Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Accepted
Department projects increased uptake of independent "Help to Claim" service over next two years.
Conclusion
The ‘Help to Claim’ service has been a source of independent support and advice to people making a UC claim since April 2019. The Department funds Citizens Advice to support people to claim UC, either as a new claimant or someone moving from a legacy benefit, with support available from before people make a claim until they receive their first payment. The Department expects that 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 2023–24 (131,000 claimants).53
Government Response Summary
The government states the recommendation has been implemented, detailing existing comprehensive monitoring activities and ongoing work with Citizens Advice to ensure the Help to Claim service remains effective and can meet demand, especially for future claimant migrations.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 5.2 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. 5.3 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. 5.4 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.