Benefjt Changes Programme Helping people to help themselves Benefjt - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Benefjt Changes Programme Helping people to help themselves

Benefjt Changes Programme Online education tool that empowers people to manage their fjnances and navigate their way through the minefjeld that is the welfare reforms.

David Cameron’s pledge on Welfare Reforms; “We’re fjnally going to make work pay - especially for the poorest people in society. And we’re going to provide much greater support for unemployed people to fjnd work... We’re… making it fairer and a genuine ladder of opportunity for everyone.”

Universal Credit Quiz

Winner Loser

Nina, 23, she is a lone parent with one child age 8 months, she works 24 hours a week earning £903.88 net a month. She lives in a 2 bedroom house and pays £95 a week rent.

Nina, 23, she is a lone parent with one child age 8 months, she works 24 hours a week earning £903.88 net a month. She lives in a 2 bedroom house and pays £95 a week rent.

£24.75 a Month

Sarah works 40 hours a week earning £10 per hour (£20,800 per year). Her partner Alan looks afuer their 2 year

• ld daughter Sophie.

Sarah works 40 hours a week earning £10 per hour (£20,800 per year). Her partner Alan looks afuer their 2 year

• ld daughter Sophie.

£88.40 a Month

Mary, 54, does not work due to her disability, she lives in an adapted bungalow with her 12 year old daughter

• Sarah. She pays £105 a week rent.

£171.40 a Month

Mary, 54, does not work due to her disability, she lives in an adapted bungalow with her 12 year old daughter

• Sarah. She pays £105 a week rent.

Carly is a lone parent with two children age 10 and 4. Her youngest son sufgers with down syndrome, he is getting disability benefjts and Carly is getting Carers Allowance as his main carer.

£136.00 a Month

Carly is a lone parent with two children age 10 and 4. Her youngest son sufgers with down syndrome, he is getting disability benefjts and Carly is getting Carers Allowance as his main carer.

262,728 currently on UC 40% of these are actually in employment.

Universal Credit Roll Out

Benefjt Changes Programme

Prepares people for the new “Universal Credit” explaining how to protect their current benefjt income

Welfare Reforms

Two main changes; What you have to do to receive benefjts and Cuts to benefjt

Work Conditionality

Most people will be expected to work 35 hours a week, people who are working part-time will be expected to increase their hours or fjnd a full- time job. Tiis includes people on zero hour contracts. Carers and disabled people can restrict their hours to 16 hours a week

Work Conditionality

All Universal Credit claimants must sign and agree a Claimant Commitment Agreement, if they don’t they will not get JSA or Universal Credit Benefjt fjnes of £10.44 a day (73.10 a week) from 4 weeks to 3 years. Tiese fjnes are called Benefjt Sanctions Most people will be expected to work 35 hours a week, people who are working part-time will be expected to increase their hours or fjnd a full- time job. Tiis includes people on zero hour contracts. Carers and disabled people can restrict their hours to 16 hours a week

“One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to

• hospital. Tiis caused the claimant to miss an
• appointment. No leeway given”

Ridiculous Benefjt Sanctions

“Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefjts sanctioned afuer she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview”

Ridiculous Benefjt Sanctions

“ A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital afuer being hit by a

• car. He was sanctioned”

Ridiculous Benefjt Sanctions

Helen Smith from Widnes works between 30-40 hrs pw on a 0 hr

• contract. She was sanctioned for not

looking for work whilst on holiday. No-one told her she had to.

Ridiculous Benefjt Sanctions

Benefjt Changes Programme

Explains the work conditionality rules, preparing people for interviews with the JCP Coach; completing the Claimant Commitment Agreement, benefjt sanctions rules and risks, challenging unfair decisions and where to get help if they do get sanctioned.

ESA - Work Capacity Assessment

Harsher capacity for work assessments, 2,300 people have died afuer been told they are fjt for work – hundreds of thousands

• f people have been declared

‘unfjt for work’ , over 50% of these decisions have been overturned at appeal.

Benefjts for Sick and Disabled People

Guides people through the medical assessment questionnaire, prepares them for the medical assessments explaining how to challenge a decision.

Cuts Introduced in April

Lone Parents under 25 will lose £15 a week (10% of household income) Loss of the Family Premium in all means tested benefjts up to £22 a week Loss of the Disabled Children Addition means that they will lose £31 a week Loss of the Severely Disabled Premium - Single people will lose £37 a week and Severely disabled couples will lose £100 a week Benefjt Cap reduced to £385.00 a week for couples and £258.00 a week for single people.

Tiis list is not exhaustive

People who are migrated on to Universal Credit by the DWP will be entitled to protection - this means their benefjts will not be reduced. But they will lose this protection if they have a signifjcant change of circumstances.

Transitional Protection

Informs users about the changes

Prepares users for the challenges Helps users to avoid the penalties Maximises users Income Minimises users outgoings

Benefjt Changes Programme

Benefjts for people looking for work Benefjts for people in work Benefjts for sick and disabled people Benefjts for Carers

Targetted Benefjt Modules

Welfare Reforms and You

Targetted Finance Modules

Smart Money Debt Solutions for All

Online Learning Platform is managed by Moodle.

Used by millions of schools, colleges and universities across the world Secured site area for your users Tools, such as benefjt calculator, do not ask for any data that could identify the individual O C Learn have a strict confjdentiality policy: no information is shared with third parties.

Secure

www.oclearn.org Find out more about the programme and try our demo.

Cathy Whiteside cathy.whiteside@oclearn.org 07881 279451

Contact