1. Introduction and overview
- What do we do?
- Work
- Children
- Pensions
- Disability
- Fraud
- Health and safety
- Our values
- We’re getting there
- Our vision for the future
- Getting there
What do we do?
The Department for Work and Pensions provides opportunities for millions of people.
We enable people to find jobs, help children out of poverty, support those out of work, provide security in retirement, strive to advance the rights of disabled people and improve health and safety in the workplace.
Here are a few examples of what we have been doing to meet our objectives in 2005–06.
Work
“The UK employment rate is one of the highest of the G7 group of industrialised countries.”
Key events
- Publication of the Welfare Reform Green Paper set out a radical series of welfare reforms to enable people to escape poverty, fulfil their potential and strengthen their independence by coming off benefit and moving into work.
- More than 700 new integrated Jobcentre Plus offices were rolled out across the country.
- Pathways to Work, a scheme offering more help to Incapacity Benefit customers, expanded to 14 more Jobcentre Plus districts.
- An enhanced lone parent programme – New Deal Plus for Lone Parents –– was piloted in five Jobcentre Plus Districts.
Our objective
Promote work as the best form of welfare for people of working age, while protecting the position of those in greatest need.
Children
“We are committed to ensuring parents meet their financial responsibilities to their children – the Child Support Agency deals with over 1 million cases a year and last year collected around £600 million for children.”
Key events
- The Child Support Agency launched an Operational Improvement Plan to ensure more effective collection and payment of child support.
- Sir David Henshaw tasked with carrying out a fundamental redesign of child support.
- Significant progress made towards eradicating child poverty.
- DWP worked with the Department for Education and Skills to implement a national strategy to increase access to childcare.
Our objective
Ensure the best start for all children and end child poverty by 2020.
Pensions
“2.7 million households are now receiving Pension Credit.”
Key events
- The National Pensions Debate – a national consultation culminating in National Pensions Day – achieved major success in building a consensus on pension reform.
- The Pension Commission, led by Lord Turner, published two key reports, helping to push the debate forward.
- Pension Credit take-up increased after a direct mail initiative – “You’re Missing Out” – targeted 1.5m people identified by data matching as most likely to be missing out on Pension Credit.
Our objective
Combat poverty and promote security and independence in retirement for today’s and tomorrow’s pensioners.
Disability
“The employment rate of disabled people is going up…the gap between the overall employment rate and the employment rate of disabled people is going down.”
Key events
- The Disability Discrimination Act extended the rights of disabled people.
- A 20-year strategy –Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People– was launched.
- A new Office for Disability Issues was established.
Our objective
Improve rights and opportunities for disabled people in a fair and inclusive society.
Fraud
“Fraud is at its lowest ever level.”
Key events
- A 44 percent reduction in fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance.
- An Official Error Task Force set up to cut losses to the taxpayer.
Our objective
Ensure customers receive a high quality service.
Health and safety
“HSE aims to achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world.”
Key events
- DWP, the Department of Health, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), jointly launched a new strategy to improve the health and well-being of people of working age.
- HSE developed and launched stress management standards to help businesses manage work-related stress better.
- Occupational health advice – Workplace Health Connect – provided to small and medium sized enterprises across England and Wales.
Our objective
By 2008 improve health and safety outcomes in Great Britain through progressive improvement in the control of risk in the workplace.
We make the best use of technology to deliver our services…
We have invested around 2.8 billion in modern IT infrastructure in the past few years.
We have around 8,000 touch screen ‘job point’ terminals.
400,000 job vacancies currently available on the internet at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk – the Government’s single most popular online service.
More than 97 per cent of benefit accounts are now paid directly into bank or building society accounts meaning reduced fraud and less costs to the taxpayer.
…but nothing could happen without the commitment of our staff who make sure the customer always comes first.
“Every person is an individual – that’s what you have to remember. I get the most satisfaction out of seeing the change in the lone parents who come to see me. They arrive for their first New Deal interview, unsure and nervous, and the change when someone comes in saying “Mandy, I’ve got a job” is unbelievable.”
Mandy Grant, New Deal for Lone Parents Adviser, Jobcentre Plus in Edinburgh.
“It’s really satisfying when a customer you've helped comes back to thank you. For example, I was dealing with a customer who wanted to go on a training course. I was able to advise the customer and point him in the direction of other providers who might be able to help with funding. Only recently he popped his head round the door to tell me my advice had worked. He'd got the funding he needed and was that much closer to getting a job!”
Mike Woodrow is an Incapacity Benefit Personal Adviser for Jobcentre Plus in Wales.
Our values
We aim to deliver the best possible service for the people who rely on us. That’s why our four Values are: Achieving the Best, Making a Difference, Respecting People and Looking Outwards.
But what do the people we help think of our work?
“I’m so glad I applied for Pension Credit. It has made a tremendous difference to me. I get around so much easier now because when I’m not feeling well I can afford to take a taxi.”
Eugenie Hobbs, age 83.
“I spent a year unable to work, dependent on Incapacity Benefit but I could see working in childcare as a solution to my employment problem. I called into Biggleswade Jobcentre Plus and had a meeting with my advisor Diane Welham. She was very supportive and provided me with lots of information about organisations that could help.”
Gary Powers, age 41.
“I had been on Income Support for 13 years and as I was on my own with two young children. I thought there was no way to improve our lives. I made an appointment at the Jobcentre in Leyland, and went to meet Barbara, who helps lone parents. The very next day Barbara phoned and said that a job had just come in. Getting my first wage was brilliant.”
Denise Nicholson.
2005–06: The highlights
A 44 per cent reduction in fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance since 1997.
Expanded Pathways to Work for Incapacity Benefit customers to 14 more Jobcentre Plus districts and over 21,000 customers into work, so far.
For the first time more than a million lone parents in employment.
More than 8.7 million Automatic State Pension Forecasts were issued.
Child Support Agency staff answered more calls more quickly.
The Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance national telephone service achieved the Call Centre Association Standards Council accreditation.
DWP Diversity policies awarded the Gold standard from the Race for Opportunity benchmarking exercise.
A campaign made small and medium-sized enterprises aware of their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act.
New stress management standards were launched to help businesses manage work-related stress better.
We’re getting there
We know that we still need to improve in a number of areas. That’s why:
We’ve introduced an Operational Improvement Plan for the Child Support Agency which will bring about more effective collection and payment We’ve set up an Error Task Force to address the level of error in the benefit system. We’re modernising our IT – bringing it up to scratch in those areas where it still lets staff down. We’re using contact centre technology to make The Pension Service more efficient.
Our vision for the future
A welfare state that supports people to move on and escape poverty rather than consigning them to a life on benefits.
A welfare state that provides an accessible service based around the needs of customers and supports people in what they can do rather than what they can’t.
A welfare state that gives people more choices to work longer if they want to and safeguards their pension provision.
Getting there
We have pledged to deliver an annual five per cent real-terms reduction from 2008-09 to 2010-11 across our administrative and programme budgets plus capital.
This means there are likely to be some further changes in the Department including staff reductions beyond 2007-08. However, we now have the certainty to develop detailed plans to take us forward into the next decade. We will develop a capable and flexible workforce with the skills and capabilities to meet current and future business requirements.
We will develop a performance culture where performance is valued, delivered, recognised and customer-focused We will develop leadership capabilities resulting in inspirational and effective leaders with the capability and confidence to lead through transformational change.