of 13% over the next 4 years.
Whilst competitive headwinds remain, represented through the recent second bankruptcy filing of Sungard, which blames “COVID-19 and other macroeconomic trends including delayed customer spending decisions, insourcing and reductions in IT spending, energy inflation and reduction in demand for certain services”, the industry has seen key adjustments, where MCG believes that engineering cost management and technological innovation will be paramount to success.
MCG reports that the more favorable market conditions expected over the next few years, helped by the winding down of pandemic restrictions and a hybrid working environment will be driving market momentum forward. The continuous injection of capital by alternative investment firms, as well as the growing infrastructural investment from cloud service providers and social media companies, whose revenues are expected to grow over 3.6x larger by value in 2026, will likely help propel center provision and innovation. These factors paint a promising picture for the industry players that offset rising input costs and adapt to new technologies.
According to M Capital Group: “Specifically, the long-term cost-saving opportunities available from the rise of remote managing will likely aid value growth for the industry. Through margin optimization and further availability of capital for reinvestment, strong players will maintain their competitive foothold, while weaker players exit the market to balance supply and demand.”
Opendatabay - Open Data Marketplace.pptxOpendatabay
Opendatabay.com unlocks the power of data for everyone. Open Data Marketplace fosters a collaborative hub for data enthusiasts to explore, share, and contribute to a vast collection of datasets.
First ever open hub for data enthusiasts to collaborate and innovate. A platform to explore, share, and contribute to a vast collection of datasets. Through robust quality control and innovative technologies like blockchain verification, opendatabay ensures the authenticity and reliability of datasets, empowering users to make data-driven decisions with confidence. Leverage cutting-edge AI technologies to enhance the data exploration, analysis, and discovery experience.
From intelligent search and recommendations to automated data productisation and quotation, Opendatabay AI-driven features streamline the data workflow. Finding the data you need shouldn't be a complex. Opendatabay simplifies the data acquisition process with an intuitive interface and robust search tools. Effortlessly explore, discover, and access the data you need, allowing you to focus on extracting valuable insights. Opendatabay breaks new ground with a dedicated, AI-generated, synthetic datasets.
Leverage these privacy-preserving datasets for training and testing AI models without compromising sensitive information. Opendatabay prioritizes transparency by providing detailed metadata, provenance information, and usage guidelines for each dataset, ensuring users have a comprehensive understanding of the data they're working with. By leveraging a powerful combination of distributed ledger technology and rigorous third-party audits Opendatabay ensures the authenticity and reliability of every dataset. Security is at the core of Opendatabay. Marketplace implements stringent security measures, including encryption, access controls, and regular vulnerability assessments, to safeguard your data and protect your privacy.
How landlords can prepare for managed migration workshop
1. Policy in Practice
Universal Credit Advice How landlords can prepare
for managed migration
Wednesday 8 January 2020
2. Housekeeping
• Fire alarm and fire test
• Toilets
• Please ask questions
• Develop your action plan to take away
3. Agenda
• Background to Universal Credit managed migration
Zoe Charlesworth, Policy in Practice
• The view from the frontline
Nadine Burns and Michelle Birley, The Guinness Group
• Key challenges to smooth delivery of managed migration
Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
• Transitional Protection
Louise Murphy, Policy and Data Analyst, Policy in Practice
• Best practice advice for preparing tenants
Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
• How Royal Borough of Greenwich is preparing for managed migration
Corin Hammersley, Royal Borough of Greenwich
• Develop your own proactive action plan for managed migration
6. A team of
professionals
with extensive
knowledge of the
welfare system
who are
passionate about
making social
policy work
We help local
authorities use
their household
level data to
identify
vulnerable
households,
target support
and track their
interventions
We develop
engaging software
that helps people
to increase their
income, reduce
their costs and
helps them to
build their
financial
resilience
9. What is “Managed Migration”?
• The move to Universal Credit for claimants who have not “naturally
migrated” by the start date of managed migration
• The start date of managed migration will depend on learning from a pilot
commencing in July 2019 in Harrogate of up to 10,000 claims. The rollout is
likely to start in 2020 (subject to meeting tests and passing of new
regulations in Parliament)
• Completion is hoped for by December 2023
• Who is affected?
