Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Work coaches use their knowledge of claimants to decide what support a claimant might benefit...
Recommendation
Work coaches use their knowledge of claimants to decide what support a claimant might benefit from and whether to refer people onto particular schemes. However, the Department is not able to use this information when planning the scale of support it needs to provide because it is not always recorded on the system, and when it is recorded this is as free-text notes on a person’s benefit claim rather than something that can be easily aggregated and used to predict demand.13 Work coaches would know, for example, if claimants had English as a second language and so might benefit from language support as part of Restart. However, while the Department told us that it had learnt from providers that around 45% of recent Restart participants in some areas had English as a second language, it could not confirm whether such information was available from its own systems.14 This presumably makes it harder for providers to plan that provision. The Department also did not run any trials to assess the number of claimants that work coaches would find suitable for Restart but said it was a “genuinely important challenge” about “whether we [the Department] could have done more to test the assumptions”.15
Government Response Summary
The government claims to have already implemented improvements within the Universal Credit system in March 2023 to record more information on claimant's circumstances, but is unclear if aggregation would make programmes such as the Restart Scheme any more efficient.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 4.2 The department has introduced improvements, most recently in March 2023, within the Universal Credit system to record more information on claimant’s circumstances and potential barriers. This information can include a broad range of factors including whether the claimant: • is homeless • is an ex-offender • has addiction to drugs or alcohol • has caring responsibilities • has relevant health conditions or disability In addition to competence information including: • language • digital skills and access • confidence in work-search skills 4.3 Data may be collected as part of the work coach interaction with a claimant to help support work search planning and relies on claimants voluntarily providing information about their circumstances. However, as the improvements have recently been made, the department will need to monitor use of this data. 4.4 At this stage it is unclear whether aggregation would make programmes such as the Restart Scheme any more efficient as they are in any event predicated on bespoke action plans between providers and participants. Such information can change regularly and is not a way of defining the needs of an individual. Participants who might share similar characteristics still require bespoke action plans to reflect how any barrier actually affects them and their ability to find work.