Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Deferred
Introduce statutory duty for DWP to safeguard vulnerable claimants department-wide.
Recommendation
We recommend DWP introduce a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable claimants that applies to the whole Department, and for which the Secretary of State is ultimately accountable. The duty should have regard to factors such as the wellbeing of vulnerable claimants and preventing harm, when exercising its functions. It should apply when developing, implementing and reviewing policy, and also cover specified duties that contain clear criteria and definitions, including: • a responsibility to proactively conduct a safeguarding assessment or identify if a claimant needs additional support; 94 • an obligation to both inform and proactively offer additional support measures to all claimants who might need such support; and • a duty to refer vulnerable claimants to other agencies, including those which have a duty of care, to ensure their additional needs are supported (Recommendation, Paragraph 31). Systems-based policymaking
Government response summary AI-generated
The government did not commit to introducing a statutory duty for safeguarding vulnerable claimants. Instead, it is engaging in a public consultation on safeguarding and establishing a Disability Advisory Panel, set to launch in summer 2025.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Government is open to the introduction of a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable customers and acknowledges the importance of a system-wide approach to ensure consistency, transparency and accountability across Government. As previously shared with the Committee, the Government has recently completed the consultation on the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, on a new DWP safeguarding approach. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will make a statement to the House in the Autumn, following the consideration of the consultation findings and on conclusion of the Department’s current safeguarding review, setting out DWP’s new approach to safeguarding. This will include a clear statement of intent to drive cultural change across all levels of the Department, renew the commitment to safeguarding, promote systems-based approaches, and define DWP’s role in supporting those with safeguarding needs.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