SADDLEWORTH’S MP has called on the Department for Work and Pensions to sort out its failings on vulnerable claimants.
In her role as chair of the cross-party work and pensions committee, Debbie Abrahams wants it to no longer put people through ‘mental distress.’
The panel believes a new legal duty should be placed on it to fix its “deficient” safeguarding practices following the tragic deaths of some of its customers in recent years.
MPs called for it to refer vulnerable claimants to other agencies that have a duty of care, with the Secretary of State held accountable for safeguarding.
That is only part of a broader set of recommendations to drive the “fundamental” cultural change needed to repair “sorely damaged” public trust.
And Ms Abrahams said: “That people continue to face harm after dealing with the DWP is a self-evident failure of safeguarding in the system.
“Until recently, getting people back into work to cut costs had been prioritised over providing support and care for vulnerable people.
“We heard evidence that that the process itself of engaging with the DWP itself too often led to mental distress.
“Where this led to not being able to get financial support, many had paid the ultimate price.
“We’ve heard that whilst some have been lifted by the system when it works well, this can depend on claimants’ confidence that the system will help them.
“Too often, we heard their trust has been smashed by continual cost-cutting drives and an unhelpful media narrative.
“Many fear coming forward and expressing that they need additional support due to their circumstances and they fall deeper into vulnerability and despair as a result.
“This has to change. Is this a system that is going to help people find their way back into sustainable work? Is this a system that will humanely support those who never can? Both need to happen.
“Deep-rooted cultural change of the DWP is desperately needed to rebuild trust and put safeguarding at the heart of policy development.
“Introducing a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable claimants for the department is a fundamental part of this.
“It will help to focus minds from the top-down, ensuring that safeguarding is everyone’s business, improving accountability and ensuring proactive identification of vulnerability and the consistent application of the best protective practices.”
The committee’s report, Safeguarding Vulnerable Claimants, is the culmination of two years of work by the current and predecessor committees.
It was originally launched after safeguarding concerns were raised involving several high-profile deaths of claimants, including those of Errol Graham, Phillipa Day, Jodey Whiting and Kevin Gale.
Instead of a “piecemeal” approach, the committee wants to see a comprehensive, joined-up approach to safeguarding.
Other recommendations include inserting ‘victims of domestic abuse’ as a standalone category within the ‘additional support area’ in Universal Credit, which helps DWP staff to identify potentially vulnerable claimants.
The category’s absence, the report said, was a “glaring omission” because of the unique needs of victims and survivors.
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