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Welfare Reform and Localism in the context of

young people leaving care

Linda Briheim-CrookallNCAS Senior Policy

ManagerNovember 2012

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Welfare reform and localism

• Universal Credit• Social fund • Discretionary

Housing Payments• Council Tax

Benefit (April 2013)

• Housing benefit in supported accommodation

• Social housing allocation• Suitable accommodation

and Private rented sector• Commissioning supported

accommodation services & careers guidance

• Implementing the health reform programme

• Priority groups for National Scholarship Programme at Universities

• Distribution of 16-19 bursary in schools and colleges

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‘Care proofing’ policy • Extended corporate

parenting - Unique relationship of the state-as-parent

• Recognition of the need to support care leavers (CL) as they enter young adulthood (18-25) aligning with:– Extended support

parents give their own children

– DFE policy to support up to 25 if in education and training

• Central government depts. role in bolstering local authority duties and encouraging local cooperation– e.g. 16-19 bursary

6 areas for action:1. Explicitly recognise

CL in policy documents.2. Give automatic entitlement for

CL to provisions addressing the needs of vulnerable adults.

3. Give priority for CL to discretionary support available.

4. Create or maintain robust systems of information and data sharing.

5. Ensure joint working and protocols at a local and national level.

6. Provide responsive, personalised services for CL.

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Access All Areas

Individual

Local

National

Advocate for YP to get

Discretionary Housing

Payments

Explicit recognition in policy

Prioritise in discretionary provisions

Automatic entitlemen

t

Joint working & protocols

Information & data sharing

Responsive, personalised services

Specify care leavers in

guidance on Discretionary

Housing Payments (DHP)

Negotiate care leavers as a

priority in local DHP

arrangement

Support young people to

research NSP offer and apply

for funding

Prioritise care leavers and

review participation in

National Scholarship Programme

Negotiate priority for care leavers

in NSP at individual

universities

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Universal Credit (2013-2017)

What is it? • UC is a new single

payment for people who are looking for work or on a low income.

• UC aims to:– improve work

incentives– smooth the transitions

into and out of work, – simplify the system, – reduce in-work poverty – cut back on fraud and

error.

Will replace:• income-based

Jobseeker’s Allowance

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• Income Support• Child Tax Credits• Working Tax Credits• Housing Benefit

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UC - Things to be aware of

• Payments direct to tenants in social housing• Monthly payments• Online application systems• Stronger sanctions

– NB: Under current JSA Regulation 140 (1)(k) a care leaver claimant is accepted as being 'a person in hardship.'

• HB for supported accommodation will not be in UC

• Council tax benefit will be locally administered – Pensioners are a ‘protected claimant’ group

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Social fund (April 2013)

• Crisis Loan alignment payments & Crisis Loans because of benefit payment issues replaced by Short Term Advances – DWP administered

• Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for general living expenses (including rent in advance) abolished & replaced by new local provision

• Budgeting Loans continue UC is fully rolled out. As people migrate to UC they will have access to a new system of ‘Budgeting Advances’

Local Social fund schemes • 4 Design options

– Align and combine the funding to existing services and duties

– Contract with new or existing external partners

– A mixture of the above– Create a new service

• 4 main delivery options:– Cash grants– Goods instead of cash– Vouchers or coupons– Mixture of the above

www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/social-fund-reform/www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-fund-toolkit-presentation.ppt

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Discretionary housing payments - consultation

Aug 2012• DHPs = discretionary

funds to provide extra help with housing costs in addition to HB

• LAs have a set budget & decide how to use

• Assistance can be given for: – Rent– Council tax liability – Rent in advance – Deposits – Other lump sum costs

associated with a housing need such as removal costs.

