social fund successor arrangements – practitioner event date 3 october 2012 presenter mike keegan...

Social Fund Successor Arrangements – Practitioner Event

Date 3 October 2012

Presenter Mike Keegan DWP

Social Fund Reform

2 Department for Work and Pensions

• provide a Social Fund Reform update

• outline DWP support from 2013

• identify key risks and challenges

• provide an update on data sharing

• provide update on communications plans

Purpose of this session


Social Fund Reform

Key elements:

• Crisis Loans and Community Care Grants to be abolished

• Local Welfare Provision to be introduced (Devolved Administrations (DAs) in Scotland and Wales – upper tier local authorities in England)

•

• Budgeting Advances and Short Term Advances of benefit to start (DWP)

• Regulated Social Fund to continue (DWP)


Timeline

Ap

ril 2013 Lo

cal Welfare P

rovisio

n –

beg

ins D

WP

start to d

eliver Sh

ort T

erm

Ad

vance o

f Ben

efit and

Bu

dg

eting

A

dvan

ces

Dec 2010

Feb 2011

June 2011

Mar 2012

Autumn 2012

Mar 2013

White Paper Support is tailored to local

circumstances and targeted only at genuine need

Call for evidenceWe do not expect local authorities to recreate CCGs and CLs locally

UK Government response

Develop and deliver services tailored to meet the needs of their most

vulnerable members

Welfare Reform Act

Royal Assent given 8 March 2012

Social Justice Strategy

Published 13 March 2012

Social Fund Reform ProjectLocal Welfare Provision

workshops

Discretionary Social Fund

CCGs and CLs end 31 March 2013

Dec 2011

Local Authority Fieldwork Report and

DA discussions

July 2012

Scottish Welfare Reform Conference


Summary of Social Fund Reform changes

Currently To be

Community Care Grants Abolished

Crisis Loans Abolished

Funeral Payments Continuing

Sure Start Maternity Grants Continuing

Cold Weather Payments Continuing

Winter Fuel Payments Continuing

Crisis Loans for alignment to benefit Abolished

Interim Payments Abolished

Budgeting Loans Continuing for legacy claimants – Budgeting Advances will be available for Universal Credit claimants

Short Term Advance of Benefit – introduced from April 2013

Local Welfare Provision – introduced from April 2013

Independent Review Service Abolished

Social Fund Commissioner Abolished


England and Wales

• workshops being held with English upper tier local authorities September – November

• working in partnership with local authorities in developing progress arrangements for the introduction of Local Welfare Provision

• Engagement established at a local level in England

• Wales – consortia to design and deliver Local Welfare Provision for Wales


Short Term Advance of benefit is:

• an advance of benefit

• paid in circumstances where benefit entitlement has been established but not yet paid

• not for crisis

• linked to a benefit claim or change of circumstances and when the first payment will be received

DWP support from 2013



Conditions for getting a Short Term Advance of benefit:

• entitlement to benefit must be satisfied

• affordability of recovery must be confirmed

• financial need must be demonstrated

• the amount advanced will be a proportion of benefit and will depend on when the first payment is due to be paid



Recovery arrangements:

• amount of advance will be recovered from benefit

• recovery will start from the second payment of benefit

• repayment of advance over 3 months


DWP support from 2013 under Universal Credit

Universal Credit will provide extended eligibility for recipients to access DWP support including:

• Funeral Payments

• Sure Start Maternity Grants

• Cold Weather Payments

• Budgeting Advances (replacing Budgeting Loans)

• Short Term Advances of benefits where appropriate


• timescales for delivery of Local Welfare Provision – from April 2013

• roles and responsibilities for DWP/local authorities/DAs

• smooth transition for applicants to the new arrangements

• transfer of S30 powers from Westminster to Scotland

• data share

Key risks and challenges


Data sharing – background information

• local authority staff in Scotland currently have access to DWP Customer Information System (CIS) data for the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (HB/CTB)

• a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been set up between DWP and local authorities, which sets out the framework and operating policy through which information can be accessed

• the Welfare Reform Act 2012 provides additional powers for the sharing of relevant information with local authorities and DAs for prescribed purposes relating to welfare services (note, this currently does not include sharing data for Local Welfare Provision)


Data sharing Information Currently Available

• a wealth of information can be found on the www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/social-fund-reform/ website to support you with your Local Welfare Provision planning, this includes: – Social Fund Reform localisation data– DWP research reports– Crisis Loan/Community Care Grant factsheets– Social Fund Annual Reports

Ongoing Customer information

• work has been undertaken with strategy colleagues, local authorities and DAs to define a common set of data that DWP may share for the purposes of Local Welfare Provision, this includes: – identity/contact details– address/relationship history– benefit award details


Data Sharing – Proposed CIS data

The Project are currently trying to establish if LAs can be given access to LWP for the purposes of LWP. This will provide them with the following data;

Identity Details

Contact Details

Special indicator information e.g. PV customers

Address/Relationship History

Benefit Award Details

Assessed Income Figures

UC Benefit details – data not currently available

Budget loans/Advances/STAs – data not currently available

Customers Leaving Care facilities – data not currently available


Data sharing – ongoing work

The project is working with legal, security and IT colleagues to facilitate the sharing of

customer data for the purposes of Local Welfare Provision with DAs/local authorities:

• we are taking steps to establish a legal gateway that will allow the sharing of data

• the CIS is currently used to share data for HB/CTB purposes we are aiming to maximise the use of the CIS

• we are working with IT colleagues to identify the options and costs for the delivery of changes to CIS to support the ongoing data sharing

• we will liaise with you to understand your current and future CIS user access requirements

• we are liaising with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to seek agreement for relevant HMRC data held on CIS to be shared


Data sharing – potential issues

• the Legal Gateway allowing DWP to share data with DAs will not be in place by April 2013

• the Legal Gateway will not cover all DAs requirements

• a revised MoU for the sharing of data between DWP and local authorities will need to be in place by April 2013

• IT changes that are identified will not be in place by April 2013, therefore contingency plans will need to be in place


Communications

Dec 2010

March- Apr 2012

Aug 2012

June 2012 to March 2013

Announcement of Social Fund

Reform

Workshops held with DAs and

local authorities

Settlement letters issued 6

August

Social Fund Reform Project communications:

•Communications Strategy and Plan developed•Issues Handling Strategy established•inform claimants of changes – including script changes, leaflet amendments, internet entries, timing of informing claimants of the changes •messages to external advice agencies – via products such as Touchbase e-zine and local liaison between DWP Partnership Teams and advice agencies

Information available on our websitewww.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/social-fund-reform/


Contact us

[email protected]

social fund successor arrangements – practitioner event date 3 october 2012 presenter mike keegan...

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