Impact case study database

It is widely acknowledged that the welfare reforms of the last decade have had a negative impact on some of the most vulnerable members of society. The introduction of Universal Credit (UC) in 2013 marked a fundamental reform in the social security system and at full scale will serve approximately 7,000,000 people in the UK. Given the large number of claimants, it is imperative that the impact of the reforms is evidenced through research. The WelCond and SSSL projects have been at the forefront of this evidence base and have directly influenced social security policy and practice in the following significant ways:

WelCond project 2013 – 2018**

As Salford Co-I Prof. Scullion was part of the project management team and was involved in all aspects of delivery, including data collection and analysis, report writing, dissemination as well as policy briefings and presentations to Ministers, with particular focus on the policy areas of migration and disability, as well as UC [3.1 - 3.4]. Overall, WelCond generated 331 engagement activities, 166 publications and 94 influences on policy and practice [5.1]. Details of the key impacts are outlined as follows:

Changes to the benefit sanctions regime

• In October 2015, as a direct result of our findings, the DWP introduced a benefit sanctions early warning pilot [5.2]. This gives benefit claimants warning of the intention to sanction and provides them with sufficient time to evidence why they were unable to meet the conditions of their claim.

• Between 2015 and 2018 Prof. Scullion’s input into written evidence submissions have directly informed and been widely cited in the reports of seven Westminster or UK level inquiries: Work & Pensions Committee (W&PC) 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018; Public Accounts Committee (PAC) 2018; Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) 2016; Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee (ELGCC), National Assembly for Wales (2017) [5.2].

• In 2018, drawing on WelCond evidence and subsequent recommendations [3.1, 3.4], the W&PC inquiry report (pp. 30-34 and 38-40) called for disabled people to be exempted from conditionality and sanctions, with the Chair of the W&PC Select Committee confirming that ‘there was no evidence that conditionality contributed to improving employment outcomes for disabled people’ and concluding that ‘the government would be unwise to press ahead with in-work conditionality in the absence of any evidence of its effectiveness’ [5.2].

• Some 20 organisations cited our findings in their submissions to the 2018 W&PC inquiry, including Disability Rights UK, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Scottish Government [5.2].

Changes to the implementation of UC

• The 2016 W&PC ‘UC in-work progression in Universal Credit’ report cited our evidence on nine occasions. Based on our recommendations, new measures were brought in by the Government around additional training for Work Coaches and expediting the publication of sanctions and research trial data [5.2].

• Between 2017 and 2018, our findings [3.1] were cited in four Westminster debates on UC, specifically by Patrick Grady MP, Neil Gray MP and Debbie Abrahams MP [5.3]. Based on our recommendations, four significant changes to UC were announced by the UK Government, namely: reducing the waiting period for first payment (from 6+ to 5 weeks); increasing advances for new claimants; offering advances to claimants sooner; and extending loan recovery times [5.2].

Direct influence on approaches of devolved administrations

• In September 2016, following the publication of our First Wave Findings, a motion to the Scottish Parliament triggered a parliamentary debate, initiated by the convenor of the Social Security Committee and focusing specifically on our findings [5.4]. The Minister for Employability and Training concluded the debate by confirming that our research had ‘helped to shape our [Scottish Government] thinking’ and ‘provides clear evidence that […] the current UK Government’s benefit conditionality and sanctions regime causes suffering’ [5.4]. The Scottish Government consequently explored ways to mitigate the effects of sanctions so that its new employment support programmes did not form part of the UK Government’s sanctions regime [5.4] and has subsequently used its devolved powers to end compulsion and sanctions.

• In September 2017, Prof. Scullion (along with Prof. Wright, Glasgow) gave oral evidence to the National Assembly for Wales’ Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee inquiry on Making the Economy Work for People on Low Incomes. The Committee Chair confirmed in a letter that ‘As a direct result of the evidence [Drs Wright and Scullion] gave, we wrote to the UK Government outlining our concerns about a number of elements about the implementation of Universal Credit’ [5.4] and called for a pause in the rollout of UC until the problems identified by our research had been addressed. The Chair also confirmed that he had ‘no doubt that […] we will again seek to draw on the excellent work of the Welfare Conditionality project’, as the National Assembly for Wales develops future policy [5.4].

International recognition

• In 2018, Prof. Scullion (along with Prof. Wright, Glasgow) presented WelCond UC findings to OECD senior staff in Paris. One OECD Economist stated that this presentation had ‘challenged the views of a number of OECD labour market experts’ and provided ‘invaluable input into the upcoming OECD Economic Survey of the United Kingdom, which aims to provide a balanced assessment of the Universal Credit system’ [5.5].

• In 2018, following written and in person submissions, both the WelCond and SSSL outputs [3.1, 3.5] were cited in the final report of the UN Special Rapporteur’s Inquiry into Extreme Poverty and Human Rights in the UK. The Rapporteur noted WelCond’s evidence ‘was very valuable in terms of helping me to hone my understanding of the system further and confirming the views that I had been able to form’ [5.6]. The UN report adopted the WelCond recommendations for an independent review of sanctions and the need to rebalance the social security system towards support [3.1].

SSSL project 2017 – 2019**

The SSSL project, led by Prof. Scullion [3.5], has had significant influence across the UK Government’s DWP and Ministry of Defence (MoD) and received the annual FiMT Research Award 2020 in recognition of its ‘ significant impact’ [5.7]. Specifically, the project has contributed as follows:

MoD/DWP develop benefits guidance for Service Leavers

• In 2018, in response to our interim findings and recommendations, the MoD and DWP committed to working collaboratively to provide consistent guidance on the benefits system on MoD bases as part of Service Leaver support [5.8].

• In 2019, in response to our final recommendations [3.5], the MoD committed to production of a dedicated benefits guidance pack for Service Leavers [5.8].

• In 2019 , SSSL findings were used within the MoD Joint Service Publication (JSP) 100, which is the authoritative document for tri-Service holistic transition policy and procedures [5.9, pp. 2-3].

• In 2019, our research was directly cited in a House of Commons Defence debate on veterans and their negative experience of UC [5.10].

Direct contribution to UK’s first ever Veterans’ Strategy

• In 2018, following the publication of the SSSL interim findings, Prof. Scullion was asked to join the MoD Veterans’ Strategy Academic Advisory Group and contributed directly to the development of the UK Government’s first ever Strategy for our Veterans by providing comments on drafts of the Strategy and specific input in relation to social security to inform the revised Strategy, as confirmed by the Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Covenant Team [5.11].

Investment to increase the DWP Armed Forces Champions network

• With reference to impact on DWP policy and practice, a GBP5,000,000 investment from the UK Government in the 2019 Spending Review is directly attributed to Prof. Scullion’s work: the Armed Forces Lead (DWP) confirmed that the research ‘certainly caused the department to have a very close look at the way it supported veterans, and provided a well-researched evidence base to make some changes to the way we delivered that support’ [5.12]. The money was used to increase the number of DWP Armed Forces Champions within UK Jobcentres, along with appropriate training and job description for that role, to ensure consistent support to veterans [5.12]. This was a recommendation of the SSSL project [3.5] and represents a significant investment, particularly in the context of austerity.

• On 10 November 2020, Prof. Scullion met with the Minister for Welfare Delivery to brief him on the findings and recommendations of the SSSL project, following which he confirmed in a letter that ‘your report has provided us with some really useful insight into veterans’ experience of the benefits system’ [5.13].