Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 28
28
Accepted
Insufficient understanding and capacity of ACSSLs hinders DWP's safeguarding effectiveness
Conclusion
Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders (ACSSLs) form a core part of DWP’s safeguarding strategy and undertake significant public facing and operational roles. Despite ACSSLs playing a critical role in DWP’s approach 99 to safeguarding, there remains a lack of understanding, including amongst organisations that support claimants, about the work ACSSLs undertake. This inhibits their effectiveness. Furthermore, there are currently only 37 ACSSLs who work on a regional basis across England, Scotland and Wales. As the Department reviews and improves its approach to safeguarding, it is likely that the expertise of ACSSLs will be drawn on more heavily, and that limits on capacity will hinder the Department’s ability to discharge its safeguarding responsibilities effectively. (Conclusion, Paragraph 118)
Government Response Summary
The government states current ACSSL resourcing levels are appropriate and additional roles were introduced to support them. They indicate ACSSLs actively promote their role and foster external relationships, and will continue to explore ways to increase their visibility.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Since its introduction, the ACSSL role has been continuously monitored to ensure it meets both customer and business needs – current resourcing levels have been confirmed as appropriate to deliver the service effectively. In 2022/23, additional roles were introduced to provide direct support to ACSSLs and further strengthen the network. ACSSLs actively promote their role in their local areas, forming over 1,600 external relationships across 2024/25. These relationships help them stay informed about key local issues and create more effective escalate routes to support customers. This has led to a rise in external referrals, which accounted for 45% of all ACSSL referrals in 2024/25 – up from 41% the previous year. While DWP continues to explore ways to increase visibility of ACSSLs in future publications, the Department does not believe a direct route to ACSSLs for individual benefit enquiries is necessary. Existing channels already allow customers to raise concerns and access support, and ACSSLs are not intended to replace these frontline services. Instead, their role is to support complex cases and strengthen local partnerships. DWP remains committed to working with external partners to ensure appropriate escalation routes are in place and will consider how best to communicate these pathways in future updates.