Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Rejected
Improve awareness of ACSSLs' roles and expand their capacity across Great Britain
Recommendation
We recommend DWP work to improve awareness of the work that Advanced Customer Support Senior Leaders undertake, including by setting out a full description of their role when publishing their new approach to safeguarding, and by promoting case studies. As part of its review into safeguarding, the Department should also assess ACSSL capacity against demand, including considering unmet need, and undertake work to understand the likely impact of any changes it makes to its approach on ACSSLs. If necessary, DWP should expand the number of ACSSLs working across Great Britain. (Recommendation, Paragraph 119)
Government Response Summary
The government states current ACSSL resourcing is appropriate and additional roles were introduced, effectively rejecting the need to assess capacity or expand the number of ACSSLs. They commit to exploring ways to increase ACSSL visibility in future publications, but do not accept specific methods like promoting case studies.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
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.