Assisting claimants who arrive early for appointments is an established daily occurrence for Jobcentre staff. Our Service Delivery teams provide a professional, supportive and welcoming environment for our customers, providing advice, digital coaching and helping claimants set up and maintain their Universal Credit claims.

Claimants who arrive early for an interview are able to make use of the available facilities within the Jobcentre. This includes access to free Wi-Fi and customer computers. Computers are available at jobcentres to support claimants who need help with making their claim digitally and apply for jobs online. This provides access to digital channels in every Jobcentre for claimants to use if they do not have access at home.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups.

We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey. Work Coaches will tailor conditionality, setting requirements based on what is reasonable for the individual’s circumstances. A claimant’s work search and availability requirements can be switched off for an agreed period of time, and other work-related requirements may be lifted too, where appropriate. This includes where the claimant has suffered domestic violence and abuse, or periods where a child in their care is suffering distress due to experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse.

To assist identification and claimant support, each Jobcentre Plus site has a complex needs toolkit in place. These are maintained and reviewed locally and contain a named single point of contact for areas such as Homelessness, Care leavers and Prison leavers.

Jobcentre staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for vulnerable claimants and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist support.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups.

We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey. Work Coaches will tailor conditionality, setting requirements based on what is reasonable for the individual’s circumstances. A claimant’s work search and availability requirements can be switched off for an agreed period of time, and other work-related requirements may be lifted too, where appropriate. This includes where the claimant has suffered domestic violence and abuse, or periods where a child in their care is suffering distress due to experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse.

To assist identification and claimant support, each Jobcentre Plus site has a complex needs toolkit in place. These are maintained and reviewed locally and contain a named single point of contact for areas such as Homelessness, Care leavers and Prison leavers.

Jobcentre staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for vulnerable claimants and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist support.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups.

We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey. Work Coaches will tailor conditionality, setting requirements based on what is reasonable for the individual’s circumstances. A claimant’s work search and availability requirements can be switched off for an agreed period of time, and other work-related requirements may be lifted too, where appropriate. This includes where the claimant has suffered domestic violence and abuse, or periods where a child in their care is suffering distress due to experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse.

To assist identification and claimant support, each Jobcentre Plus site has a complex needs toolkit in place. These are maintained and reviewed locally and contain a named single point of contact for areas such as Homelessness, Care leavers and Prison leavers.

Jobcentre staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for vulnerable claimants and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist support.

Our plans for managed migration include a range of measures to ensure work coaches are fully prepared to deal with volumes of migrating cases. Resource levels will also be reviewed as part of the planning process to ensure there are sufficient work coaches in place to handle the anticipated volumes.

During 2019 we will test and refine our approach to ensure it is working well. This will include testing work coach preparation and resourcing before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the process in 2023.

Our plans for managed migration include a range of measures to ensure work coaches are fully prepared to deal with volumes of migrating cases. Resource levels will also be reviewed as part of the planning process to ensure there are sufficient work coaches in place to handle the anticipated volumes.

During 2019 we will test and refine our approach to ensure it is working well. This will include testing work coach preparation and resourcing before we take on larger volumes from 2020 onwards, and complete the process in 2023.

The vast majority of Jobcentres delivering Universal Credit full service have private interview facilities as standard. In the small number of offices where they are not available we are able to make arrangements for customers at nearby offices which do have rooms, or arrange for a home visit to be made where it is appropriate to do so.

We always endeavour to deal with vulnerable claimants sensitively, taking into account the particular circumstances and individual needs of the customers.

In supporting victims of domestic violence, the Jobcentre offers a range of support open to survivors and those still experiencing domestic abuse.

Work Coaches delivering Universal Credit undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, including people who have been the victims of domestic violence.

Work Coaches will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who can provide specialist support and apply the domestic violence easement, switching off all work-related requirements for a period of time.

A national call was held recently to raise awareness and understanding of domestic abuse across the Jobcentre network and a video has been produced to highlight good practice when supporting individuals who have been or are currently in a domestic abuse relationship.

All DWP staff have access to operational instructions that explains DWP support available to refugees, including the 28 day move on process. During rollout of the supported handover, between Home Office and DWP (for refugees requiring help in making a DWP benefit claim), further communications, including a memo, were issued to improve awareness of the process and alert staff of the instructions to follow. As part of our continuous improvement activity we are considering what future products may be required to support refugees.

Universal Credit work coaches go through a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants including those who have complex needs. This learning builds on Work Coaches’ existing skills and knowledge, and includes facilitator-led learning and skills practice, supported by multimedia learning materials.

As we expand Universal Credit, we continually review and develop the claimant journey those with complex needs. This includes looking at how we identify claimants’ needs, how we support them and how we refer them to local services delivered in partnership activity.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not refer claimants to food banks, but provides operational instructions to Jobcentre colleagues detailing when it is appropriate to signpost claimants to food banks.