TouchbaseOur newsletter for advisers, intermediaries and other professionals

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Welcome to theDecember 2009 editionof Touchbase, ourquarterly newsletterdesigned to help youhelp others.

DWP has launched a new campaign to promoteworking benefits, and created a suite ofproducts to help you and your customers.

Our research into awareness andunderstanding of Housing Benefit(HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB)showed that many customers donot know they could still beentitled to these benefits whenthey are working and earning. Sowe have launched the WorkingBenefits campaign to showcustomers how they can go back towork without losing their benefits.

HB provides customers with the confidence that they willstill be able to pay their rent during the challenges ofmoving into work. There is a range of working benefits andgrants for people on low earnings, which can help to makework pay, such as tax credits, help with childcare costs, theJob Grant and travel to interview costs.

Also, since 2 November this year, Child Benefit isdisregarded from HB payments. It is estimated that in excessof 200,000 working families could be up to £20 a weekbetter off – another reason to promote going back to workto your customers.

ISSN 1751-7761 (Online)

In this editionWorking Benefits

campaign

4 Backing Young Britain

Easing the path toState Pension

Child MaintenanceOptions – one year on

New Roadmap toequality

The Saving Gateway

Download our new products

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12

16

20

Adviser workshops

DWP is offering workshops for advisers to help themdevelop ideas to increase the number of customers goinginto work and taking up their full entitlement to workingbenefits. If you are interested in hosting a workshop, pleaseemail enquirieshrad@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Download our products

We have produced a desk aid for advisers and a customerleaflet which explains entitlement to HB and CTB when theymove into work. You can find these, along with updatedinformation online at www.dwp.gov.uk/workingbenefits

You can also access the benefits adviser (see page 6) tofind out about the service and how it can help customerswhen they’re considering their work options. Visitwww.direct.gov.uk/benefitsadviser

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Contents

Working age

1 Working Benefits2 In and Out of Work3 European Social Fund4 Backing Young Britain6 Jobseekers with mental

health conditions6 The benefits adviser7 Online changes for DWP

Pensions and retirement

8 State Pension9 State Pension changes10 New ways to help

pensioners out of poverty10 PDCS staff move to

Jobcentre Plus11 Older People’s Day 200911 DWP Forum update

Children and families

12 Child Maintenance Options14 Winter Fuel Payments15 Child Trust Fund

Disability and carers

15 Macmillan Cancer Support16 Office for Disability Issues17 More help for carers

Low income

17 Are your customers payingfor benefits advice?

18 2010 European Year forCombating Poverty andSocial Exclusion

19 Social fund19 Payments to people who

take part in consultations20 The Saving Gateway21 Taxback

About DWP

21 It pays to work with us22 DWP Customer Charter23 Working together23 Professionalism in Decision

Making and Appeals24 The Publicity Register

In and Out of WorkThe roll out of In and Out of Work gathered moremomentum over the last few months with the majority ofareas now operating the new processes.

In and Out of Work means Jobcentre Plus acts as a singlepoint of contact for certain customers who move into andout of employment, and then shares the information withHM Revenue and Customs and local authorities thanks tonew IT systems that have been developed.

The new processes have proved popular, not only with staffbut with customers too. A recent survey revealed thatpeople had experienced an improvement in the customerservice they received, and increased confidence to take upemployment in the future, thanks to their benefits andcredits being processed more quickly.

Roll out continues with a busy schedule and is still on trackto be completed across Great Britain by early 2010.

Further informationwww.dwp.gov.uk(and search for In and Out of Work project)

Nicola Clark is just one of those to have benefitedfrom the ESF programme. Her views on ESF areclear: “Without the project I would befloundering”, she said.

EuropeanSocial Fund

The European Social Fund(ESF) was set up to improveemployment opportunities inthe European Union. It aimsto help people fulfil theirpotential by giving thembetter skills and jobprospects, and so raisestandards of living.

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� people with disabilities and healthconditions

� lone parents

� people aged over 50

� people from ethnic minorities

� people without good qualifications

� young people not in education,employment or training.

A film has been made which tells the storiesof four people who have been helpedthrough ESF. It also highlights the progressmade in implementing the programme todate, set in the context of the currenteconomic climate. A supporting bookletshowcases this progress and ESFachievements.

Further information about the ESFprogramme, and copies of the film andbooklet, are available on www.esf.gov.uk

Priorities

The ESF programme gives unemployed,disadvantaged and low skilled people thetraining and support they need to get a joband make progress at work. It is designed tofocus spending on specific activities andensure that it reaches those people most inneed of help. There are two main prioritiesin England:

Priority 1 – Extending employmentopportunities

Supports projects to tackle the barriers towork faced by unemployed anddisadvantaged people.

Priority 2 – Developing a skilled andadaptable workforce

Supports projects to train employees who donot have the basic skills and qualificationsneeded in the workplace.

Target groups

ESF programmes focus on people who aremost likely to face disadvantage ordiscrimination. Key target groups include:

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Top British organisationsback young Britain

More than 290 top Britishorganisations, both large and small,have thrown their weight behindBacking Young Britain – a nationalcampaign to create new opportunitiesfor thousands of young people duringthe recession.