• 36% ESA
• 54% tax credits
• 10% other means-tested benefits
• Approximately a third of eventual UC claimants will move through managed
migration (around 2 million households)
• Those in receipt of Severe Disability Premium are protected against natural
migration
10. How will it happen?
The Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous
Amendments) Regulations 2019
Provides for a pilot and includes provision for:
• Migration notice
• Specified deadline date (at least 3 months from notice)
• Deadline date can be cancelled or extended
• Legacy benefits cancelled following deadline
• Automatic backdating if within one month of deadline
• Two week run on of ESA, JSA, IS (from July 2020)
• The creation of a one year grace period from the Minimum Income Floor for
self-employed (for managed migration)
11. Transitional protection
Transitional protection is based on the monthly rate of existing benefits
compared to UC award on the deadline date
Cessation of transitional protection will occur in the following circumstances:
• a sustained (more than three months) earnings drop
• the formation or separation of a couple
• the ending of the Universal Credit award (where this was due to an increase
in earnings and a new claim is made within 4 months of the Universal Credit
award ending, the claimant will have their Transitional Protection re-awarded
as part of their new award of Universal Credit)
Transitional protection will reduce through uprating
Particular concerns regarding the housing element
12. SSAC Consultation 2018
The SSAC received a record number of submissions
…”particularly struck by the degree of anxiety that was conveyed to us in the
submissions”
…”it is evident that any weakness within the Universal Credit system will be
brought into greater relief when managed migration gets underway”
Submissions showed particular concerns about:
• People living in unstable accommodation
• People at risk of domestic violence
• People living with disability which impaired engagement / access
• People unable to understand and act on information
• People without fluent English
• People without digital access
• Impact of tax credit overpayments
13. Changes prior to Managed Migration
• An additional £1.5 billion to support those moving to Universal Credit
• Advance payments more generous (up to 100% of the claimant’s expected
Universal Credit award) plus an extension of repayment of advance payments
from 6 months to 12 months
• Removal of the seven day waiting period at the start of a claim
• Provision of an additional two weeks of Housing Benefit transitional
payments which do not need to be repaid
• A £1000 annual increase in the Work Allowances from April 2019
• A reduction in the cap for deductions from 40% to 30% to soften the burden
of repayments of debts
• Advances can be repaid over 16 months (Oct 2021)
• An extension in the surplus earnings disregard exception for up to £2500 for
another year from 2019 to 2020
14. Preparation for Managed Migration
The DWP is co-designing the process with claimants, charities, experts and other
stakeholders through webinars and workshops.
Much of this will be “tested” through the Harrogate pilot.
• Pilot includes all case types including “complex” claims
• “Anxiety” of claimants informs the “Who knows me?” approach
• Starting with support through JSA (and later HAs and other organisations)
• Terminology change: “Move to UC” rather than “Managed Migration”
• Testing of IT readiness for Transitional Protection through the pilot
• Testing pre-population from HMRC “at some point in the pilot”
• Testing engagement in the pilot (claims not terminated)
15. What happens next?
Expansion to full rollout if tests are met:
• IT
• Delivery partners readiness
• Trained staff
• Assumptions and contingencies if assumptions not met
• Claimant understanding
• Claimant support
But depends on new regulations being passed
Delivery partners are preparing independently
• Identification
• Engagement
• Support
16. 161616
The view from the frontline
Nadine Burns, Customer Support Team Manager Michelle
Birley, Customer Support Manager
The Guinness Group
17. <Insert title using Ariel 26pt>
<Insert date using Arial 18pt>
Universal Credit & Migration Planning
Michelle Birley - Customer Support Manager
Nadine Burns - Customer Support Team Manager
18. The Guinness Partnership
Top 10 local
authorities
Homes
Cheshire East 5,428
Milton Keynes 5,203
Havant 3,896
Manchester 3,847
Sheffield 2,378
Rochdale 2,110
Stockport 1,680
Hackney 1,652
Oldham 1,355
Gloucester 1,231
North: 32,035 homes
South: 18,619 homes
West: 15,521 homes
170+ LAs / 650+ Job Centres
19. We’re here to improve people’s lives and create possibilities
for them.
Our social purpose
We describe ourselves as a customer service organisation
because it’s our tenants and residents that we’re here for.
