Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 21
21
Deferred
Ensure Jobcentres provide equivalent comprehensive support to claimants as 'Help to Claim' service.
Recommendation
DWP must ensure that Jobcentres can provide as thorough a service as used to be offered through Help to Claim. We recommend that, in its response to this report, DWP sets out where the support offered in Jobcentres and through home visits differs from that provided by Help to Claim. If it identifies a shortfall, DWP must set out how it intends to provide equivalent support to claimants who require it. (Recommendation, Paragraph 80)
Government Response Summary
The government responded by outlining steps to improve transparency and oversight of serious cases through new appointments to boards, rather than addressing the specific recommendation about Jobcentre support equivalence.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Department will consider how it continues to build transparency by talking to other organisations about how they do this. The Government welcomes this recommendation and has already appointed an independent member to the Clinical Governance and Excellence Board to ensure best practice is followed. In addition, DWP’s Serious Case Panel is chaired by a Non-Executive Director to provide oversight of learning from themes of Serious Cases at a departmental level. 15