Exit Strategy for Housing Benefits

Linda Price IRRV (Hons)

ICT and Contract Services Manager

Sefton MBC

DWP Surveys

• Several undertaken

• Asked for staffing costs– TUPE type information

• Asked for other costs– Contract penalties for early exit

• Important to respond– Must make DWP aware of how much money

we may need from them!

Map the Current Service

• There are the easy parts– Existing HB/CTB teams– Call centre– One stop shops– Libraries

• There are the complex parts– The accountants time– Auditors– More?

Funding

– DWP Admin Grant will disappear• Council Tax Support will be a Grant

– Surplus on Subsidy will disappear– Recharges from Support services– Recharges from Management Overheads

– Consequence = increase to other areas

The Legislation

• When will the last regulation change be?

• When will the last software change be?

• Review all contracts– Identify notice periods and exit clauses– Send early warning letters– Make sure you don’t miss notice dates

Appeals / Overpayments

• How many?

• What’s happening?

• Overpayments– Will DWP pay the Council and then collect

from Universal Credit?• Apparently not!• Collection plan needed

Data Retention

• Where?

• What?

• How long for?

• How?

• Data retention policies

Communication

• Customers

• Staff

• Members

• Third parties

• Suppliers

• Partners

Change Management

Linda Price

Client Contract Manager

Sefton MBC

Change creates organisational pressure

Initiators: Isolated

Managers/Leaders: Squeezed

Staff: Resistant

Pressure on Initiators

Initiators tend to• underestimate impact on employees• isolate themselves• avoid communicating or seeking bad

news• expect employees to go along with

change and blame their middle managers if people resist or complain

• feel betrayed if employees don’t respond positively

Initiators: Isolated

Managers/Leaders Squeezed

Staff: Resistant

Pressure on Managers

Managers• Feel pulled in different directions• Often lack information from initiators

on priorities• Caught in the middle – confused

without clear instructions• Besieged by upset, resistant or

withdrawn staff and deserted, blamed or misunderstood by the initiators.

Initiators: Isolated

Managers Squeezed

Staff: Resistant

Pressure on staff

Staff• feel attacked and betrayed by

changes announced by management• often feel caught off guard• many respond with resistance,

anger, frustration and confusion• response can solidify into a negative

attitude• become afraid to take risks and

experience loss.

Initiators: Isolated

Managers/Leaders

Squeezed

Staff: Resistant

The Manager’s Challenge

maintain or increase productivity whilst moving staff in a new direction.

direct energy away from feelings of powerlessness

move away from the security of the past articulate the vision of the future draw attention to the ways in which

your team can make a difference….

Leading the people The most common response to change is a sense of

loss, i.e. loss of control – a feeling of insecurity loss of competence – its hard to admit you don’t

know how to do something removal of relationships – a sense of belonging

can be lost feelings of a lack of direction loss of territory – psychologically

Loss can be manifested in an emotional response similar to grief

This is normal and you should not repress it.

Managing the people

One of the manager’s jobs is to acknowledge the loss people are experiencing and not to pretend it is business as usual.

Create supportive relationships – listen, facilitate, reward – direct and confront when necessary but with a supportive tone

4 Stages

Denial

Resistance

Commitment

Exploration

PAST FUTURE

DANGER OPPORTUNITY

When people first approach change their initial response is to see it as a threat and they fear and resist it

…and then climbing back out again.

Think of the process as descending into a valley……

Most people go through all 4 stages.

Leading the people

Denial

Resistance

Commitment

Exploration

PAST FUTURE

DANGER OPPORTUNITY

Some may move quickly through the stages – some may get bogged down and at times even go into reverse.

Once people accept a change is inevitable or can provide new opportunities the change is well on the way to successful implementation

Symptoms

Denial

Resistance

Commitment

Exploration

Denial: withdrawalbusiness as usual activity but not much is accomplishednumbness

Resistance: errorsanger/anxiety/

complaints “gave my all and now

look what I get” loss of productivity –

sickness, CV writing …

Exploration: energy and chaosover preparation frustration too many new ideas too much to do can’t concentrate

Commitment: teamwork satisfaction clear focus and plan

Impeded if staff not encouraged to register reactions or if they are expected to swing straight through to “commitment”

Impeded if goals and values are unclear

Allowing views to be aired helps minimise resistance and make this stage pass more quickly.

