London Welfare Rights Conference 2026

About this course

Our annual face-to-face conference in London will take place for the first time at Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU on Thursday 22 October 2026.

About the conference 

Join us this autumn in London or Manchester for CPAG’s annual Welfare Rights Conference - a vital event for advisers navigating another year of significant change in the UK benefits system. 

With the Timms and Milburn reviews expected to deliver ambitious recommendations, major changes to universal credit already underway, and a renewed cost of living crisis exposing the inadequacy of social security - alongside a growing funding crisis in the advice sector -advisers and their clients face mounting challenges in the months ahead. 

At CPAG’s Welfare Rights Conference, advisers and benefits professionals will get up to speed with the latest developments across the sector, explore how technology is reshaping working practices, and hear directly from CPAG’s expert trainers. Our speakers will cover the key issues affecting your day-to-day work, while our workshops provide the practical insight and expertise you need to support your clients with confidence. 

Programme 

You can attend two from a choice of four expert workshops, both selected at the time of booking. Once you have added your booking to the shopping cart, proceed to the checkout where you can select an AM and PM workshop.  

A conference ticket also includes refreshments, lunch and all conference materials, and access to recordings of all four workshops for a limited period after both conferences. 

Workshops 

Same PIP, different day: personal independence payment in 2026 

Carri Swann, welfare rights worker at CPAG 

Our annual PIP workshop is a practical refresher, covering the latest case law, guidance and DWP policies. This year, we will also be looking at the progress of the Timms Review and its implications for PIP in 2027 and beyond. 

Advisers should come away up-to-date on PIP rules and processes and with some fresh ideas for challenging decisions. 

• Case law round-up
• The latest on assessments and delays
• Digital developments and AI
• Other news in PIP guidance and policy
• Timms Review update 

Disability living allowance and ‘severe mental impairment’ 

Simon Osborne Welfare Rights Adviser, CPAG   

There is a ‘severe mental impairment’ route to the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance. The rules set the bar high and create a test involving both mental impairment and behavioural problems. But caselaw, including some recent decisions, clarifies how the rules should be applied, including for children with conditions like autism and ADHD. This workshop will explore the ‘severe mental impairment’ route covering: 

• What do the rules say?
• Caselaw – how the rules should be applied
• Guidance and practice – experience and tips for advisers 

Standing up (to) the DWP: sanctions for failure to attend 

Martin Williams, welfare rights worker at CPAG 

About 6% of claimants who can be sanctioned, are being sanctioned, at any time. There are often 50 to 60 thousand adverse sanction decisions made a month. Around 90% of these are for alleged failure to attend appointments where no good reason for non-attendance is accepted. However, it appears that many claimants subject to a sanction do not seek advice in order to challenge it. There are no time limits for seeking mandatory reconsideration of a sanction decision (and a right of appeal arises where that is refused). 

In this workshop we will consider: 

1. Time efficient ways in which advisers can pro-actively identify claimants who have been sanctioned and assist them to commence challenges.
2. A framework for challenging decisions: whether a claimant has a good reason for failure to attend is really the final line of defence against a sanction decision. We will look at other things that might also make a sanction incorrect.
3. The DWP guidance on “good reason” for failure to attend: how does it help and where might it be wrong? 

RENT! (not the musical) housing costs in UC 

Owen Polley, welfare rights worker at CPAG 

Problems with the housing cost element in universal credit continue to be amongst the most prominent faced by claimants. Such issues can be challenging for claimants to resolve and lead to rent arrears, homelessness and destitution.  

This workshop looks at: 

• the liability condition and where the DWP gets it wrong
• how dubious decision-making practices leave claimants without a housing costs element
• issues around bedroom allocation
• rules about atypical arrangements such as caravans or joint tenancies between multiple families 

Keynote speakers  

Liz Sayce, Led an independent review into Overpayment of Carer’s Allowance

Liz Sayce led an independent review into Overpayment of Carer's Allowance which was published in November 2025. Previous roles include Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK (and its legacy charity Radar), where she led work for equal participation through independent living, career opportunities and shifts in culture; and Policy Director at Mind and at the Disability Rights Commission. Liz has published widely on mental health, disability and social participation. She was awarded an OBE in 2009. She currently holds Trustee roles and is a visiting professor in practice at the LSE and Non-Executive Member of West and North London Integrated Care Board.

Additional speakers will be announced soon. Please check back for updates. 

Afternoon panel session

Specialist AI platforms and the future of the advice sector

General-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT are now commonplace and increasingly becoming a point of contact for people seeking welfare guidance or drafting applications, despite the many risks associated with these tools. But alongside this, specialist AI-powered platforms have emerged, aiming to support people through the legal system while reducing costs and improving convenience. But what is the actual impact of these specialist platforms on clients and on advisors?

In this panel, we’ll hear from Paul England and Isaac Mittoo from Citizen Advice Southampton and Mikhail Yatsuha from AI-powered litigation platform CaseCraft.ai, about their recent partnership supporting vulnerable clients through the small claims process. We’ll cover questions including:

• What makes specialist AI platforms different from general-purpose AI tools, and what are the risks associated with use?
• What is the impact of specialist AI platforms on advisors, and to what extent do these platforms change the role of the advisor and the process of giving advice?
• What are the opportunities and challenges of specialist AI platforms to access to advice, justice, and digital inclusion?

Location 

The conference will take place at Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HU. 

Useful information on travelling to the venue can be found here.

Senate House has disabled access. Information on accessibility can be found here.  

Exhibition space 

We will have an exhibition space hosting exhibitors showcasing their work, products and services. 

The exhibition package includes: 

• An exhibition table and access to the networking spaces for two people
• One delegate ticket with access to workshops  
• A profile added to the CPAG website and conference pack with your organisation information
• Lunch and refreshments for two people  

The cost of an exhibition package is £550 (plus VAT). Please note each additional person wishing to attend must book a separate delegate place. If you are interested in exhibiting at our conference please email [email protected]. 

Exhibitors

Exhibitors at our London conference 2026

“The information provided will be so helpful - I have already challenged a UC o/p decision based on the notes from the workshop!”