20. Successful homes
Fuel
• Not in fuel
poverty
• On the right
(social) tariff
• Energy efficiency
and advice
• Confident to
switch
• Accessing
support from
utility
Finance
• Able to pay rent
• Financially
confident & able to
budget
• Right benefits at
the right rate
• Manageable debt
• Employed /
seeking
employment
• Not sanctioned
Food
• Not reliant on food
banks
• Able to identify and
buy affordable food
• Have the
equipment to
prepare food
Furniture
• Has the basics,
at least – beds,
chairs, bedding,
table
• Safe white goods
– fridge, cooker,
washing machine
Empowering customers to have a successful, independent tenancy
in their home
21. • In 2014 – 2016 housing facing significant welfare reform
• Universal Credit Live
• Did not know who was claiming Universal Credit
• Small numbers, but 21% arrears
• DWP limited housing knowledge
• In-house systems being developed
• Learning as we went along
Our Universal Credit journey
Date
Number of UC Claimants
(TGP)
Arrears as a % of debit
(UC customers)
% on direct payment
to TGP
October 2017 1,222 22.0% 35%
October 2018 4,644 12.6% 33%
October 2019 10,530 10.3% 28%
22. 7535
8050 8466
8964 9379 9801 10230 10578
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
April May June July August September October November
UC Customers
£850
£813
£776 £778
£840
£790
£782
£777
£720
£740
£760
£780
£800
£820
£840
£860
April May June July August September October September
UC Customers average arrears
Customer Numbers and Average Arrears
24. • DWP Trusted Partner Status and access to the Landlord
portal
• System changes
• Customer support – guidance, help, advice – 85% need
help
• 8,000 customers supported in this financial year
• Cross team working
• Budgeting calculator
• Training and e-learning for all staff
• Prevention – pre-tenancy, week 1, week 5, week 8
• Alternative Payments Arrangements vs Direct Debit
• Universal Credit tracker
• Speed, efficiency and intervention
How have we achieved this?
25. Harrogate – Move2UC pilot
• Around 1,000 homes in Harrogate
• 388 customers already in receipt of UC
• 210 customers on HB
• Self Payers and tax credits – high
employment – not just housing costs
• DWP ‘Who knows you best’ model
26. • Payment analysis
• Migration tracker
• ‘Untidy tenancies’
• APA versus Direct Debit?
• Get to know our UC Project Team – co-design
• Stakeholder meetings
• Targeted Communications – benefit claimants, self
payers and homeowners
• Planned migration versus natural migration
Planning for Migration
27. • Customer understanding ( weekly benefit,
fortnightly, 4 weekly )
• DWP getting it right
• Erosion – rent increases, wage increases,
changes in circumstances
Challenges of Transitional Protection
30. 303030
Key challenges to smooth delivery of managed
migration
Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
31. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
Universal Credit for “Working Age” claimants
Tackling the challenges of Natural & Managed
Migration
UC Advice & Advocacy Ltd
Policy in Practice
London January 2020
32. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
32
Natural & Managed Migration concerns
What % of your “working age” tenants have already
transitioned to Universal Credit?
Of those still to migrate what % are:
a) Unemployed;
b) Sick/Disabled;
c) Part of full-time workers
d) Self-employed
What, if anything, concerns you about the expansion of the
rollout and, in particular, Managed Migration?
33. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
33
Transition from “Live to “Full Service”
delivery
Should you be concerned?
DWP’s Directorate believes the transition from “Live” to “Full Service” overall, was very
successful, with only a few problems occurring.
Can you recall what happened to:
Your tenants’ existing UC awards?
Why did they have to make a “new” claim when one already existed?
Were all APAs you had previously negotiated transferred automatically to Full Service?
Did any of your tenants fail to make their online claim on time and lose out as a result?
Did the transition add significantly to demands for advice & support?
Did this phase have any affect on tenants rent arrears?
What have you made of DWP’s “payment system”?
34. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
34
Problems associated Migration exercise
To date there’s 2.8 million UC recipients; most of whom are single or childless couples, and
unemployed; around 40% have NO housing costs; nearly 7 years into the migration process!
DWP is currently adding around 130,000 new “natural migration” awards every month & hopes to
add, in total, a further 4.5 million recipients by December 2023.
Most of these cases will be more complex, and time consuming, than those earlier awards; most
will include housing costs and 40-60% should be entitled to Transitional Protection.