In September, a Youth Summit was held atBirmingham City Football Club where thePrime Minister, Work and Pensions SecretaryYvette Cooper and a number of topemployers, including Microsoft and VirginMedia, met 250 young people to discussyouth employment.

Employers committed to providing a rangeof opportunities. Morrisons, for example,pledged new training for every one of its36,000 employees under the age of 25. Alsoannounced were 5,000 new opportunities,including apprenticeships, from companiessuch as Centrica, Carillion and Royal Mail.

The Government is determined that youngpeople are not left behind during therecession and are given every opportunity tojoin the world of work. In addition to the100,000 new jobs to be created by the

Future Jobs Fund – the first of which cameonline earlier this month – it is anticipatedthat 100,000 training and supportopportunities will be provided to help youngpeople who have been out of work forapproaching a year.

Young people will receive support tomove into key employment sectorsthat have jobs to fill and areexpected to grow. These includehospitality, leisure, tourism andretail.

Young people will also get the help theyneed sooner. From April 2010, 18-24 yearolds will be able to take up a new job fromthe Future Jobs Fund after claimingJobseeker’s Allowance for ten months ratherthan a year.

Backing Young Britain

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Over 250,000 unemployed people havealready been helped into jobs through LocalEmployment Partnerships. More than 25,000employers have signed up to work withJobcentre Plus to help unemployed peopleback to work.

Backing Young Britain helps employersbenefit from the enthusiasm and potentialof young people. Giving a young persontheir first break can help an organisationto address skills gaps, access a range ofgovernment support, build a workforce forthe future and send a positive message tothe local community.

A flying start for theFuture Jobs Fund

To date, the Future Jobs Fund has resultedin DWP agreeing funding to create around60,000 jobs. This represents 40% of the totalnumber of jobs that the fund is targetedwith creating – after just three rounds ofbidding.

Monday, 5 October was a key date,as it saw more than 150 peoplestart in new jobs created by theFuture Jobs Fund, in places such asBarnsley, Brighton and Lincoln.So far, these jobs include those forclerical workers, care assistants andproperty maintenance workers.Hundreds more people have sincestarted jobs created by the fund,and thousands more are expectedin the coming months.

These are just some of the successful biddersand examples of the wide range of jobs theyhave created:

� Dumfries & Galloway Council – moneyadvice assistants, youth workers,receptionists and leisure assistants

� Blackpool Council – independent livingadvisers, day centre support assistants,community health champions, artsinclusion workers and heritage projectsassistants

� Swansea Council for Voluntary Service –jobs in retail, childcare, recycling andsocial care

� Swindon Borough Council – conservation,administration, community radio assistantsand jobs in highways mapping

� Leeds City Council – youth and healthworkers, 'green doctors’ (helping peopleto become more energy efficient),construction and refurbishment, webdesigners, research assistants and supportworkers.

The Future Jobs Fund is keen to encourageorganisations to submit bids to create jobsthat have community benefits. To find outmore, visit www.dwp.gov.uk/futurejobsfundor contact Malcolm Tyler on 020 7449 5658,malcolm.tyler@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Further informationwww.hmg.gov.uk/backingyoungbritain

In early 2009, the Government outlined plansto improve support for people who havemild to moderate mental health conditions.In particular, people who move fromEmployment and Support Allowance (ESA)or incapacity benefits (IB) to Jobseeker’sAllowance (JSA).

Recommended measures

� To introduce mental health co-ordinators ineach Jobcentre Plus district. Their aim willbe to build practical links between localhealth and employment services, provideJobcentre advisers with information onsources of help for customers and raiseawareness, and increase knowledge, ofmental health issues.

� To ensure that advisers are aware of thesupport available in their area so they cansignpost new jobseekers entering JSA fromESA/IB to specific health-related advice.

� To incorporate simple, self-help health andwell-being messages and advice for newlyunemployed people in the Find your wayBack to Work campaign.

Improving our service

The benefits adviser, launched in April 2008,provides online advice on entitlement to28 DWP benefits, pensions and credits, andhow to claim them. It also has links tojobsearch and State Pension forecasts.

The service has now been enhanced to allowcustomers to obtain an estimate of theamount of benefit they may be awarded.In addition, customers will be able to enterpotential new circumstances to see how this

The benefits adviser

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would affect their benefits, for example ifthey would be financially better off in work.The service will make it clear that financialinformation given is an estimate only.

The service was developed using continuouscustomer feedback and with input fromvarious advisory groups. Since it waslaunched, the service has received morethan 1 million visitors.

Customers can access the service by visitingwww.direct.gov.uk/benefitsadviser

� To commission research to understand:

– the level of psychological distressamongst new JSA customers

– the factors that may make it harder forpeople with mental health problems tofind a job, and

– how we can provide better support forJSA customers with mental healthproblems.

Who will benefit?

People joining JSA after becomingunemployed, as well as people moving fromESA/IB who feel that their mental healthcondition may affect their opportunities tofind work.

