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Helping people transition
onto Universal Credit
Wed 6 September 2017
Housekeeping
• Audio check
• Please ask questions
• Polls and a survey
• Finish by 11:30
Speakers
Deven Ghelani, DirectorZoe Charlesworth, Head of PolicyPolicy in Practice
Ian CoryWelfare Reform Manager, Aster Housing Group
Natasha JebbisonKarl LarteyCroydon Council
Agenda
1. Introduction
Deven Ghelani, Director, Policy in Practice
2. Organisational preparedness
Ian Cory, Welfare Reform Manager,
Aster Housing Group
3. Strategies for client preparedness and support
Zoe Charlesworth, Head of Policy, Policy in Practice
4. Frontline perspectiveNatasha Jebbison and Karl Lartey, Croydon Council
5. Next Steps
555
Poll: What are your biggest challenges for rolling out Universal Credit?
We make the welfare system simple to understand, so that people can make the decisions that are right for them
www.policyinpractice.co.uk
SOFTWARE
individual impact
Analytics
local impact
POLICY
national impact
Successful transition to UC
Helping Customers Transition onto Universal Credit
Helping Customers onto UC
Helping people to claim benefits is the job of the benefit provider…
Do we add value or cause delay?
Do different messages give clarity or confusion?
What role should a social landlord have in todays world?
Helping Customers onto UC
Supporting our Customers
Protecting the Business
Getting the balance right is key.
Everyone’s customer profile is different
Everyone’s business is different
Helping Customers onto UC
Know your customers
Generic verses Specialist?
WR specialists?
Customer champions?
Communications…digital or non digital?
Helping Customers onto UC
Helping customers onto UC is just the start
Getting them to pay their rent is the outcome we all need.
Helping Customers to Pay Rent
Aster’s Focus is on Rent Payment not Transitioning onto Universal Credit
Triage – a risk assessment – what are the barriers to you paying your rent?
• Digital Exclusion
• Financial Exclusion
Helping Customers to Pay Rent
Triage Outcomes:
Support referral – internal or external
Alternative Payment Arrangement – MPTL
Payment plan and agreement
Identification of the non-engagers
Helping Customers to Pay Rent
Aster’s new support service is coming…
Combining digital and financial support.
A menu of options under the headings of:
Support neededDigital: Equipment, Skills
Financial: Banking, Budgeting, financial management
Delivery method121, classroom, referral
Helping Customers onto UC
Aster’s Learning:
Don’t panic…get a plan
Take the low hanging fruit – R U UC Ready?
Start a HB 2 U campaign
Start a rent in advance campaign
Think carefully about buying external data
Target your work:
• Who
• When
• How
Helping Customers onto UC
Aster’s Learning:
Engage with the DWP
Sing the benefits of UC
Understand the common purpose
Use DWP communications, You Tube videos and documents
Helping Customers onto UC
Aster’s Learning:
Manage staff resistance:
Anger, resistance, learning, acceptance, buy-in
Understand customer resistance:
Anger, confusion, learning, acceptance, benefit realisation
Helping Customers onto UC
Aster’s Learning:
Recognise that UC = increased arrears
Ensure your business plan can cope
Predict future arrears and update:Example – annual debit = £50,000,000. 10,000 customers
No. on UC 1000 – av arrear = £350. Total Arrear = £350,000
No. no UC 9000 – av arrear = £50. Total Arrear = £450,000
So we see £800,000 debit = 1.6%
No. on UC 5000 – av arrear = £350. Total Arrear = £1,750,000
No. no UC 5000 – av arrear = £50. Total Arrear = £250,000
So we see £2,000,000 debit = 4%
Helping Customers onto UC
And finally…
Look out for announcements from the DWP on Trusted Partner Status and on the Portal
And recognise their test and learn approach will continue to drive change as they
improve the system, receive feedback, improve the system, receive feedback,
improve the system, receive feedback,improve the system, receive feedback,
improve the system, receive feedback…
242424
Mitigating the impact for the customer
The key issues for claimants
1. Knowledge: Enables the customer to make informed choices
2. Errors in assessments: What is the correct amount?
3. Monthly payments: budgeting, weekly income and monthly UC
4. Landlord payments
5. 6 week wait: Interim payments?
6. Who to contact?
• Problems with contacting benefit centres
• Time-consuming and costly
• High drop-out rate with application form
• Housing Benefit will no longer be there for advice
Mitigating the impact for claimants
Who to target?
What support is needed?
How is support delivered?
1. Who to target?
Pro-active identificationdata analysis / client tracking
Dependant on organisational requirements e.g:
• To protect rents: • Tenants with arrears and no monthly income and no savings
• Self-employed with no savings
• Homelessness prevention: • Private tenants with no non non-dependants, savings or monthly earnings
• Households that will lose under UC:• Those losing ESA WRAG/disability premiums. Self-employed
On-demand
2. What support is needed?
Self-identification of need
TriageWhat is the trigger?Do you have the right tools?
Triage
Triage
3. How is support delivered?
• Self-service toolsSimple and easy to use
Easily accessible
Engaging
• Support tools Benefits calculator
Advice and support
Meeting the needs of your clients
of tenants require no support
30%of clients require some support
50%of clients require a lot of support
(and take up 80% of staff time)
20%
Source: Curo Group, 2017
Demo of calculator
Client preparedness - knowledge
Calculator example
Budgeting Support
Budgeting
• During 6 week wait and ongoing
• Impact of landlord payments?
• Impact of advance payments?
• Weekly earnings against monthly UC?
Demo of budgeting
Demo of calendar
Assisting claimants transition to UC:Conclusion
CHALLENGEMITIGATING STRATEGY
Identification & targetingPro-active: data analysis, publicity
Re-active: triage and triage tools
Customer knowledge
Errors in assessments
Pre-UC assessments:
Self-service facilities
Advisor comparison of UC
Advisor assessment explanation
A calculator/advice tool can really help - Benefits are complex !
Monthly assessment A tool to calculate monthly UC against weekly income
Landlord paymentsEngagement & discussion
Personal budgeting tool
6 week wait
Triage
Personal budgeting (to ensure priority bills are paid)
Understanding of ongoing impact of advances
Support
Self-service access to support tools
Engagement with customers
Tools to facilitate support and advice
414141
Mitigating the impact for the customer
The Croydon experience
424242
Poll: What do you need help with to successfully roll out UC?
Clients
454545
It is very quick to use so it was not taking up all our time during the meeting it left more time to discuss the results with the customer.
I will definitely be using this in the future, a very good tool to have.
I think the calculator is brilliant and really easy to use, it can email and print out calculations and the comparison was fab
The best reaction I got was a customer that stated "I am definitely getting a job now“.
Feedback from frontline advisors
46
Questions
Next steps
Download our Benefit and Budgeting Calculator handout
Short survey:
• We value your feedback
• Ask questions or clarifications
• Book a demo for you and your colleagues
Next webinar:
• How to future proof your Council Tax Reduction Scheme for Universal Credit
• Wed 11 October at 10:30