Legacy Benefit claimants affected MUST make a New Claim for Universal Credit within 3 month
prescribed period. Delay or failure to do so, could result in NO payments whatsoever!
Around 20% of claims fail, due to non-attendance at “Work-Coach” interview or through failing to
produce ID validation or make “claimant commitment” or respond to periodic “To-do’s”
Each UC claimant expected to use “online journal” as main means of communicating with DWP,
including reporting “changes in circumstances”. Is that working well?
DWP’s poor lines of communication and insistence on “Explicit Consent” impedes & frustrates
attempts to assist tenants. Do you agree?
35. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
35
Managed Migration Notice & Process
Original anticipated start date; July 2020, operating on an area by area basis.
Step 1 – Issue of Migration Notice to each claimant & partner, giving them a deadline date to claim
Universal Credit AND advise “legacy awards” cancelled the day before deadline with or without a
UC claim having been made
Example – Mr Couling (55) receives his MM Notice dated 1st July 2020 with a deadline date of 30th
September.
If Mr Couling makes his claim for UC on any date before or up to 30th September 2020 his UC will be
awarded from that date. The day before that, his “legacy claims” will end.
If he fails to claim UC by 30th September 2020 his legacy claims, including Housing Benefit, end, in any
case!
However, if he makes his claim for UC by no later than 30th of October (2nd deadline date), his claim for UC
will start from 1st October 2020
DWP have also agreed to pay a 2 week run-on of Housing Benefit (but not in Supported Accommodation)
and the Claimant’s personal benefits like Income Support, ESA(IR), Tax Credits at the initial point of
transfer!
36. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
36
Managed Migrant’s “Transitional Protection”
An award, paid as a separate UC “element” designed to offset “actual losses” at the point of
transition to UC Full Service.
The TP is purely temporary and may be reduced or cancelled, due to changes in the claimant’s
level of UC award, variations in their earnings and other changes, including cancellations, which
may occur.
For example: Jane & Graham had a “legacy benefit” entitlement of £1100 pcm. Their UC
equivalent amounts to £1000 – leaving £100 of a difference to paid as TP. The following April their
UC rate increases to £1050 – at the same time their TP reduces by £50.
2nd Example – Same couple. Graham’s earnings increase reducing his UC entitlement and TP at the
rate of the 63% taper until his earnings leave him with no entitlement.
“Significant changes” can wipe out TP immediately and include:
Partner leaves/joins your household
Claimant or partner’s earnings drop beneath the level expected of them in their claimant commitment (for
three months in a row)
The Universal Credit award ends
Claimant or Partner stop working
37. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
37
Transitional Payment Protection
Example: Akeel is 37 and under legacy claims he qualifies for PIP
(Daily Living), ESA (IR) of £194.30 (£73.10 +SDP £65.85 + EDP £
£16.80 + Support Component of £ £38.55) + £400 Housing Costs =
£1241.97
Under UC, he would qualify for: £317.82 Personal + £336 .20
Disability element + £400 Housing costs = £1054.
Difference amounts to £187 which is paid as a separate TP element
each month.
He moves address and is required to pay £500pcm (increase of
£100) for his housing costs. In effect, he has to absorb increase by
using his TP.
38. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
38
Advice & Support
Mr X, one of your tenants, makes his claim for Universal Credit on 20th December 2019
but fails to keep his appointment with the job coach on 27th December. DWP
immediately cancels his claim. What can he do, if anything?
Mr X is advised by his Job coach that his initial online claim, dated 28th December is
incomplete as he’s failed to produce bank statements showing the £7500 stated on his
claim for UC. He’s given 1 week to produce or his claim will be cancelled, with no right
of appeal. Can his work coach cancel his claim and/or deny him appeal rights?
Miss X & Mr Y are joint tenants of Paragon Asra and have been claiming UC “full service”
since March 2018. They’re paid on the 18th of each month and have a BAP covering the
13th-12th of each month. The couple separate, with Mr Y moving back to live with his
parents on the 10th December. Miss X and her two kids, aged 7 & 5, plan to keep living at
your property. How, and from what date, would their separation impact on their joint
claim for UC and what must each do to ensure the continuation of payments going
forward?
39. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
39
Severe Disability Premium (SDP) Exclusion!
