Fixing universal credit for families
Universal credit (UC) is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of millions of children. More than two in five children in the UK live in a household that claims UC. CPAG welcomes the UC review, which is the first system-wide review since the benefit was introduced in 2013. There are many issues to consider including system design, policy decisions and delivery.
The government has set out three key themes for the review:
- Tackling poverty and helping people manage their money
- Making work pay and improving work incentives
- Maximising UC’s potential and its impact on customers
This report examines many of the current problems with the system, from major design issues that affect large numbers of new claimants – such as the five-week wait – to less common issues that nevertheless can have a major impact on claimants’ lives. Some issues may require more fundamental changes to the UC system, while others could be easily rectified.
Alongside these technical changes, we should not underestimate the fundamental need to reset the culture across government and in particular within the DWP towards social security and the people who rely on it to survive. Ensuring that claimants are treated with dignity, respect and autonomy will lead to better outcomes and will improve the lives of millions of families who interact with this system every day. It is also important that claimants can access independent advice; action is needed to support an overburdened and under-resourced advice sector.