New budgeting support for Universal Credit claimants
Money Advice Service’s Online Money Manager is an interactive tool that offers personalised advice on making the most of your money while you’re on Universal Credit. It offers help and advice on a range of money topics including opening a bank account, keeping on top of bills and dealing with debt.
Scottish politicians have reacted angrily to news that more Jobcentre Plus offices are to close in Scotland. Holyrood’s Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn said the cuts are disproportionate while both Green MSP Alison Johnstone and North and Leith MP Deirdre Brock said the decision is ‘wrong-headed’.
Terri Smith is a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where she represents Edinburgh Northern and Leith. She is also a young woman with health problems. Read her experience of facing a DWP appeal yesterday – and ask yourself what sort of country we’ve become …
I’ve never felt so belittled and demoralised in my life until today. I was in court this morning fighting against the DWP’s decision to declare me fit for work. Continue reading Our sick society?
Today Arbroath, Blairgowrie, Forfar, Montrose and Perth join the rest of Scotland’s jobcentres in offering Universal Credit to single jobseekers. Nearly 25,000 Scots are claiming Universal Credit and over 9,000 have moved into work under the new system, according to the Department of Work & Pensions.
The DWP says Universal Credit is designed to ensure people will be better off in work and the latest statistics show that people claiming it are finding work faster and earning more.
Those on Universal Credit are significantly more likely to find employment than those on Jobseeker’s Allowance and, for the first time ever, support is being offered to claimants to progress in their careers and increase their earnings.
Today, single jobseekers will be able to claim Universal Credit in:
The DWP has produced a short video about Universal Credit (below)
Universal Credit will eventually replace 6 existing benefits:
See the list of jobcentre areas where you can claim Universal Credit.
What’s your experience of Universal Credit? Let us know!
New State Pension for millions of new pensioners
The ‘biggest reform of the State Pension since it was created more than a century ago’ is at the heart of a major package of reforms to tax, pensions and savings to help workers which is coming into effect today. Continue reading Dignity in retirement?
‘inequalities faced by women have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda’ – Clare Adamson MSP
Women are being hit hard on multiple fronts by changes to the benefits system, according to a report published by Holyrood’s Welfare Reform Committee today.
The Committee found women are ‘disproportionately impacted’ by welfare reform across a range of issues and benefits. Its report includes recommendations to the Scottish Government and Department of Work and Pensions, aimed at mitigating the impact of welfare reform on women, including:
Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP, said: “The evidence we have set out confirms the devastating impact on women of the UK Government’s reforms to the social security system. Of particular concern is the cumulative impact on women hit by multiple benefits cuts, from child support to carer’s allowance.
“The UK Government urgently needs to look at how women are being affected by these changes and we are also calling on the Scottish Government to look at the gender impact of their own policy decisions.”
Deputy Convener Clare Adamson MSP, said: ““Our report shows inequalities faced by women in Scotland have been exacerbated by the welfare reform agenda. With the Scotland Bill still making its way through Westminster and the Chancellor set to announce even deeper cuts to welfare spending, the Committee is urging the Scottish Government to make use of expected new powers over welfare to help mitigate more of the negative impact of welfare reform on women.
“The Committee would, for instance, support a move away from monthly and single household payments under Universal Credit, as a way of protecting women’s financial autonomy.”
The report will come as no surprise to many, but perhaps of more concern is the scale of cuts still to come: Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce a further £12 billion of welfare ‘savings’ in his budget on Wednesday.
Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said more women could be pushed into poverty and disproportionately affected by social security reforms if the UK Government cuts £12 billion from its welfare budget.
Commenting on the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee’s Women and Social Security report Mrs Burgess expressed her fears that the UK Government’s emergency budget would only deepen the gender inequalities highlighted in the findings.
The report backed Scottish Government recommendations on payment flexibilities under Universal Credit and it also highlighted the need for gender impacts to be factored into any policy decisions.
Mrs Burgess will meet women at One Parent Families Scotland in Glasgow today to hear their views on how the Scottish Government can create a Fairer Scotland. This comes on the same day as Barnardo’s Scotland and the Scottish Government joined forces to call a halt to proposed cuts.
Mrs Burgess said: “It is alarming to see that women have been disproportionately affected by the UK Government’s benefits cuts and are twice as dependent on social security than men. I am deeply concerned that the UK Government’s £12 billion cuts will only widen this gap.
“With our new powers we will create a fairer and simpler social security system that aims to tackle gender and other inequalities. However we need to know how the UK Government’s cost cutting will affect benefits that are to be devolved.