When will district mental healthco-ordinators be in place?

Mental health co-ordinators started to be inpost from October 2009.

for jobseekers with mental health conditions

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In the September edition of Touchbase,we reported changes to our online servicefor people of pension age, and the closureof The Pension Service website. Since1 October, information for citizens aboutpensions, retirement and later life can befound on www.direct.gov.uk and pensionsinformation for employers onwww.businesslink.gov.uk

A similar change is now taking place forjobseekers and those in receipt of workingage benefits.

The Jobcentre Plus website will close inMarch 2010 and our online services willmove to new locations. Most of the contentfrom that site has moved already, with therest to follow shortly.

� All information for jobseekers, includinghelp with interview techniques, preparingjob applications and CVs, and our onlinejob search, is available now atwww.direct.gov.uk/employment

� Information about benefits – includingan online application service forcontributions-based Jobseeker’sAllowance, and the benefits adviserservice (see page 6) – is available now atwww.direct.gov.uk/money

� Information about our services foremployers will be available atwww.businesslink.gov.uk/employingpeople from January 2010, with e-servicessuch as Employer Direct Online and JobWarehouse available by March 2010.

� Corporate and policy information aboutJobcentre Plus will be available onwww.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp

Over the coming months, we will start toupdate all our web-references whereverthey appear. In some cases this will takesome time (for example, some telephonedirectories will not be updated for 18months). However, anyone visiting the siteafter March 2010 will be signposted to thecorrect place.

These changes will make it easierfor citizens and businesses toaccess our services.

The vast majority of public/governmentinformation and services that they needwill be available on just two websites:www.businesslink.gov.uk andwww.direct.gov.uk

New, significant changes to our online serviceare on the way for customers and employers.

More online changesfor DWP

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The way we communicate with customersapproaching pension age will also change.From that time, instead of sendingcustomers a general letter, we will sendthem one that relates more directly to theirpersonal circumstances. As a result, theyshould be better informed, and find it easierto access our services.

We can process most State Pensionclaims from our existing customersusing information we already hold,so most of them will not need tocontact us to move off working agebenefits onto State Pension.

We hope that, once the new process is inplace, over half of all State Pension claimscan be managed without a customerneeding to contact us at all. This will mean abig cost saving for our department and abetter service for most customers.

Easing the path to

Improving customer letters

Every year, we send out more than 130 million letters to customers. We also handlearound 2 million calls from people who have been confused by something written ina letter that we have sent them. The new letters for State Pension customers will beamongst the first to be produced by our new IT system. This will make it much easierfor us to amend and update our letters quickly, in response to changing customerneeds, and to personalise them. We will be improving all our letters on a rollingprogramme throughout 2010 and beyond. Clearer letters will mean fewer delays, lessconfusion and improved outcomes for customers.

From next year, we plan tointroduce a new, automaticprocess of moving existingcustomers from a working agebenefit to a pension age benefit.

State Pension

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Here is a summary of ourcommunications activity so far.

� In April, we began a phased mailing to allwomen affected by the gradual equalisationin State Pension age. This will be completedin January 2012.

� We have launched the State Pension Profilertool on www.direct.gov.uk/pensions. Thisallows people to input information abouttheir personal circumstances to find out howthe changes may affect them and what theyneed to consider next.

� We have placed articles and advertorials in awide range of local and national media.

� Carers UK are producing a booklet whichcontains initial information on the newCarer’s Credit, available for Carers’ RightsDay events in early December.

� We have also produced a leaflet –Workplacepensions are changing – which outlines howthe changes will affect employers from 2012.This can be downloaded fromwww.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform (followthe links to Workplace Pensions Reform).

Information and tools for advisers

� Our State Pensions Reform briefing pack willbe of interest to anyone advising people onissues affecting their planning forretirement, savings, or benefits in later life.Containing top-level information and moredetailed fact sheets, it can be found atwww.dwp.gov.uk/adviser

� We have begun to work with voluntary andcommunity organisations to provide themwith tools and messages for their ownwebsites and newsletters.

If you would like to find out about working inpartnership with DWP to help communicatethese changes to your customers, visitwww.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform

Next steps

From early 2010, we will be broadening ourefforts to tell a wider audience about thechanges in April, so people know where to findmore information, and why it is important tostart planning and saving for the future.

State Pension changes

Our first goal is to help people approaching the State Pension age identifywhether they are affected by the State Pensions changes from April 2010,and to provide simple steps for any action they may need to take. This willhelp to ensure that people don’t miss out on money for their future.

DWP has begun to tell customers about the changesto the pensions system.

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Pension Service staff have been out andabout in their local communities spreadingthe word about Pension Credit. They aretargeting vulnerable pensioners who maynot be aware they are entitled to claim it.

Pension Credit provides some people overthe age of 60 with extra cash and can alsoprovide access to help with Council Tax andfuel bills. However, we estimate that, for anumber of reasons, up to 1.8 million of ourcustomers are failing to claim it.