• Guidance – drafted in relation to UC and impact but also ‘good practice’ guidance which stresses priorities: – “Supporting young people in

the transition to adult life” (p.20)

Other circumstances which might need to be taken into account, include: – “Is the customer a care

leaver who has a reduction in their LHA rate after becoming 22 years old? “ (p30)

Final guidance expected towards the end of the yearwww.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2012/discretionary-housing-payments.shtmlhttp://resources.leavingcare.org/uploads/69ba167f4acabfbaf69bc94d4038c5b7.pdf

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Other welfare reform

• Benefit caps (Apr ‘13)– 350/week for single people

without children, £500 for couples or lone parents

– Over occupiers• Shared room rate LHA

up to age of 35 (Jan ‘12) – Care leaver exemption to 22

• Temporary accommodation benefit rates based on LHA

• Forcing claimants into cheapest areas/away from centres of employment

• Competition for smaller properties.

• Additional stressor on families impacting on numbers in care – e.g.16/17 homeless.

• Use of DHP in relation to shared room rate & temporary accommodation

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Localism – housing

• Social housing allocation• Commissioning supported

accommodation services• Managing housing benefit for supported

accommodation (not in UC) • Homelessness and Private rented sector

– Localism Act 2011 enables LAs to end homelessness duty by offering suitable accommodation in the PRS, without requiring the applicant’s agreement.

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Allocation of accommodation: Guidance for local housing authorities in England

Consultation closed March

4.4 In framing their allocation scheme to determine allocation priorities, housing authorities must ensure that reasonable preference is given to … people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds,

4.10 ’Welfare grounds’ would encompass a wide range of needs, including, but not limited to, the need to: • provide a secure base from

which a care leaver…can build a stable life

New guidance - June 20123.22 When deciding what classes of people do not qualify for an allocation, authorities should consider the implications of excluding all members of such groups. For instance, when framing residency criteria, authorities may wish to consider the position of people who are moving into the district to take up work or to escape violence, or homeless applicants or children in care who are placed out of borough

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Localism - ETE

• Priority groups for National Scholarship Programme at Universities – Opportunities to use partnerships with local universities to

influence use? • Distribution of 16-19 bursary in schools and colleges

– Potential for regional criteria or management by Virtual School Heads

– Funds similar support as leaving care • Commissioning careers guidance

– Does provision link with pathway planning• Jobcentre plus increased flexibility

– Linking with partnership managers• Work programme, Youth Contract etc.

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Case study – North Lincs

• Local Council Tax Support Consultation submission by 16+ team Welfare Rights Officer

• Request: Make care leavers a protected claimant group alongside pensioners

• Care Leavers– Special benefit rules –

alignment with LHA & JSA hardship payments

• Impact on care leavers– Arrears– Loss of income (incl.

calculation of %)– Debt potential

• External factors– Increased fuel & food

costs• Calculation of cost

• Advantages of protection– Reduce pressure on vulnerable

group– Easy to apply – existing

identification system through LHA– Save staff time on reduced

enforcement procedures– Aligning with Corporate parenting

strategy– Aligning with national commitment

to promote care leavers transition to adulthood and economic well being

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Localism and care proofing

Explicit recognition in

policy

Prioritise in discretionary

provisions

Automatic entitlement

Joint working & protocols

Information & data sharing

Responsive , personalised

services

AREAS FOR

ACTION

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Key questions

Where local policies are being developed:• Have there been

local consultation on structures? – Are they closed for

submissions? • Will there be

opportunities to review policies?

Where changes are coming in:• Are service users

and staff aware? • How can you

support care leavers to navigate the new system?

• Who are your key partners in delivering support?

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Resources

• Welfare reform resources– www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/– www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/– www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/uni

versal-credit/– http://

www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/benefit-cap-factsheet.pdf

– http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-special-issue-oct-2012.pdf

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THANK YOU ! Keep in touch

Monthly NCAS mailing listhttp://eepurl.com/caZkVirtual From Care2Work network mailing

listhttp://eepurl.com/dzb-fWebsitewww.leavingcare.orgEmailncas@catch-22.org.ukfc2w@catch-22.org.uk