Page 55 - Reforming Benefits Decision-Making -(updated - August 2021)

a) Initial interview times for individuals with complex needs, neuro-
diverse conditions, fluctuating conditions, mental health conditions
and/or those who need an interpreter should be lengthened to ensure
there is sufficient time for work coaches to properly understand an
individual’s circumstances, tailor their claimant commitment
accordingly and ensure that it is understood by the claimant.
b) Work coaches should have a standard set of topics to cover with
claimants to help elicit information required and set appropriate and
tailored claimant commitments (in addition to any other questions
which are appropriate). Where appropriate, work coaches should
seek specialist advice, from a disability employment advisor where a
claimant indicates they have a health condition or disability that
affects their ability to work, and/or from appropriate external
specialist organisations. However, there should not be any delay to
receiving the first payment due to time that might be spent waiting
for specialist advice.
c) The mandatory easements should be expanded, for example to
include circumstances relating to homelessness and temporary
childcare, accompanied by guidance on their application. The ability
to apply a discretionary easement should remain for any other
circumstances not covered by the specific regulations.

In addition, the training regarding reasonable adjustments that we recommend
at paragraph 2.103 below should better enable work coaches to identify and
implement the reasonable adjustments that they are required to make.

2.64 We recognise that there is a potential conflict between ensuring fairness and
consistency through stricter rules on the one hand and having greater
flexibility to take into account individual circumstances on the other.
However, given the evidence that exists, work coaches do not appear to have
sufficient expertise and/or training to apply easements and tailor claimant
commitments properly and consistently. We therefore prefer to support their
decision-making by increasing the rules or structure within which they
operate. We suggest that discretion can be afforded by allowing work coaches
to ask any additional appropriate questions and retaining their discretion to
apply easements in circumstances that fall outside of the mandatory
easements.

Sanction decisions
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