Right Benefit Toolkit
A key message emerging from recent research on effectively establishing changes of circumstance is the importance of educating and communicating with customers. It is also important that LAs carrying out specific initiatives aimed at achieving good results under the new Right Benefit indicator are able to evaluate the effectiveness of their activities.
The DWP have produced a range of communication and evaluation toolkits – now known as the Right Benefit Toolkit aimed at helping LAs improve the levels of correct benefit within their case loads by increasing the reports of relevant changes in circumstances by their customers.
The toolkit focuses on:
- how to design and implement an effective communications strategy;
- how to create and disseminate an effective message;
- how to target the message at the appropriate customer group;
- how to monitor progress.
These products are complimentary, can be used in any order, and can be accessed by following the links provided:
- Housing Benefit: Right Benefit Toolkit – Introduction and Overview (28KB)
- Best Mix: Planning Activities (53KB) - will help LAs to decide which activities work for them, and which ones do not. It encourages LAs to look at the impact of one activity on another, enabling them to plan the ‘best mix’ of activities to support the Right Benefit Indicator.
- Right Benefit: Engaging with Customers (355KB) - will help LAs improve the ways in which they impart information to customers so that they are clear about when, where and to whom they should report relevant changes in their circumstances.
- Housing Benefit Initiatives: Evaluation Handbook (374KB) - outlines the principles of carrying out a simple evaluation of the effectiveness (and the cost-effectiveness) of any initiatives LAs undertake to reduce Housing Benefit error.
- Local Authority example materials (2.3MB) - we have put together a document showing examples taken from a range of LA forms, leaflets and websites. These give examples of what we consider to be good practice, as well as pointing out where there is room for improvement
- Tracking template (15KB)
- this spreadsheet has been designed to help LAs track their changes in benefit entitlement month by month. It can be used to monitor progress towards local targets, assess the impact of one-off initiatives, calculate value for money, and plan future work programmes. - Tracking template instructions (56KB)
