Challenging decisions - Understanding decisions, revisions and supersessions, 5 & 6 February 2024 ONLINE

If you are an adviser who faces barriers to overcoming problems with universal credit or other benefit decisions, this course gives you the essential knowledge you need to understand the decision making procedures and rules. To successfully challenge a benefits decision understanding where it fits within this decision making machinery can make all the difference to questions such as:

• The effective date of the decision (can a sought after increase be paid from a much earlier date for example)
• Whether the Decision Maker is legally entitled to revisit the decision in the way they have done (for example can they remove entitlement retrospectively)
• Whether a new claim needs to be made and the effects on ongoing disputes if it is and a new decision is given.
• Whether the matter can be resolved at all via the usual decision making process or whether judicial review is appropriate.
• Whether the Decision Maker on a new claim can take a different view than previously about an issue.

This course explains the jargon and takes a practical, problem-solving approach to navigating the “decision based system” of benefit entitlements set out in Chapter 2 of the Social Security Act 1998. This will help advisers identify the right way to get decisions changed and get processes unblocked, and so get the best outcome for claimants.

The course covers:

• Ways a decision can be made and then changed: decisions, revisions and supersessions in overview.
• Understanding the elements of a decision – determinations, outcome decisions, effect of notification on rights.
• Relevance of time limits and grounds for revisions
• Relevance of time limits and grounds for supersessions (late notification of changes, when notification date is irrelevant)
• Issues in cases where grounds for revision or supersession need to be shown: effective dates, arguing grounds do not exist, outcome following grounds etc).
• Mandatory reconsideration - where this fits and how it affects appeal rights
• Common DWP errors in decision making processes
• Using judicial review in case work

Method of delivery and timings

This full-day experienced level course will be delivered online via Zoom over two consecutive mornings. It runs from 10am to 1pm on each day, with a half hour break between 11.15-11.45.

It is a practical course delivered using a combination of trainer presentation, exercises and group discussion. Participants will need a Wi-Fi connection and a suitable device to access the internet. It is not recommended to join via a mobile phone. Participants will receive an email a few days before the start of the course, with a link to the event hosted on our AskCPAG elearning platform.