benefits

Fraud and error in financial, welfare and revenue services: a systematic map of the empirical research evidence with particular reference to ‘notification of changes of circumstances’

In the context of the overpayment of benefits, this systematic map aims to describe existing research literature on the process of notifying a change of circumstance (CoC) in the fields of financial products and services, welfare provision, taxation and tax credit systems. This systematic review was published by EPPI-Centre in 2011. Systematic reviews aim to find as much as possible of the research relevant to the particular research questions, and use explicit methods to identify what can reliably be said on the basis of these studies.

A review of benefit sanctions

This study examines international evidence on sanctions within welfare systems where benefits are conditional on claimant behaviour. It considers the impact of sanctions, the wider literature on how they have been used and the experiences of claimants. It also discusses how this evidence relates to political justifications given in support of sanctions.

Britain's poorest children : severe and persistent poverty and social exclusion

The current Labour government has made a commitment to abolish child poverty in Britain by 2020. In its efforts to do so, a number of targets have been established and indicators of progress are being reviewed annually. However, tackling severe child poverty does not feature in these targets or indicators. In fact, although there is now a wealth of information about child poverty in Britain, very little is known about either the extent of severe child poverty or the children who are affected.

Now it's personal: personal advisers and the new public service workforce

Providing tailored one-to-one support to help people back into work has been central to the UK Government's reform of the welfare system. This report argues that a new examination is needed on the role of personal advisers. The report is based on focus groups with service users, in-depth interviews with advisers, surveys of personal advisers and employment providers and a review of the literature. Qualitative analysis is presented to show changes in the ratio of Job Centre Plus advisers to the number of interviews they conducted since the recession began.

Achieving our potential : a framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland

Scottish Government document laying out priorities for action and investment to lessen poverty by reducing income inequalities, instituting longer-term measures to combat poverty and the causes of low income, supporting those experiencing poverty or at risk of experiencing poverty and making the tax credits and benefits system work better for Scotland.

Britain's poorest children : severe and persistent poverty and social exclusion : key findings

Britain's Poorest Children is the first study conducted in Britain on severe and persistent child poverty and social exclusion. Commissioned by Save the Children and carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy, this new study investigates the extent of severe child poverty, its persistence and the overlaps between childhood poverty and social exclusion. This resource presents the key findings of this research.