From 16th January 2019 anyone in receipt of SDP or who was otherwise entitled, in the past month, cannot
claim Universal Credit; and
“Gateway” preventing access to UC will continue until Transitional Payment scheme is introduced which would
compensate all such claimants on their eventual transition to Universal Credit
SDP awarded primarily to single claimants, living on their own, who are also receiving DLA(Care) or PIP (Daily
Living). Regrettably, there is no equivalent element under Universal Credit.
Gateway introduced by the Government, following a successful Judicial Review appeal by two claimants, June
2018. Court found both had been unfairly discriminated against and should be compensated for the loss.
Case Report - https://universalcreditadvice.com/articles/high-court-win-no-2-for-severe-disability-premium-
laimants/
Both had been forced to claim UC, due to a change in their circumstances, discovered SDP was not a feature of
Universal Credit, and there was NO Transitional Protection to offset their significant financial loss.
Council Housing Benefit teams advised they need to check for SDP entitlement when they receive DWP’s STOP
NOTICE!
Example of breach - https://universalcreditadvice.com/news/dwp-gateway-howlers-causing-substantial-losses-to-
vulnerable-tenants/
Where the Council discover SDP in place, the Stop Notice will effectively be rescinded, permitting the
continuation of Housing Benefit or any associated legacy award.
Compensation scheme introduced in May 2019 to compensate earlier SDP cases that transitioned before
January 2019. Arrears paid are ignored for 12 months.
40. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
40
DWP’s “untidy tenancies”
DWP use the term to explain two types of tenancies
Joint tenancy, where those named, are jointly & severally liable for the contractual rent; and
One leaves the household e.g. male partner leaves or brother & sister tenancy, where either one
leaves.
Where one leaves the other liable person can be paid 100% of the rent
The other scenario is where there’s only one person named on the tenancy and they die, move
away e.g. to hospital, residential care or nursing home leaving son, daughter brother, sister etc in
the house on their own
Where the remaining person can demonstrate this is their normal home and they need help with their
housing costs DWP can pay the “housing costs element” even where there name does not appear on the
tenancy.
See bulletin https://universalcreditadvice.com/bulletins/dwps-untidy-tenancies-and-impact-on-housing-costs-
element/
41. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
41
Reviewing “untidy tenancy” rental costs
By letter or inserted in journal:
I write to request a revision of my UC award as I believe you have wrongly underpaid my “housing costs
element”. As I told you in my “journal entry” my partner, who was a joint tenant with me, left the property on
XXXXXXX, is now living with his parents and has no intention of returning to our home.
As a consequence of this and our “joint & several” liability to meet Connect Housing’s monthly rental charge, I
will now need to assume liability for the full amount of rent, otherwise, I’m in danger of accruing rent arrears,
putting my tenancy in jeopardy.
It’s my understanding, that in this situation DWP staff have been advised they should pay me the “housing costs
element” previously paid to us as a couple, to avoid the situation mentioned above and permit me to continue
residing in the property with my two children.
DWP issued a bulletin to this effect. I would draw your attention to Paragraph 2.7 as it specifically deals with
the set of circumstances I’ve alluded to
I realise I may be late in making this request but I had no knowledge of this and only through speaking to my
HAs Welfare Rights officer, did I realise your mistake and consequently, I’m only now able to respond in detail.
Please revise your earlier decision in my favour or, if not, issue your decision, in relation to my request, so that
I might pursue this matter with the Tribunal Service.
Many thanks
Tenant’s name
42. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
42
Housing Costs Contributions (HCC)
Monthly deduction amount of HCC is £73.89
HCC amount deducted from “eligible rent”. In the case of a couple, potentially 2 HCC deductions @ £72.16 can be made.
No deduction applies if:
Renter (liable person) and/or partner is in receipt of middle or higher rate of DLA Care or
Daily living component of PIP
Registered Blind
No deduction applies where non-dependent:
Under 21 years old;
Single Parent
Member of armed forces
In receipt of middle or higher rate of DLA Care or Daily living component of PIP
In receipt of Pension Credit and/or Carer’s Allowance
In prison
No Earnings Rule applied to income of Non-Dependent
Under 21 years old;
Single Parent
Member of armed forces
In receipt of middle or higher rate of DLA Care or Daily living component of PIP
In receipt of Pension Credit and/or Carer’s Allowance
In prison
43. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
43
“Revision” – award incorrectly assessed!