“Organisations like One Parent Families Scotland and Barnardo’s Scotland see the effects of social security changes on the groups the report highlights as being particularly vulnerable, on a day to day basis, and are rightly concerned about the devastating impact further cuts could have on children.
“We welcome the Committee’s recommendations over Universal Credit and sanctions, and we will continue to do all we can to break down the barriers that prevent women from entering into work.
“Over the next few months we’ll be listening to the people affected by the UK Government’s welfare changes and cuts and, will be making sure we get the views of women on how we can create a system that suits their needs.
“Despite challenges from the UK Government we are tackling poverty head on. Our new Independent Adviser on Poverty and Inequality will be looking at what more we can do to lift people out of poverty, we have invested £296 million in welfare mitigation measures, extended our childcare and are encouraging employers to pay the Living Wage.”
Last week the children’s commissioners for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland warned in a report to the United Nations that government austerity measures had failed to protect the most vulnerable children. The report said the £12bn of planned cuts would have the biggest effect on the 2.3 million children in the UK estimated to be living in poverty.
‘It is a sad state of affairs when vulnerable people are frightened to engage with the very system that is supposed to offer them support and care.’ – Michael McMahon MSP
Evidence that shows the link between the UK Government’s welfare reform and an increase in the use of food banks has been sent to Scotland Office Minister David Mundell MP by the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee.
This follows a call from Mr Mundell to show him evidence of the impact of these policies after he expressed doubt that an increase in food bank use was as a direct result of welfare reform.
Much of this evidence has now been forwarded to UK Ministers and the Department of Work and Pensions – but many benefit claimants declined to send in their cases for fear that they might be subject to unfair treatment and reprisals from the DWP if their identity is revealed.
Committee Convener Michael McMahon MSP said: “The Welfare Reform Committee has amassed a growing volume of evidence documenting the impact of welfare reform on Scotland’s communities. We have now sent a further batch of evidence to Mr Mundell and the DWP. However, what we discovered during the course of our enquiries has surprised and saddened us. It is a sad state of affairs when vulnerable people are frightened to engage with the very system that is supposed to offer them support and care.”
Deputy Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: “UK Government ministers continue to turn a blind eye to the appalling impact that their welfare policies are having on some of the most vulnerable members of society. We have now provided Mr Mundell and the DWP with irrefutable evidence that benefits cuts and sanctions are driving people in ever greater numbers to seek the assistance of food banks and other charities.”
The Background:
‘Universal Credit is a new benefit that will make work pay and help lift people out of poverty and it is already transforming lives’ – Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith
New EU migrants who have arrived in the UK will be prevented from claiming benefits until they have started work. The new regulations, introduced yesterday, mean that under Universal Credit no EU households will be able to access means-tested benefits in the UK without having worked here first.
Action has already been taken to halve the amount of time EU jobseekers can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit and means that if they don’t have a job after 3 months they will lose their right to reside in the UK. New migrant jobseekers are also now unable to claim Housing Benefit.
These tough new rules are part of the government’s long-term economic plan to protect the benefits system and ensure EU migrants come to this country for the right reasons and to contribute to the economy.
![iain-duncan-smith[1]](https://i0.wp.com/nen.press/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/iain-duncan-smith1.jpg?ssl=1)
Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith (above) said:
“Universal Credit is a new benefit that will make work pay and help lift people out of poverty and it is already transforming lives.
“As part of the government’s long-term economic plan we have led the way with a series of measures to tackle abuses, tighten immigration routes, and toughen up the rules on access to UK benefits – and we have seen other European countries follow our lead and take similar action.
“Our new rules for Universal Credit will ensure we have a fair system where people cannot claim means tested benefits until they have worked.”
The department is abolishing 6 existing income-related benefits:
The Westminster government has introduced a number of measures to make sure that the benefit and tax credit system for EU migrants is increasingly focused only on those who contribute through work:
An extra £2.5 million in government funding to help charities and other groups support families going through relationship breakdown has been announced today (8 March 2015) by Steve Webb, Minister with responsibility for child maintenance.
Scotland’s Family Decision Making Service partnership is one of sixteen trial Innovation Fund projects to have been providing tailored support across the country helping separated parents work together for the benefit of their children since 2013. The new funding means they will now be extended until September.
Projects include specialist support to teenage parents working with their children’s grandparents, face-to-face services for separated parents caught up in long-term disputes, and tailored help for Muslim families who are experiencing relationship breakdown.
Minister for Child Maintenance Steve Webb said: “Family breakdown can be difficult for everyone involved, but the evidence shows that children stand a much better chance of getting on in life when their parents are working together.
“This funding will allow these projects to continue their excellent work by helping parents to put aside their differences for their children’s sake.