Over the past five years, millions haveresponded to our Pension Credit advertisingcampaigns but there are still many morepeople we need to reach. So, we arewidening our campaign and holding eventsin places that pensioners often visit in theireveryday lives: such as markets, hospitalcafes, libraries, clubs and bingo halls. Weaim to talk to customers directly, as well astheir friends and family who can also helpus to spread the word.

Our campaign is currently rolling out acrossthe North East – one of the areas with lowtake-up rates. Further roll outs are plannedfor the North West from January 2010.

Can you help us to spread the word? One-third of pensioners in poverty could be liftedout of poverty if they claimed all of theincome-related benefits to which they areentitled.

Customers can apply for Pension Credit bycalling 0800 99 1234 (textphone 0800 1690133). Lines are open Monday to Fridayfrom 8am to 8pm, and 9am to 1pm onSaturday.

New ways to helppensioners outof poverty

We are approaching half way inthe transfer of over 1,000 PDCSstaff, from centres in Stockport,Wembley and Manchester, intoJobcentre Plus.

These transfers will provide the extra staffwe need in Jobcentre Plus to deal with theimpact of the economic downturn.

PDCS staff move to Jobcentre PlusWhen we brought together The PensionService and Disability and Carers Service toform the Pension, Disability and CarersService, and modernised their services forcustomers, we reduced our operating costsby employing fewer people and occupyingfewer centres.

The transfers, which will be completed byMarch 2010, will not affect PDCS customers.

Further informationwww.direct.gov.uk/pensions

Angela Eagle, Minister of State, and Margery Scottat the campaign launch.

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The DWP Welsh Forum will be held in Cardiffon 21 January 2010.

The DWP North and Midlands Forum will beheld in Manchester during April/May 2010.

DWP Forum updateIf you would like to be added to ourdatabase to be notified of future events,or wish to receive a report of thesemeetings, please emailDWPCorporateCustomerAffairs@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

UK’s Older People’s Day on 1 October 2009was the most successful yet, with around100,000 people taking part in more than1,000 local events across the country.

The theme for the day was ‘bringinggenerations together’, which highlightedthat intergenerational working is one wayto start to tackle stereotypes, create apositive view of later life and promotemutual understanding between generations.

Many of the events that took place built onthis theme, including ‘skill swaps’. Theseevents enabled younger people to teacholder people how to get the most out oftechnology, and older people to teachyounger people skills such as knitting andbaking. Other events to mark the dayranged from theatre projects and teadances, to fitness and healthy eating classes.

A key element of the day was the "Age,Snapped" photographic exhibition, run inconjunction with the London College of

Communication. It showcased photographstaken by secondary school children of theinspirational people in their lives. It alsoshowed images that challenge stereotypesof older people, and highlighted pioneeringprojects that encourage people fromdifferent generations to interact and formnew bonds.

For more information visitwww.dwp.gov.uk/policy/ageing-society/full-of-life

You can view the “Age, Snapped”exhibition online atwww.flickr.com/photos/age_snapped

Older People’sDay 2009The best yet!

Georgia Morris, school's competition winner, withher granddad, in front of her winning photograph

Thousands of parents have benefited from impartial childmaintenance information and support over the past year,through the Child Maintenance Options service.

An effective child maintenance arrangement– reliable support that helps towards achild’s upbringing – makes a big differenceto a child’s wellbeing and the quality offamily relationships. But setting up aworkable arrangement that both parentsare happy with can prove difficult.

The Options service can help parents takea closer look at all the choices available,highlighting the key issues they may need tothink about. It can also help weigh up theadvantages and drawbacks of each option,as parents can make a private agreement ifthey can agree on how to provide childmaintenance for their child withoutinvolving the courts or the CSA.

A call to Options can help:

� work out the amount of regularmaintenance that would be payable if theparents went through the CSA

� talk through the options for putting inplace a child maintenance arrangementprivately

Child MaintenanceOptions

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The service was set up as part ofwide-reaching changes under thenew Child Maintenance andEnforcement Commission – a non-departmental public body whichoperates at arms length fromgovernment and has taken overresponsibility for the Child SupportAgency (CSA).

The changes mean that parents claimingbenefits are no longer tied to using the CSAand can come to an arrangement betweenthemselves. Because this gives separatingparents a number of choices, the Optionsservice was launched to help them find themost appropriate solution for theircircumstances.

The service was piloted from July last yearand launched to all parents across GreatBritain in October 2008. One year on andthe benefits are clear to see, with almost100,000 calls made to the service and181,000 outbound calls to parents.

One year on

www.cmoptions.orgFurther information

In a private agreement, parents don’t haveto follow a strict formula to work out childmaintenance. They can agree on a weeklyfigure or include payments ‘in kind’. This iswhere both parents may share care of thechild, or one parent pays for things liketaking the child on holiday, buying schooluniforms and clothes, food, fees or homerepairs – rather than paying money to theother parent.

But sometimes it just isn’t possible forparents to come to a private arrangement.They may not be speaking to each other orthere may be a lack of trust, preferring forthe CSA to oversee a statutory arrangement.

