Recommendation 26

The Department told us that the changing nature and complexity of its caseload had meant its staff required different training.46 In 2024, it introduced new training for staff, which included reinforcing the principles of Access to Work and the questions to ask customers such as whether they already have support in place, including adjustments made by their employer.47 The Department explained that cases where it had previously made a mistake were now coming up for renewal and receiving lower awards even though the customer’s situation had not changed.48 The Department acknowledged that its case managers had said they would like more guidance but its view was that many people would interpret that as a change in policy. It stressed that it had not changed the policy, but was trying to use the use the five principles to anchor its decision-making.49 Reasonable adjustments