“We are starting to see some very encouraging results from these projects which will be invaluable when it comes to designing future services and are proving priceless for the families being helped.”
Children 1st’s Family Decision Making Service (Scotland) has worked with more than 1500 individuals since it’s launch.
This bespoke service provides support to parents 365 days a year over the telephone or through live webchat. It draws upon the expertise of three organisations: Children 1st, Scottish Child Law Centre and One Parent Families Scotland.
Assistant director Linda Jardine said: “This extra funding is good news for separated and separating families in Scotland.
“Children cope better with family break-up if their parents work together on the decisions which affect them, and through the Family Decision Making service parents are able to draw on the combined expertise of three partners to help them to do this.
“So far the service, which is unique in Scotland, has worked with more than 1,500 individuals to make sure that, whatever difficulties the adults may be experiencing, their children remain the focus.”
Part of the DWP’s work on relationship support, the projects were originally set up to work alongside the new Child Maintenance Service, which is taking a fresh approach to tackling the issue of family breakdown.
More than 6 out of 10 separated parents using the new Child Maintenance Service are now choosing to make their own financial arrangements rather than relying on the state to collect and pay maintenance on their behalf.
At the heart of the reforms lies the principle that children have a much better start in life when both parents work together across a range of issues including contact, schooling and finances – even if they have separated.
The third party organisations delivering the projects were encouraged to come up with new and innovative ways of delivering the support.
Each of the projects is unique in the type of support that they offer, which can be delivered through face-to-face sessions, over the telephone and online.
Some of the projects target specific groups, such as teenage parents, people on low incomes and families with diverse cultural background. Practical guidance is also offered on a range of matters including legal advice.
A total of £10 million was set aside to fund the various projects when they were introduced in 2013. The results from the projects will be used to design future government services.
The Innovation fund projects are:
Howells: Working Together for Children (South Yorkshire)
Family Lives (Leicester, Waltham Forest, Gloucestershire)
Resolution: Family Matters (Doncaster, Wakefield, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Retford)
Sills and Betteridge: Moving Forward (Lincolnshire)
Mediation Now: Changing Lives (Hampshire and Portsmouth)
Spurgeons: Supporting separated teenagers (West Midlands and Warwickshire)
Changing Futures North East: Moving On (Teeside, Sunderland and County Durham)
Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships: Parents In Dispute (London)
Children 1st: Family Decision Making Service (Scotland)
Pinnacle People: Families Together (Bristol)
Malachi Family Support Services (Birmingham and West Midlands)
One plus One: Splitting Up? Put Kids First (nationwide)
National Family Mediation: At Court Mediation (Hereford and Worcester, West Yorkshire and Berkshire)
Family Matters Mediate: Listening to Children Matters (Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire)
The national roll out of Universal Credit begins tomorrow
Jobcentres from the rural Highlands of Scotland, down through the Vale of York and into London are moving over to the new benefit on Monday 16 February, says the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Edinburgh is among the first tranche to move over to UC.
Universal Credit eventually replaces six existing income-based benefits – Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Working and Child Tax Credits and Housing Benefit.
As part of the accelerated roll out announced by the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith in September, over 150 Jobcentres will come on board in the next 2 months. It will then be available in all Jobcentres by this time next year.
And on the eve of this national roll out, new research shows that Universal Credit is getting people into work more quickly and so helping them to earn more.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith said: “This government’s welfare reforms have saved the taxpayer £50 billion and restored fairness to the system.
“The centrepiece of these reforms – Universal Credit – begins national roll out tomorrow. This landmark event is a key part of our long term economic plan, which guarantees you will always be better off in work than on benefits.
“The evidence today shows that under Universal Credit, people move into work more quickly and earn more money, giving them increased financial security. It is very impressive that we have seen these results so soon and that this is having a real impact on people’s lives. This is a cultural change which will alter the landscape of work for a generation.”
The government’s research shows that, over a 4 month period, claimants are:
Similar to previous findings, the report also confirms that new Universal Credit claimants in the expanded sites are more likely than Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants to:
Th DWP says that once fully rolled out, Universal Credit will boost the economy by £7 billion every year.
The Research
The research was carried out by tracking claimants from July 2013 to April 2014 in the areas of:
These results based on income data from Real Time Information (RTI) were compared to a similar group of Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants.
Universal Credit Claims
More than 50,000 people have already made a claim to Universal Credit. It is available in 96 jobcentres including all of the north-west and is available to couples too. Claims from families and lone parents are also being taken in 32 sites.
Read the list of places where Universal Credit will be available between February and July 2015
