Universal Credit Local authority led pilots: Lewisham's experience Can transition independently Needs transitional support Needs intensive support 

1. To develop an **evidence based definition of vulnerability** for transition and access 
to Universal Credit 
2. To  develop **triage mechanisms** for identifying and assessing individuals affected 
 
3. To test an approach for providing a holistically locally delivered face to face 
transition support service which improves the ability of claimants to: 
 
•
Budget and manage monthly payments 
•
Sustain tenancies in the social and private rented sector 
•
Transact with government services online 
•
Access employment and work-focused training 

## The Design Process: First Sketch

Four areas identified as likely to need transitional support under UC. Each area needs to be considered together and in relation to each other (holistic) Need levels will vary for individuals on each area. Approach needs to be flexible enough to respond to needs as they are presented 
(flexible) 
 

# The Design Process: Refining Ideas

## The Prototype Model For Go Live Simple Language & Focused On Main Change Affecting Household Call To Action Focuses On The Financial Loss The Prototype Model For Go Live

20 questions, each with scores and triggers based on the four quadrants… 

## The Prototype Model For Go Live Appointment Starts With A Calculation Demonstrating The Financial Impact Of Welfare Reform On Work….

Support focused conversation looks at: -
Employment  

Establishes 
level of need 

-
Financial 

and makes 

-
Digital 

referrals to key 

-
Housing 

agencies 

Builds the case for action and thinking differently about work in the context of welfare reform 

## The Prototype Model For Go Live Support Plan Focuses On The Top 3-4 Barriers… Personalised…

Referrals are named and contact the claimant directly… 

## Progress & Redesign What Have We Learnt About The Process? I Am Pleased For All The Help I Received Today, They Mean So Much. Feedback From Customers Is Good - 97% Say The Intervention Was Helpful Triage And Basic Advice Over The Phone Takes About 20 Minutes, Appointments & Follow Up Support Plans Take About 2 Hours There Are Things We Can Do Better To Get People Engaged & We Need To Think About Sustaining The Positive Energy To Act

Gives me more confidence and shows me which route to take. 

everything has been explained in a way that I can understand and now help myself. 

## Learning About Our Residents: Financial

Benefit cap loss ranges under £1 to over £200 a week…limited awareness of the personal impact and strategies for mitigating the impact. 'Work does not pay' is a widely held belief amongst this group. 48% have a bank account that supports direct debit and say they can cope with UC going into their account with some basic budgeting advice 
42% have applied for a crisis loan in the past 11% have significant debt issues and have been referred to the CAB for intensive debt management advice. 

46 referrals to the Credit Union (although relatively high existing membership levels)…when they show up, nearly all take on a service…but they aren't showing up!  

## Learning About Our Residents: Digital

63% say they have internet access in their homes (not mobile) and can use it independently…although most only use it for social media at the moment A further 24% say they have access in their homes and can use it with help from friends or family…language usually being the main barrier This leaves 13% who need access and support…based on a 40,000 
Lewisham caseload, this is 5,200 people needing access and support to complete a claim  
The numbers needing support might be higher…the unknown at the moment is the complexity of the form. 

Learning from the replacement social fund schemes…people will turn up if they have something urgent or are concerned…if they need to do something online, it needs to be close to where they present. 

## Learning About Our Residents: Housing

The overwhelming initial claimant response to the benefit cap is to try and find cheaper housing…but what people want is social housing.  
For most families with more than four children, there is no housing solution to the benefit cap. 

31% have never been responsible for paying rent direct to their landlord. 

39% are already in rent arrears. 

Mixed views on rent as a priority…'I am not going to worry about these changes because I think they are ridiculous. I would rather buy things for my children then worry about the shortfall of my rent.' 

## Learning About Our Residents: Employment

Less than 3% of this group have been in paid employment in the last 12 months 
40% say they are not looking for work. 

43% cite childcare as the main barrier to work…but only 23% request help or advice to fund or find childcare at appointments, preferring to use informal or other childcare networks. 

Strongly held belief that having children means work doesn't pay…some even had example calculations from JCP in their hands to prove this to us at appointments. The benefit cap means they ALL will be better off…some significantly. 

For most of these families, finding paid work is the only way to avoid the benefit cap. If they don't they will not be afford to live and budgeting advice under UC becomes irrelevant. 

## Learning: Triage And Complex Needs

There are some predictors of vulnerability but a set of questions and triggers on its own is unlikely to tell you who needs more on-going support…some examples: 
Ms E has 5 children, 3 of who still live with her. She is currently in a Rent Incentive Scheme property which is too big for her needs and will lose £350 a week after the benefit cap. Ms E has had a troubled life which has involved physical and sexual abuse. 

She Mr and Mrs H live in a 5 
bedroom house with their 7 children and stand to lose £276 a week after the benefit cap. 

Mrs H has fled domestic violence in the past and Mr H has served 20 years in prison. 

Mr H doesn't claim JSA because he doesn't want to look for work as he thinks there is no point given his record. Mr and Mrs H have already been in contact with HOC because their landlord said they would start eviction proceedings because of the benefit cap. 

understandably has very low self-esteem and is experiencing depression and anxiety.  Ms E said she would like to look for work but the JobCentre weren't interested in helping her. 

 
At the appointment discovered that Mrs H had worked as a cleaner. After her appointment she contacted her old boss to get required 16 hours. 

Despite initial enthusiasm and 
frequent telephone calls, Ms E 
failed to follow up on referrals 
for intensive family support 
offered.  

Ms 
    T 
        lives 
              in 
                  temporary 

accommodation in a property 
provided by Hyde. She is a 
single parent with 3 children 
and stands to lose £93 a week 
after the benefit cap. She hasn't 
worked for a number of years. 
Ms T has moved frequently, one 
of her children has been in 
three different schools and is 
currently placed in a pupil 
referral unit in Lewisham. 
 

We made a referral for Ms T for 
intensive employment support. 
By the time the referral was 
followed up, she had already 
found 16 hours work as a carer. 

## Designing A Complex Needs Support Service

Model developed so far identifies 'standard' and 'non-standard' claimants and has developed a model for families needing **SOME transitional support** but the model is not sufficient for those requiring **INTENSIVE transitional support**. 

## Next Phase - Developing A Model For Intensive Transitional Support

Building a case work model which **glues** everything 
together - if one area falls apart, so will all the others. 
Focused on **sustaining the impact** of the 
intervention - investing in a casework approach now to 
stop people re-presenting to us at a later stage. 
Focuses on **behaviour change** (resilience, tenacity, 
responsibility) - which is ultimately the goal of UC 

## Key Messages For The Lssf

Housing and employment  need to be built into local approaches - 
even if it just linking better to existing provision 
Universal Credit can't be seen in isolation from other welfare 
reforms - our residents don't separate them 
We need to have smarter ways of identifying vulnerability - this is 
beyond just the ability to budget and access the internet 
 
Behaviour 'nudge' needs to be integrated into our LSSF models - it is 
what UC is trying to achieve 
 
We can start testing some of this now - welfare reforms are 
happening now, what people need to do for these are not that 
different from what they need to do for UC 
Justine Roberts Universal Credit Pilot Manager 
 
justine.roberts@lewisham.gov.uk