No matter what the circumstances are, theOptions service can help with childmaintenance issues and other relatedseparation worries. Friends and family, whomay be helping a parent through a break-up, can contact the service for informationtoo.

The freephone information line 0800 9880988 is open 8am to 8pm from Monday toFriday and from 9am to 4pm on Saturday.(Calls to 0800 numbers are free from BTlandlines but other companies, mobile ratesand calls from abroad may vary.)

� offer practical information on subjectslinked to child maintenance, such ashousing, work and money.

Parents who live apart often need to dealwith difficult practical things like money,childcare and feelings of stress and anger.The people at Options can offer informationand put parents in touch with specialistorganisations that can help. Relate, CitizensAdvice, Shelterline and Women’s Aid are justsome of the groups the service works with.

To make things easier for separatingparents, the Options service also providesinformation on making a privatearrangement – including a useful form –that may mean parents don’t need to gothrough the CSA at all. Research shows thatthese arrangements tend to succeed becauseboth parents work together to agree what isbest for the child.

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All customers who are newly eligible for aWinter Fuel Payment and who have sent intheir correctly completed claim form before25 September 2009, should receive theirpayment before Christmas 2009.

We started to send out payments inNovember and will continue throughoutDecember, up to Christmas. So, some peoplewill get their payment before others. Ifsomeone has not got their payment byChristmas, they should call the office thatpays their benefit or State Pension.

All claims for this year’s payments must bereceived on or before 30 March 2010.

Anyone who thinks they may be eligiblecan call the Winter Fuel Helpline on0845 915 15 15 for a claim form, or visitwww.direct.gov.uk/winterfuel for furtherinformation.

Pensions Minister, Angela Eagle said: “Wedon’t want any older people to be afraid toturn up their heating in winter. Real helpwith fuel bills is available and we want toensure everyone gets what they are entitledto.”

People aged 60 or over, on orbefore 27 September 2009,who qualify, should receive apayment of up to £250 perhousehold. Households withsomeone aged 80 or over couldget up to £400.

Winter Fuel Payments are madeautomatically to more than 12 millionpeople. People who have received a WinterFuel Payment before and whosecircumstances have not changed shouldreceive their payments automatically.

Winter Fuel Payments

Once again, theGovernment is makingWinter Fuel Payments tohelp older people withtheir heating costs duringthe winter months.

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Children born on or after1 September 2002 who wereawarded Child Benefit willhave already received a £250voucher to start their ChildTrust Fund.

Shortly after they turn 7, they will receivea further £250, paid directly into theiraccount. As with the first payment, themoney is invested in the account of theirparents’ choice until their child turns 18.

Children in families on lower incomes willreceive an additional £250.

Parents, family and friends can alsocontribute to a Child Trust Fund account,up to a total of £1,200 tax free per year.

Research by HM Revenue & Customs hasshown that 5 and 6 year-olds – the samechildren who will be among the first tobenefit from the extra £250 – have gotthe saving habit already.

An impressive 65% oftoday’s Child Trust Fundchildren save some or allof their pocket money!

Child TrustFund£250 to celebrateturning 7

The Glasgow MacmillanBenefits Service

In Glasgow, more than 3,000 people arediagnosed with cancer each year. They –along with cancer sufferers around thecountry – face changes to their financialsituation, brought about by a drop inincome and increase in living expenses,which only add to their distress.

In response, a new partnership betweenGlasgow City Council, Community HealthCare Partnerships, The Pension Serviceand Macmillan has, in less than one year,secured £3.1 million in benefits for 1,060Glasgow citizens diagnosed with cancer.

The service also provides hardship grantsfor cancer patients – more than £1.6million was awarded in Scotland last year.Extra support has been provided byGlasgow City Council’s Revenue & BenefitsSection and by The Pension Service whocarries out home visits for the over 60s.

The partnership not only supports peopleaffected by cancer but their carers andfamily members, too.

Following this success, the pilot is beingrolled out throughout the rest of thecountry.

Further informationwww.childtrustfund.gov.uk

Child Trust Fund helpline 0845 302 1470

Further informationGlasgow Macmillan Benefits Service0141 420 8123

E: macmillanbenefitsservice@glasgow.gov.uk

www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx

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“We’re committed to changing this and theGovernment has set out its vision to achievedisability equality by 2025. The ODI plays akey role in co-ordinating the work ofgovernment departments and we’redelighted to launch the Roadmap, whichsets out how everyone will work together toone common goal: disability equality.”

The Roadmap is based around 14 themes,which disabled people have identified as thefactors that will make the biggest impact ontheir lives. These include access to educationand training, employment, and having agood standard of living.

The publication explains each of thedifferent themes and encourages readers tojoin in the discussion on disability equality.An accompanying poster shows how thedifferent themes link together.

Copies of the booklet and poster (includingalternative formats) are being distributed togovernment departments, disabled people’sorganisations and charities.

On the International Day of Disabled People(3 December), the ODI launches an engagingpublication called Roadmap 2025.

