Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted
Explain plans to review Help to Claim service and address unmet demand from vulnerable claimants.
Conclusion
The Department is reducing its grant funding for the external Help to Claim service at the same time as more claimants will need advice and support to move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit. The ‘Help to Claim’ service, provided through grant funding agreements between the Department and Citizens Advice, has been a source of independent support and advice to people making a Universal Credit claim since 2019. The Department expects more people will use the Help to Claim service in the next two years (191,000 claimants in 2024–25 and 161,000 claimants in 2025–26) than will have used it in the current year (131,000 claimants in 2023–24). Despite this, it has been reducing its funding for the Help to Claim service – from £38 million in 2019–20 to £22 million in 2023–24 and £19 million per year on average over the next two years. Initially, the service provided online, telephone and face-to-face support, but since 2022 the service has not been funded to offer face-to-face support. Organisations who work with benefit claimants are concerned about the reduction in the Help to Claim service and about the fact that it no longer includes face-to-face support. Recommendation 5: The Department should explain how it will keep under review the operation of the Help to Claim service and the actions it will take should the service be unable to meet demand, in particular of vulnerable claimants.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will comprehensively monitor the Help to Claim service through weekly, monthly, and quarterly meetings, board reviews, and mid- and end-of-year reports to ensure it meets demand, especially for vulnerable claimants.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The department comprehensively monitors Help to Claim’s performance and works with Citizens Advice to ensure the support offer is working effectively and able to meet demand. Regular monitoring activity includes: • weekly delivery checkpoints which review telephony and webchat performance, • monthly finance and operational meetings with Citizens Advice, • monthly meetings with the department’s operational colleagues to gather feedback on Help to Claim delivery, • quarterly board meetings to review delivery against agreed outcomes and Key Performance Indicators, • monthly senior meetings between the department and Citizens Advice, focused on overall delivery and strategic planning, and • mid and end-of-year reports assessing performance, client data and client experience. The department is confident that the current support offer is working effectively. Since April 2019, Help to Claim has supported over 900,000 people, with 90% rating their overall experience as good or very good. The department is currently working with Citizens Advice to consider the impact on Help to Claim of bringing forward the migration of remaining Employment and Support Allowance claimants to Universal Credit and what steps are needed to ensure the right support is in place for these customers. This is in addition to the department’s existing monitoring to check the system can meet demand and iterate the approach as required if any problems arise.