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Improving the Benefits Experience for Bromley Residents

Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013. Improving the Benefits Experience for Bromley Residents. Sara Bowrey Assistant Director: Housing Needs London Borough of Bromley sara.bowrey@bromley.gov.uk. Share your thoughts:

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Improving the Benefits Experience for Bromley Residents

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  1. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Improving the Benefits Experience for Bromley Residents Sara Bowrey Assistant Director: Housing Needs London Borough of Bromley sara.bowrey@bromley.gov.uk Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  2. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Benefit cap and bedroom size criteria roll out – a cautious start Preparation: • Vigorous testing/ detailed analysis • Mapping the customer journey • Briefings & awareness raising • Mitigation plans • Protocols/joint working Applying the changes: • 1,600 affected by the bedroom size criteria • 148 capped cases • 100+ into work • 12 moves • 12 evictions Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  3. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 What worked well/Lessons Learnt • Take control • What works best in the locality • Joint working/co-location • information sharing • Don’t underestimate the time it takes to engage • The right staff & partners • The right skills • Consistent messages • Agreed outcomes Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  4. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Welfare Reforms Mandi Grice Jobcentre Plus amanda.grice@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  5. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Universal Credit Some changes have already been made as part of the wider welfare reform, which link directly to preparation for Universal Credit rollout these include: • Social Fund Reforms • Benefit Cap • Universal Jobmatch • Disability Living Allowance reforms • Conditionality & Sanctions Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  6. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Claimant commitment • Claimant Commitment will be introduced in Bromley from 25 November 2013 • Initially it will be rolled out for customers making a new claim to Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and work programme completers Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  7. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 What is claimant commitment? • A claimant commitment is: the claimants record of the responsibilities that they have accepted in return for receiving benefits and the consequences of not meeting them. • It is centred on a contractual concept that provides a range of support in return for claimant’s meeting an explicit set of responsibilities. Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  8. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Claimant commitment • The JSA Claimant Commitment is the primary document for agreeing and recording key information about the claimant’s • Availability for work • Types of work they are most suited to do • High level regular work search activities Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  9. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Work Plan • Every claimant will be issued with a work plan booklet. This allows claimants to take more responsibility for their work search actions, by planning how they will effectively look for work and so commit to meeting the requirements agreed on their Claimant Commitment • Claimants will be expected to take all reasonable steps to give themselves the best prospects of finding work. If they do not meet this requirement they will risk losing benefits • Claimants will be asked to prepare a detailed plan on how they will meet this requirement and provide evidence as to what they have done Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  10. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 The Impact of Universal Credit for our Clients Loraine Whittaker Chief Executive Officer Bromley Citizens Advice Bureau loraine.whittaker@bromcab.org.uk Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  11. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Citizens Advice - Nationally • A third of all our advice given is about benefits • More than 90% of the 700,000 benefit clients will be affected by the forthcoming changes to welfare • 50 per cent of everyday CAB clients (1,779 of 3,460) were identified as ‘Universal Credit relevant’ Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  12. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Citizens Advice – Findings from Pilot Areas • 49% are not ready to complete online application forms • 83% say they are not ready to budget with single monthly payments • 83% would find an adjustment period of fortnightly, rather than monthly, payments helpful • 86% claim they do not have the information they need about changes • 75% would find it helpful to have rent continued to be paid directly to their landlord to help them manage their finances Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  13. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Bromley Citizens Advice Bureau • Benefits – 8,647 • Debt – 4,170 • Housing – 3,000 Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  14. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Bromley CAB – Universal Credit Survey • 65% of our client group will be affected because they are of working age and currently receive one or more of the Universal Credit benefits. • July 2013 – October 2013 • 112 clients participated in the survey Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  15. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Bromley CAB Findings • 63% (71 out of 112) had not heard of Universal Credit before the Questionnaire • 89% (100 out of 112) indicated that they did not know whether they would be affected by Universal Credit • 72% (63 out of 88) said they were unaware of the change that Universal Credit will make to the way in which their benefits are paid Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  16. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Budgeting • 71% (66 out of 93) said they would find it difficult to manage if there are changes to the amount of money they have coming in • 44% (40 out of 90) said they had trouble keeping up with their priority bills i.e. rent Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  17. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Digital Inclusion • 30% did not have access to the internet • 49% (34 out of 69) would need help to fill out a detailed form online • 49% (34 out of 69) felt they would need support from us to move onto Universal Credit Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  18. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Biggest Challenge • Budgeting – 41% (45 out of 110) said they did not keep a budget • No of people who felt unable to claim online without help Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  19. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 How Can We help? • One of the great strengths of Bromley CAB is our local real time knowledge • We want to share this local knowledge to contribute to the understanding of local need & service development Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  20. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Single client journey John comes to his CAB worried about what UC means for him as he is already struggling with debt CAB advisor explains UC and helps him get online As John is worried that his current debts mean he will not be able to manage paying his own rent. His CAB advisor helps him make his case to DWP that for a short time he needs to have his housing benefit paid directly to his social landlord John feels more confident with managing money and now can manage to pay his own rent. CAB arranges for him to have advice on how to manage a monthly budget Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  21. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 Identify people now who need help claiming online – it will save you money in the medium term Start preparing people now with budgeting skills – and make sure there’s going to be provision in place Be prepared to learn and change in real time Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

  22. Building Better Support for Carers | The Adult Services Stakeholder Conference | 19 November 2013 And lastly, thank you! and, if you have any other ideas after today, let us know by Twitter by using #BASSCbenefits Share your thoughts: #BASSCbenefits

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