The Roadmap defines thevision of disability equality, asidentified in co-productionwith disabled people. Itoutlines what the Governmenthas already achieved and itsplans for the future – the firsttime that this has beenpublished.

Tim Cooper, Director of the ODI, says:“Nearly one in five of the UK populationis disabled or has a long-term healthcondition. At the moment, disabled peopleare not being treated equally in all areas oflife and do not necessarily have the sameopportunities and choices as non-disabledpeople.

New Roadmapto equality

The Office for Disability Issues(ODI) leads on the Government’scommitment to achieve disabilityequality by 2025. The ODI workstogether with governmentdepartments to make suredisabled people are consideredin all policies.

Find out more about the Roadmap and the Office forDisability Issues at www.odi.gov.uk

Further information

Tim Cooper, Director of the ODI

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A National Audit Office report statesthat one in four carers want tocombine paid work with their caringresponsibilities.

As part of the national carers strategy,Carers at the heart of 21st century familiesand communities, Jobcentre Plus iscommitted to improve the support andadvice available to carers who wish tore-enter the labour market.

Each Jobcentre Plus district has a new CarePartnership Manager in post. They willdevelop partnerships with key stakeholdersinvolved in providing services for carers intheir area.

Their role is to work with local authorities,the National Health Service, and voluntaryand private sector carer specialists to helpdevelop support services that will improvethe prospects of carers combining caringwith paid work.

Care Partnership Managers will act aschampions for care issues within JobcentrePlus, making sure that advisers have up-to-

date information about local carer services,and the right knowledge and skills toprovide effective support.

Between October 2009 andJune 2010, Jobcentre Plus willprovide specialist training for2,500 advisers who work withcarers.

From December 2009, Jobcentre Plus willextend access to employment support to allcarers who are not already eligible and notworking full time who want help to findpaid employment.

From the same date, Jobcentre Plus will beable to fund replacement care where a carerneeds it to participate in return to workactivities agreed with their adviser.

A growing number of organisations andindividuals, often known as freelancebenefits advisers, are charging people forhelp that is provided free by The PensionService, Jobcentre Plus, the Disability andCarers Service, and many welfare rightsorganisations.

Are your customers paying for benefits advice?DWP’s fully trained staff offer a wide rangeof help and advice and can often take claimsover the telephone, complete or help withforms and give estimates of how muchbenefit customers will get. Customers canalso get up-to-date guidance from theDirectgov website: www.direct.gov.uk

Further informationwww.jobcentreplus.gov.uk and followthe links to Customers > DisabledPeople and Carers

www.dh.gov.uk

More help for carers

2010 has beendesignated EuropeanYear for CombatingPoverty and SocialExclusion.

The UK’s national programme of activity willput the objectives for the year into practiceby:

� raising awareness of the causes andconsequences of poverty and socialexclusion, and of UK and Europeanstrategies and policies to tackle theseissues

� promoting and facilitating theengagement of a range of stakeholderswho have a role to play in tacklingpoverty and social exclusion, includingbusiness and trades unions, voluntary andcommunity organisations, socialenterprises, people experiencing povertyand the organisations that represent them

� ensuring a lasting legacy by sharing goodpractice and knowledge, and facilitatingdialogue between stakeholders.

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The programme will have a mix of activity atboth national and local level to highlight thekey aspects of the UK anti-poverty strategy,which are:

� child poverty

� working age poverty and social exclusion

� severe multiple deprivation and those whoare most at risk of social exclusion

� older people and poverty/social exclusion.

Organisations who deal with these issues ona daily basis will be involved to help DWPdeliver the programme during the year.

In August, we issued Calls for Proposals tocover:

� regional activities in each DevolvedAdministration and Government Officeregion

� a programme for each of the key themesof the strategy, which will involvegrassroots organisations across the countryand showcase existing initiatives andstrategies as well as sharing good practice

� technical support to provide an effectivecommunications link between all thoseinvolved, to enable the sharing of goodpractice and development of a lastinglegacy.

Following evaluation of the proposals, thefinal programme will be submitted to theEuropean Commission by mid December.

How you can get involved:

� tell your stakeholders about the Year

� tell us about initiatives, policies, projectsand services that have been successful intackling poverty and social exclusion.

www.dwp.gov.uk/european-year-2010/index.shtmlFurther information

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In September, we looked at thepathfinders testing proposals forchange to the social fund procedures.Following these pathfinders, new ruleswere introduced from 30 October.

All customers seeking a crisis loan for livingexpenses are now advised of their currentlevel of debt. Customers must also nowattend an interview to support a request fora crisis loan for living expenses where it istheir third or subsequent such application ina rolling 12-month period. This excludes loansfor the period up to their first benefitpayment (alignment loans).

Social fund This helps the customer to make aninformed choice about taking on furtherdebt, and allows them to discuss the causesof their recurring need for support and tofind out about agencies that provide moneymanagement advice.

The interview will normally be held at thecustomer’s usual Jobcentre. Exceptionally, itcan be conducted by ‘phone if the customercannot reasonably be expected to attend inperson.