By letter or inserted in journal:
I write to request a revision of my UC award as I believe you have wrongly underpaid my “housing
costs element” by deducting a non-dependent charge of £73.89 As I’m the tenant and in receipt of
Higher Rate of DLA (Care) I should be exempt from this deduction.
I realise I may be late in making this request but I had no knowledge of this and only through
speaking to my HAs Welfare Rights officer, did I realise your mistake and consequently, I’m only
now able to respond in detail.
Please revise your earlier decision in my favour or, if not, issue your decision, in relation to my
request, so that I might pursue this matter with the Tribunal Service.
Many thanks
Tenant’s name
44. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
44
Change in circumstances?
What would happen to Universal Credit in the following scenarios?
In each example, the Benefit Assessment Period (BAP) covers the period from 22nd November to 21th December
2019
If Deborah, single parent, had a 2nd child, born on 20th December, how & when would this affect her
Universal Credit award?
If her HA landlord moved her to a larger property, on 21st December, with an extra £200 per month rental
charge, how & when would this affect her award?
If she, without notice, permanently vacated her home, on 20th December, without giving her landlord
notice what would happen to award?
Akeel (36), your tenant, starts working part-time (20 hours) for ASDA on 15th December and is being paid
£10 per hour. His first salary is due on 28th December. What must he report? When should he do that?
If Akeel’s wage, after deductions, exceeds his UC entitlement (including housing costs) what happens, if
anything, to his award?
George (56) who lives with wife dies on 20th December 2019 leaving her alone in the home. How would this
affect UC & housing element?
Would it make any difference if George lived alone at time of death?
45. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
45
April 2019 - Rent Increase Change!
DWP guidance placed expectation on tenants reporting the change in rent after 1st April 2019
SRS landlords expected to validate, in most cases, the new rent level via portal
DWP advice & guidance seriously flawed – It suggests only the tenant can provide update and must
do so in writing or via their online journal
DWP previously accepted (2014) that Landlord receiving APAs could and must do the reporting otherwise
any overpayments could be recovered due to failure to disclose material change
Change must also be reported during the course of tenant’s Benefit Assessment period, not after the event
as DWP’s guidance suggests
Delaying reporting could lead to tenants being under or overpaid.
DWP stubbornly digging their heels in – But see https://universalcreditadvice.com/articles/is-dwp-right-on-
insisting-only-tenants-can-notify-rental-charge-changes-no-is-the-answer/
46. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
46
“Late Revision” of 2019 Rent Increase
Dear DWP
I write in connection with the tenants detailed in the attached spreadsheet. Despite our best
attempts to make contact and prompt them to notify you of their April 2019 rent increase, they
still haven’t done this. As a result, they have accrued an amount of rent arrears which continues
to mount every month. If this continues we’ll be forced to pursue recovery action, which we
would prefer to avoid.
As landlord, and recipient of each tenants’ “housing costs element” we are obliged to notify DWP
of any material change that could affect benefit entitlement. As such, we would ask you to review
and revise each of their current awards to reflect the correct rental charge recorded on the
spreadsheet.
In the event you are unwilling to act on this request for what, in effect, is a supersession of an
existing claim, please explain why, as we plan to encourage and support our tenants to appeal
your decision.
Signed
47. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
47
Examples of recent client referrals involving
DWP “howlers”!
Cairn 1st Case - https://universalcreditadvice.com/news/tenant-rejects-dwp-advice-and-is-
rewarded-by-25000-windfall-2/
Cairn HA 2nd case - https://universalcreditadvice.com/news/another-dwp-howler-picked-up-and-
remedied-by-cairn-housing-staff/
“Live to Full Service” – APA “Drops off” says DWP! -
https://universalcreditadvice.com/articles/2824/
DWP found guilty of maladministration by Independent Case Examiner after 2-3 years wait for
Complaint outcome - https://universalcreditadvice.com/news/dwp-guilty-of-maladminstration-in-
100-of-cases-but-no-penalties-applied/
Universal Credit’s impact on Council HB administrations -
https://universalcreditadvice.com/bulletins/council-backdates-7000-to-clear-off-sheltered-
housing-rent-arrears/
48. W W W . U C A D V I C E . C O . U K
48
Key threats to tenants' entitlement and
Landlord’s income management!
