Consultation outcome

Call for evidence on the Claimant Commitment

Updated 8 October 2019

As part of its independent work programme, the Social Security Advisory Committee is conducting research into the Claimant Commitment.

We are trying to gather a pool of evidence on which we can draw from to help underpin our research. We would therefore welcome input from a broad range of organisations and individuals who have relevant insights or evidence to share with us.

Background to our research project

Under Universal Credit, claimants need to accept a Claimant Commitment in order to receive Universal Credit payments. The Claimant Commitment sets out what a claimant has agreed to do to prepare for work, or to increase their earnings if they are already working. It should be based on a claimant’s personal circumstances and be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. The Claimant Commitment also sets out what will happen if a claimant fails to meet the agreed responsibilities. This can include sanctions. In most cases the Claimant Commitment is drawn up during a conversation with a work coach at the local jobcentre.

Read more about Universal Credit and your Claimant Commitment and the role of Jobcentre Plus in the reformed welfare system.

This research aims to build a better understanding of how effective the Claimant Commitment is in terms of supporting people into work or progressing in work. We are also interested in whether Claimant Commitments, by setting out clear expectations of what actions are needed in returns for benefit payments, help build trust in the welfare system.

The focus of this research is on claimants in the all-work related activity conditionality group, including those with potential restrictions on their work abilities but are still deemed to be suitable for this conditionality group. For example, people with caring responsibilities or a disability.

The all-work related activity conditionality group means a claimant must do all they can to find a job or earn more, which includes looking for jobs, applying for jobs and going to interviews. This research does not cover claimants in the remaining 3 conditionality groups:

• no work-related requirement
• work-focused interview group
• the work preparation group^{[footnote 1]}

Call for evidence

The committee would like to hear from anyone who has experience and evidence on the following, where it applies to claimants in the all work-related activity conditionality group.

1. How are a claimant’s circumstances factored into the Claimant Commitment (including if they change), particularly claimants with potential restrictions on their work ability, such as caring responsibilities or a disability?

2. Do claimants feel their Commitment accurately reflects their circumstances, particularly those with potential restrictions?

3. Do you think claimants completely understand and accept their Claimant Commitment?

4. How do work coaches and claimants engage with partner organisations, for example training and education providers, to support people into (or to progress in) work?

5. How is the Claimant Commitment used as part of an ongoing claimant and work coach relationship?

6. Do you have evidence of claimants in similar positions being treated differently by work coaches? For example, a work coach may take one approach to designing a Claimant Commitment for one lone parent but a different approach to designing a commitment for another lone parent.

7. Do you think the Claimant Commitment is an effective tool for supporting people into or progressing in work? If not, why, and can you highlight evidence to support your view?

8. Do you think the Claimant Commitment helps instil trust in and support for the welfare system? Can you highlight evidence to support your view?

9. What can be learnt from other countries about the role of supporting people into work (or progressing) through job search requirements? In particular, is there evidence that suggests job search requirement agreements like the Claimant Commitment are effective and is there any evidence on what an effective job search agreement, in terms of its design and use, looks like?

How to respond

Responses, focusing on the above questions, are needed by 16 April 2019 and should be either emailed to:

ssac.consultation@ssac.gov.uk

Or sent to:

The Committee Secretary
Social Security Advisory Committee
5th Floor
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA

1. www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-you/universal-credit-and-you-a#conditionality-opening-up-work-and-taper ↩