Frank Spiers on 0207 449 5252

E: frank.spiers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Further information

In October, we changed the benefit rulescovering the way we treat payments topeople who are consulted, or otherwiseinvolved, by public bodies over the waytheir services are designed and delivered.This can involve people taking part inworkshops, meetings, seminars andinspections.

Their shared experience ofusing a particular service helpsothers to make improvementsto it. In particular, to make itmore responsive to local needs.

The organisations that tend to consult in thisway include local authorities, NHS Trusts,Primary Care Trusts, Patient Forums andothers involved in the delivery of social care.

Payments to people who take part in consultations

We are changing the rules in two ways:

� anyone paid for their ‘service userinvolvement’ who also receives expenseswill have those expenses completelydisregarded for benefit purposes

� service users will not be covered by thenotional income rules. This means theycan choose to accept payment at a levelwhich will not affect their benefit or askthe organisation to donate theirpayments to charity.

The changes, which will apply where there isa legal requirement for the involvement orconsultation, will make it easier for peopleto take part in consultations without undueimpact on their benefits.

Further informationwww.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform

Account holders can save up to£25 a month for two years,and the Government willcontribute 50p for each poundsaved when the accountmatures.

Accounts will be available from providerssuch as banks, building societies, creditunions and through the Post Office.

People who are eligible for, or getting,certain benefits or tax credits will be invitedto join the scheme.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) arerunning the scheme, in partnership withHM Treasury. HMRC, aided by DWP and theirFinancial Inclusion Champions, is getting intouch with a range of intermediaries whowill have a key role in providing advice onthe Saving Gateway.

What can you do to help?

There are two important roles:

Supporting savers: many people who willbe opening accounts will not have had asavings account before. They may needsome support with, for example:

� deciding whether Saving Gateway is rightfor them

� opening their account, and

� using their account.

They may also need help at the end of theaccount’s two-year lifespan, to decide whatto do next with their money.

Signposting to savers: organisations cansignpost potential savers to sources ofinformation about Saving Gateway.

If you are interested in providing advice onthe Saving Gateway, or wish to subscribe tothe Saving Gateway newsletter, pleasecontact Anne Nicholson atanne.nicholson@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

We’ll bring you more information aboutSaving Gateway accounts in the next editionof Touchbase.

www.hmrc.gov.uk/saving-gatewayFurther information

From 2010, there will be a new governmentsupported cash savings account called theSaving Gateway. It’s for people of workingage who are on lower incomes and aims tokick-start a savings habit and promotefinancial inclusion.

20 TOUCHBASE

The Saving

Regular savings. Rewarded

Gateway

21 TOUCHBASE

Are your customers getting intereston their bank or building societyaccount?

If so, they may have paid tax they didn’tneed to pay and might be due some moneyback. That’s because banks and buildingsocieties usually take 20% tax off anyinterest before it is paid (so you only get80p of every £1 of interest earned).

Every year, you are allowed to have a certainamount of money coming in before youneed to pay tax – your ‘tax free allowance’or ‘personal allowance’. These are:

Age on Annual tax-free5 April 2009 allowance

Under 65 £6,035

65 to 74 £9,030

75 or over £9,180

If a person’s annual income is below theirannual tax free allowance, and their bank or

Taxbackbuilding society has been taking tax off theirinterest, they may be entitled to claim itback. All they need to do is complete arepayment claim form (R40) and return itto this Freepost address:

Freepost RSCS-LYHX-HUCCHMRC, Saxon House, 1 Causeway LaneLeicester LE1 4AA

Anyone who has paid too much tax oninterest in the past can claim back any taxoverpaid in the last five years. They mustcomplete a separate form R40 for each yearthat they are claiming. They can stop taxbeing taken off their interest in the futureby completing form R85, available from theirbank or building society.

Further informationwww.hmrc.gov.uk/taxback

Helpline 0845 366 7850

www.businesslink.gov.uk/itpaysFurther information

It pays to work with usOctober saw the launch of It pays to workwith us, a national campaign aimed atmaking employers more aware of JobcentrePlus and its services. This support forbusinesses is even more important wheneconomic recovery is essential and therecruitment of talented employees vital.

The wide range of services and money savingoptions for employers include:

� an efficient recruitment service to helpthem find the right person for the job

� Work trials – a risk-free way to try out apotential employee for up to 30 days

� £1,000 cash incentive to recruit an eligiblejobseeker (can be combined with up to£1,500 towards the cost of in-worktraining)

� bespoke recruitment advice and supportthough Local Employment Partnerships

� help with writing job adverts and findingthe right candidates

� sector specific training

� support for those employers goingthrough redundancies.

22 TOUCHBASE

Here are just some of the things they said:

“The customer is at the heartof what we do and the Charterwill help keep that in focus.”

“The Charter puts our businesson a professional footing.”

But will our customers notice a difference?Well, visitors to any DWP building will seethe Customer Charter prominentlydisplayed. They can also find out moreabout it on the DWP and Directgovwebsites, and from new leaflets containingbetter information about what to do if theyare unhappy with our service.

