WELFARE REFORM AND COMMUNITY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES

Overview Immediate pressures from existing and new service users At the same time greater need than ever for CLD’s potential for working with people to achieve long term change and prevent future difficulties The challenges that practitioners have been facing Some of the responses that they are developing.

Welfare Reform Changed levels of benefits and tax credits, and introduction of benefit cap Changes to Housing Benefit, such as the ‘Bedroom Tax’, mitigated in Scotland through Discretionary Housing Payments Reassessment of Incapacity Benefit recipients for Employment and Support Allowance, and replacement of Disability Living Allowance with Personal Independence Payment Introduction of Universal Credit, now expected to be fully in place by 2018 Changes to procedures for making claims: expectation that claims will be made on-line and shift to monthly payments Substantial expansion of the imposition of withdrawal of benefit for a period from claimants deemed to have failed to meet ‘claimant commitments

Impact Research studies Sanctions imposed on one in five of the people who claimed JSA in (D Webster) Experiences of CLD Managers “I have personally seen children and young people starving in [my town]”.

General pressures Resources – targeting Workforce knowledge and skills New partnerships – external funding CLD values: dealing with compulsion Urgent needs versus long term learning Changing profile of learners – “We are engaging many more of our target audience for learning than before.”

Specific pressures Digital literacy Digital access and provision Financial literacy Literacy, numeracy, ESOL Advice, support, guidance Community action Volunteering opportunities and constraints

Immediate responses to need Digital learning and provision (e.g. IT4 Work) ‘Digital learning has been prioritised to help people with Universal Jobmatch, Universal Credit and job seeking skills’ Financial capabilities ‘Financial budgeting courses as part of other CBAL courses’ Employability ‘Development from Work Clubs to an Employability Plus course that tackles personal development, interview skills etc.’

Broader responses to long term needs and prevention Through learning: – Adults “Supporting individuals in relation to aspects of health and well-being” – Youth Work Community responses – practical self-help and help to others – community economic activity – taking part in collective responses – ensuring that voice of those in or with experience of poverty is heard

Service wide responses Partnerships “Joint work with partners on establishing community hubs, linking with libraries etc.“ mixed experiences with DWP Reorganise services Working 4U Service Train and upskill staff Multiagency?

Recommendations - discuss