benefits and personal finance

This report presents findings from a qualitative research project carried out as part of a wider evaluation of Jobcentre Plus Pathways to Work. The study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 to explore referral practices and liaison amongst Jobcentre Plus staff and service providers involved in helping incapacity benefits recipients move towards, and into, paid employment. The study was led by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York in collaboration with the Policy Studies Institute and the National Centre for Social Research.

This reports on the Disability and Carers (DCS) Customer Service Survey 2008. Results showed that overall satisfaction with the DCS continues to be high and that there have been some signs of improvement since the previous year. The report suggests a number of aspects of the service that should be focused on.

This research report presents findings from a qualitative study specifically designed to explore the effects of benefit sanctions on lone parents' employment decisions and moves into employment. Forty lone parents who had been referred for a sanction following non-attendance at a Work Focused Interview (WFI) were interviewed in depth. Focus groups were also carried out with Jobcentre Plus staff.

This report summarises the final evaluation report of the Working for Families Fund (WFF) programme from 2004-08. It was carried out by the Employment Research Institute, Napier University, Edinburgh, for the Scottish Government over this period.

Over the four years the budget for WFF was £50 million, a total of 25,508 clients were registered, 53% of all clients (13,594) achieved 'hard' outcomes, such as employment, and a further 13% (3,283) achieved other significant outcomes.

A report describing the development and cognitive testing of the covering letter and questionnaire to be used in the GP Access Survey 2008/09.

Ministers asked the Take Up Taskforce to develop ways to help local services to support parents to access all their relevant benefit entitlements, in order to help tackle child poverty.

Many poor families are not taking up all of the financial support to which they are entitled and there are particularly low rates of take up by families where at least one parent is working. Lack of awareness of available in-work financial entitlements can present a barrier to parents entering and sustaining work.

This report presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of the Jobseeker Mandatory Activity (JMA) pilot. The JMA provided extra support to help Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants back into the labour market.

The focus was on those aged 25 years or more that had been claiming benefits for six months. The intervention comprised a three-day work-focused course delivered by external providers followed by three Jobcentre Plus personal adviser interviews. The pilot was tested in ten areas over a two-year period with the first customers entering provision in April 2006.

This report summarises the findings of the Final Evaluation of the Working for Families Fund (WFF). WFF, which operated from 2004-08, invested in initiatives to remove childcare barriers and improve the employability of disadvantaged parents who have barriers to participating in the labour market, specifically to help them move towards, into, or continue in employment, education or training. The programme was administered by 20 local authorities (which covered 79% of Scotland’s population), operating through around 226 locally based public, private and third-sector projects.

Annual report providing a list of recommendations for helping homeless people. The list includes legislations, culture and training, housing policy and benefits.

The purpose of this study was to inform the DWP's approach to tackling fraud and error and find practical ways of improving the prompt reporting of changes in circumstances by benefit claimants, covering jobseekers' allowance, income support, housing and council tax benefit and pension credit and exploring awareness of the type of information that needs to be reported, when, which authority should be informed and other factors.