Based on what you’ve learned today, identify:
Key threats to:
Tenants’ incomes; and
Your organisation’s Income & Debt Management?
Which of your tenants are “highest risk”?
What preparations have you already made to mitigate the potential problems that could
be faced by tenants?
What further actions, if any, could you take to mitigate the potential harmful effects of
the rollout to the organisation?
50. Transitional protection
Transitional protection is based on the monthly rate of existing benefits
compared to UC award on the deadline date
Cessation of transitional protection will occur in the following circumstances:
● a sustained (three months) earnings drop;
● the formation or separation of a couple;
● the ending of the Universal Credit award (where this was due to an increase
in earnings and a new claim is made within 4 months of the Universal Credit
award ending, the claimant will have their Transitional Protection re-awarded
as part of their new award of Universal Credit).
51. Our research: impact of UC (1)
● 40% of households lose support under UC,
60% gain support or see no change.
● 72% of all low-income self-employed
households will lose support, losing on
average £51/week.
○ 78% of low income self-employed people
have earnings such that they would be
affected by the minimum income floor.
○ The impact of the MIF will be greater after
April 2020 when the National Living Wage
is set to rise by 6.2%.
● Those that are living with disability and are in
receipt of PIP/DLA, but are not too ill to
work, will overwhelmingly be worse off under
Universal Credit
52. Our research: impact of UC (2)
● Tax credits recipients with savings >£16,000 will receive no UC
○ 90% of homeowners currently in receipt of tax credits only will be worse
off under Universal Credit
● Working lone parents are more likely to lose support under Universal
Credit: 50% lose support due to the removal of additional in-work support
for lone parents that existed under tax credits
● Those in receipt of some types of unearned income lose out under UC
○ A person working part time and in receipt of £450 monthly spousal
maintenance would be £297.85 per month worse off under Universal
Credit
○ A person in receipt of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit who
works part time and has 70% assessed level of disability would be
£414.30 per month worse off under Universal Credit
○ A student lone parent in receipt of a maintenance loan, childcare grant
and parents’ learning allowance would be £277.08 per month worse off
under Universal Credit
58. Deciding when to move to UC
Transitional protection is
based on the monthly
rate of existing benefits
compared to UC award
on the deadline date
For households in work
(or in receipt of CA,
contributory ESA/JSA or
other income), you can
work out the best time
for them to claim UC in
order to maximise their
TP.
59. Supporting people during the move to UC
Budgeting support during the
transition to UC
Looking ahead
We’ll be acting on feedback from
Guinness advisors in Harrogate. So far:
• Add an option for households who
have received a migration notice but
have not yet moved onto UC
• Update the UC calendar to include
more personal information e.g. start
of the school year, family birthdays
We’ll also be adding a ‘Next month’s
UC’ screen to the calculator
62. 626262
How Royal Borough of Greenwich is preparing
for managed migration
Corin Hammersley, Royal Borough of Greenwich
63. Name of presentation
Preparing for Managed
Migration
8th January 2020
Corin Hammersley
Training, Policy and Welfare Rights Manager
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Corin.Hammersley@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
64. Name of presentation
Welfare Rights Service
• 2nd Tier support (training,
publicity, adviser line)
• Public Advice Line & online
queries
• Joint work with Council services
such as:
• HB assessment
• Emergency Support scheme
• Housing Inclusion Service
• Public Health
• Outreach at local advice hub,
Council Tax court summons
sessions
• Take up initiatives, e.g. mixed
age pensioners; private sector
households
65. Name of presentation
Universal Support Team
• Aim of the team is to help clients improve
their financial stability and being able to
maintain their UC claim independently.
• Support includes helping clients to
understand and manage their claims,
maximise their income and budget their
money.
• Service is for clients once they are on UC
(to compliment CAB’s Help to Claim
Service).
• Cases from direct referrals from advisers &
self referrals
• Outreach & publicity around borough
• 600 cases since April 2019
• Average 6.5 contacts per client
66. Name of presentation
To enable residents to
manage their
Universal Credit (UC)
claim independently
&
improve financial
stability
Identifying
additional
financial
support
Resolving
legacy benefit
problems
(jointly with
Welfare Rights
Service)
Establishing
UC Claim*
Review UC
claim for
appropriate
deductions/
APAs /
claimant
commitment
Assisted
digital
support
Budgeting
advice,
including
support for
appropriate
banking and
debt advice
Joint working
with other
teams and
departments
Identify
safeguarding
needs
Refer/signpost
to other
support in the
borough
Universal
Support Team
67. Name of presentation
RBG Benefit Safeguarding Alert
What is it?
