Welfare Reform, the journey A look at Croydon’s welfare reform approach

Welcome and Introduction Marie Hardeman Support Services Manager, Income and Benefits

The challenge Largest London Borough Multiple changes occurring 1 of 4 national benefit cap pilot authorities 16,113 Croydon residents affected 1,383 customers experiencing multiple changes £8,423,185 lost in benefits Various services, internally & externally, supporting the same customer base independently

CTS Only 12,967 people affected Average loss £4 BC Only 490 people affected Average loss £78 UO Only 1,273 people affected Average loss £16 CTS + BC 231 people Average £98 CTS + UO 1,143 people Average £19 UO + BC 7 people Average £74 Impact of Welfare Reforms: Totals 16,113 people affected Average loss £10 Yearly impact £8,423,185 Any CTS – 14,343 people Any BC – 730 people Any UO – 2,425 people All 2

Impact of Welfare Reforms: Benefit Loss Bandings Total Loss in Benefit (Weekly) Number Affected Percentage of Those Affected Average Financial Impact per Household (£ per week) Weekly Impact (Total) Yearly Impact (Total) Less than £1012,26176%£3.69£45,243£2,358,896 Between £10 and £202,40315%£14.45£34,729£1,807,772 Between £20 and £307685%£24.23£18,610£968,420 Between £30 and £401651%£33.40£5,510£286,706 Between £40 and £501491%£43.50£6,482£337,124 Between £50 and £ %£73.86£9,897£514,697 Between £100 and £ %£136.86£22,308£1,160,059 Between £200 and £300560%£249.49£13,972£726,544 Between £300 and £400110%£340.76£3,748£194,922 Between £400 and £50030%£436.18£1,309£68,045 Over £50000%£0.00£0 16,113100%£10.04£161,807£8,423,185 Version 8: Data Set 8 v28

The Journey Quickly understanding the scale of the challenge What do customers understand – what matters? Move away from traditional silo working, solutions possible but not in isolation Engagement was critical. We recognised we needed to explain these changes in person Worked closely with 3 rd sector organisations to develop tools and policies We developed an engagement approach that we feel is unique

Our approach

Working together our partners…

Helping people to help themselves – a selection of our self help tools

Culture change Helping customers to help themselves There is no best practice This is a bigger change for our customers, than for the organisation The intervention is designed around the customer All engagement is outcome focussed, not process focussed

The results…so far In the first six months reduced unemployment by 16.6% on the same time last year Two households evicted solely because of Welfare Reform. Council rent collection above the average for the last 5 years 398 Households now in employment

Results Positive engagement with 3330 households, with 84% of cases achieving successful outcomes Our closed customer would have faced an annual loss of £3,240, Based on an average salary, the customers now working are contributing £2,247, per annum income tax By supporting behavioural change and offering budgeting support our customers have met a weekly shortfall of £20, per week

Don’t take our word for it… “ Very good service and we are very thankful as it has solved a lot of problems for the whole family. I now have a job and we are living affordably in Ipswich. We don’t have to worry about the money we needed to be in Croydon.’’ “This really helped us out. We wouldn’t have been able to consider moving without a DHP and we are now looking at paying half the amount of rent monthly for a larger 4 bed house as we are moving to Leicester which is brilliant as my partner has family there. We are all very excited it’s the best result possible for us.’’ “Excellent service, everything moved really quickly.” “The lady that dealt with our application was lovely. She kept us informed throughout and said she would call us when we were due for a review. Cannot fault this service” “I could not be more thankful for how this has helped me out financially. I am now in the process of downsizing and really happy’’

The future – what does this mean? Support for customers to return to work in the longer term Help people secure a position of stability Clear housing options and packages for customers wanting to downsize Utilising the Council’s role as a key creator and enabler of jobs, working as a jobs broker for local residents A radical new relationship with the 3 rd sector, providing a seamless experience for customers –3 rd sector acting as both a front door, and a key delivery partner.

Questions