One Jobcentre Plus office used the Charterto survey customers to help them reallyunderstand what they liked, and disliked,about the service they received and thenused the responses to make meaningfulservice improvements.

Similar initiatives are happening around thecountry, helping us to make both local andnational changes for the better.

It is based on extensive research, conductedwith a wide cross-section of customers andintermediaries, which identified the fourareas that had the greatest impact oncustomer satisfaction. These are:

� right treatment

� right result

� on time, and

� easy access.

We then developed the Charter – with inputfrom customers, representative groups andover 2,000 staff – to make it as real andpractical as possible.

We introduced it to staff in July, so they hadtime to get to know the Charter principlesand to think about how they could use it intheir own areas to identify and drivecustomer improvements.

These principles are now firmly embeddedin the way we train new staff and in ourperformance management process, whichhas been an important step forward inbuilding a sharper customer focus. However,just as important has been the enthusiasmour staff have shown in looking at thebarriers, challenges and opportunities tocustomer satisfaction.

DWP Customer Charter

In August, we launched our new Customer Charter, which sets out theservice our customers can expect when they deal with us – whether theyare claiming working age benefits, notifying a change of circumstance orapplying for a caring allowance.

www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/customer-deliveryFurther information

23 TOUCHBASE

The Pension, Disability and Carers Servicedelivers pensions, benefits and forecaststo approximately 15 million customers.Each year, we make payments of around£90 billion to older people, those witha disability, children and carers. Ourcustomers – particularly the mostvulnerable – often have complex andwide-ranging needs, which are metthrough the combined efforts of a varietyof organisations.

Our vision for partnership working andexternal relations places our customersat the forefront of everything we do.We believe that, by working even closerwith others, we can deliver more benefitsand more services, more effectively, forour customers, when they need us most.

We recognise the important role ourpartners and stakeholders play in helpingus to join up our services with otheragencies, and to deliver our Public ServiceAgreements and key policy objectives.Their contributions provide the insightand expert knowledge that guide ourstrategies and help us to improve ourservices for customers.

In our new Strategy for Partnerships andExternal Relations we describe ourobjectives, priorities and high leveldelivery plan and outline how we proposeto deliver our Agencies’ vision of Workingtogether to make lives better. Read thestrategy at www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pdcs-partnerships-strategy.pdf

Working together...to make lives better

Professionalism inDecision Makingand AppealsThe Pension, Disability and Carers Service(PDCS) recently launched a cross-government report describing how thepartnership between a governmentagency and a university is helping toimprove skills in the public sector.

Thinking Critically, Higher skills for betterpublic services explains how, inpartnership with the University of Chester,PDCS has pioneered a flexible programmeof work-based learning and skillsdevelopment.

Professionalism in Decision Making andAppeals (PIDMA) is helping 1,300 disabilitybenefit decision makers to achieveprofessional accreditation with HigherEducation awards.

Kim Archer, Head of Partnerships andRelationship Development at PDCS says:

“Millions of disabled peoplerely on us to get it rightfirst time. PIDMA givesreassurance that our staffare professional, meet thestandards required anddeploy well-developedcritical skills in their work.”

Copies of the report and summary areavailable at www.hefce.ac.uk (search for“Thinking critically”).

Further informationPauline Thompson, Head of PIDMA,on 01253 338818

Further informationKim Archer, Head of Partnershipsand Relationship Development

E: kim.archer@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

It is also mailed free of charge to anyone who joins the Publicity Register. The PublicityRegister is a mailing list of advisers, intermediaries and other professionals who want toreceive TToouucchhbbaassee and other relevant information about government services.

Touchbase is published on the DWP website: www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers

Obtaining leaflets and postersThe online catalogue of DWP productswww.dwp.gov.uk/publications/catalogue-of-information gives details of how to orderleaflets and posters. These cannot beobtained from the Publicity Register or DWPCorporate Customer Affairs.

Comments about Touchbase(not distribution queries)

The Touchbase editorial board is alwayspleased to receive comments about the styleand content of Touchbase. We want toensure it meets your needs. If you have anycomments, questions or suggestions, pleasecontact:

Paula YoungDWP Corporate Customer AffairsRoom 1S25, Quarry HouseQuarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UATelephone: 0113 232 7092Textphone: 0113 232 7083Fax: 0113 232 7221Email: paula.young@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

The Publicity Register

When to contact the Publicity Register

Contact the Publicity Register to:

� change your address or contactdetails

� obtain your own copies of Touchbase

� cancel your copy of Touchbase.

Join the Publicity Register by making contact using any of the methodsbelow:

Online: www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/publicity-register

Letter: The Publicity RegisterFreepost Plus RRUU-HSKS-ZEYT LBM HouseAtlantic StreetAltrinchamWA14 5FY

Email: publicityregister@coi.gov.uk

Although every effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this newsletter are correct, it givesgeneral guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.Wherever this may be important to you, you should always check details with your social security orJobcentre Plus office, or pension centre.

The information given in Touchbase is correct at the time of going to press. For the latest informationvisit www.dwp.gov.uk or www.direct.gov.uk