• Developed following our improved
understanding of internal DWP safeguarding
guidance
• Form enables residents to self declare that
they have a health condition or vulnerability
to DWP/LA
How does it help?
• DWP/JCP and LA to consider appropriate
safeguarding procedures where it is in place
• For UC: Work Coach to take into account
when considering conditionality and
discretion (help to prevent sanction risks)
• HB Assessors should take extra steps to
contact client before suspending/ending
benefit
• CTAX seek proactive contact and to avoid
enforcement action where at all possible
68. Name of presentation
Managed Migration
Case study
SC was on UC Live Service.
She failed to engage with DWP to
move to UCFS. UC claim stopped.
She was evicted from PRS
accommodation three months later.
She intermittently attended JCP drop
in, but could not follow through to
engage. History of non engagement
to various services emerged (DWP,
GP, Council services). Extent of
mental health discovered, has been
in temporary accommodation eight
months.
DWP notifications for LCTS
HB Stop
New Claim
First Payment/CIC
Termination
We therefore potentially will
know when HB stops but UC
claim hasn’t been made =
indicator to consider
proactive intervention
69. Name of presentation
What works?
Utilise data -
gives LAs the
advantage
Holistic
services
Build
relationships,
joined up / joint
working
70. 707070
Interactive session: Develop your proactive
action plan for managed migration
Break into groups to discuss:
1. what you still need to know
2. what actions your organisation should take
3. what barriers you may face
72. Next steps
• Feedback forms
• Slides will be emailed to you
• Keep in touch via webinars and newsletters
73. 737373
Thank you
Bill Irvine, Universal Credit Advice
Zoe Charlesworth, Policy in Practice
Michelle Burley, The Guinness Group
Nadine Burns, The Guinness Group
Louise Murphy, Policy in Practice
Corin Hammersley, RB Greenwich
You
Editor's Notes
We help organisations to support vulnerable families using the software we’ve created
Like you, these organisations want to give the very best support they can to help people
--
Analytics – Software – Policy
Overview of where our stock is
The context in which we work
Large northern footprint
Stock in some of the top 1% most deprived communities
Challenge of working across lareg number of LA’s and job centres
What we stand for, how we deliver our service style
When you get a successful tenancy right
1% rent cut, LHA Cap, no housing costs for 18 – 21 year olds – dark times for housing
10 weeks payment, 32 weeks for rent account stabilise, was 26 weeks
Sugar was needed
Being a trusted partener improved verification
In house system changes so we can record who is on UC – basics
Work of our Customer Accounts Team
Better off a calculator
Affordability Assessments
Pre tenancy checks
Improved our own knowledge
Our inhouse customer support team
But this takes resource
Earnings drop = below the single/couple administrative threshold.
Less than a year vs more than a year - used to work out the capital disregard for those entitled to TC with capital over £16,000.
and MIF for self-employed
The transitional element is calculated by comparing the total amount of all existing benefits to which the claimant or joint claimants are entitled (the total legacy amount) with the total amount of UC to which they would be entitled (the indicative UC amount) based on the same circumstances as the existing award on migration day. Where the total legacy amount is greater than the UC indicative amount, the difference is included in the calculation of the UC award as a transitional element1 . Where the indicative UC amount exceeds the total legacy amount, no transitional element is included.
If you have a decrease in your Universal Credit entitlement, for example because of an increase in your earnings, your transitional protection amount will not be reduced straight away. This is to make sure that work incentives are protected.Your transitional amount won't be reduced until your Universal Credit entitlement falls to £0. Even then you won't lose all your transitional protection amount at once, it will be removed at the set taper rate, currently 63%. This means you will lose 63p of your transitional protection amount for every £1 you earn.
Read out case studies
Working on webpage for RBG website
We need feedback for who does use it on how they are seeing it work in practice
We have had conversations with DWP/Caxton House on how it could be adopted more widely.
We are working with other LA departments on how it can be incorporated, i.e. Housing departments.