Conclusion 13

We asked the Department how concerned we should be that over half of jobcentres have had to reduce their support for Universal Credit claimants due to the shortage of work coaches. The Department told us that we should not be concerned because, where there are not enough 20 Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions, 29 May 21 The Department for Work and Pensions, Pathways to Work, CP 1297, March 2025 22 The Department for Work and Pensions, Government bolsters employment support to unlock work for sick and disabled people, 06 March 2025 23 Q 63 24 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.17-2.20 11 work coaches, it has reduced the frequency of interventions in areas that it thinks make the least difference to outcomes, primarily the outcomes about getting people into work.25 The Department also told us that the impact that the reduction in support has had on claimants has been minimised because the flexibility framework preserves the core support and only focuses on activities that do not impact getting people into work. The Department referred to an evidence base to support that assertion but did not explain what that was.26 The most recent evidence for its central support model dates from 2015 and so did not cover Universal Credit claimants, which the Department rolled out for new claims nationwide in 2018.27