Tactics

Denial

Resistance

Commitment

Exploration

Denial: Confront individuals with informationLet them know that change will happen and explain what to expectGive time for this to sink in and arrange a planning session to talk things over

Resistance: Listen, acknowledge

feelings, respond with empathy and support

Accept their resistance so that they will continue to tell you how they feel and so you can respond to their concerns

Exploration: Concentrate on

priorities and provide training

Set short term goalsRun participative

planning sessions

Commitment: Set long term goalsConcentrate on team

buildingAcknowledge and

reward those responding to change

Communication Communicate important changes face to face and follow

up with written announcement to help people absorb the information

Tell the truth – if people are more informed then they are less anxious and there is less opportunity for gossip.

Express your own feelings in a positive light – this makes people feel acknowledged and understood.

Create frequent opportunities to meet informally and formally to: Announce change – giving specific reasons Provide information and clarification Let people express their feelings Involve staff in planning and implementing the change Provide feedback

Participation People will more readily accept change if they

are involved in the process. This could take the form of: Quality circles Task forces Special discussion groups Q&A sessions Staff surveys Suggestion schemes Planning sessions Shared goal and objective setting.

Managing the change process

1. preparation

2. planning

3. transition structures

4. implementation

5. reward

1 - Preparation Prepare the staff – let them know what is happening in

good time

Describe the change as completely as you can – for the team as a whole and individuals – identify who will be most affected and approach them first

Understand what happened during the last change and learn from it

Assess the readiness of your teams – are they ready to undertake a change

Don’t make additional changes that are not critical

Identify what is fundamental, negotiable, controllable

2 - Planning Allow for the impact of change on personal

performance and productivity Encourage staff input Anticipate the skills and knowledge that will

be needed Set a timetable and objectives so that you

can measure progress Make contingency plans

3 - Transition structures

Create transition management group to take the pulse of the workforce and help identify possible problems.

Develop temporary policies and procedures

Create fast and accurate channels of communication

Meet frequently to monitor the unforeseen, give feedback etc.

4 - Implementation Provide training in new skills and develop new attitudes

and behaviour patterns Encourage self management – inform each person that he

or she is accountable for some aspect of the change Provide more feedback than usual so people know exactly

where they stand Allow for resistance – be ready to help those who find it

difficult – don’t dismiss people as irretrievable Give people the chance to step back and look at what is

going on – monitor the change and survey responses Encourage creative thought and look for opportunities the

change creates Build collaboration between teams

5 - Reward Create incentives for special effort – for those that

lead the change and groups that come through the change smoothly – the ‘change masters’

Reward attempts as well as successes Celebrate – hold special events to recognise

successes Incorporate good ideas and new suggestions from

the team members as part of your regular communications.

Where is your team? How will your team react during each

phase? note reaction of each individual How will you bring each individual to next

level?

Who are the leaders that can be relied on to help others move along?

Who will need extra help?

Managing Change There are no ready solutions – individual managers and

team leaders must take the initiative within their work groups

Change offers both uncertainty and opportunity – sometimes not easily recognised

Change is disruptive

Change will not necessarily solve previous organisational problems

It is a fantasy that change will not cost too much and be quick to implement

Action Plan 1-51. Describe the change as completely as you can. State

specifically how it will affect your staff, department and organisation. Note human factors.

2. What would the best possible outcome look like?

3. What are the strengths of your group/department in undertaking this change?

4. What obstacles are there to the change to prevent you from reaching your goal?

5. List the action steps for: Communication Dealing with resistance Involvement Leadership

Action Plan 6-10

6. What is the timetable for making this change – how can you measure progress?

7. What new skills, knowledge and attitudes are needed to make this change?

8. What transitional structures and processes are required?

9. How will you create incentives, acknowledge, recognise and celebrate this change?

10. What contingencies should be planned for?

Discuss?

• Questions ??