Written evidence submitted by Catch22
Catch22 is a local charity with a national reach.
We work with young people who find themselves in difficult situations.
We believe every young person deserves the chance
to get on in life - no matter what.
Whatever the reason for their situation, we help
them out. We work with their families and their communities wherever
and whenever young people need us most. As young people become
more positive, productive and independent, the whole community
benefits.
INTRODUCTION
1. Catch22 welcomes the opportunity to respond
to this important inquiry. Our response is based on our expertise
in working with young people with complex needs across England
and Wales. We welcome many of the proposals from the White Paper
on Universal Credit such as greater flexibility in undertaking
part time work and reducing complexity in the system. Our key
concerns focus on the unintended consequences of the legislation
impacting vulnerable young people. This includes increased digital
exclusion, difficulties arising from conditionality and sanctions,
and lack of support for young people to access work and volunteering.
DIGITAL DIVIDE
AND ACCESS
TO SERVICES
2. Catch22 understands the benefits of moving
services online, for those that are digital natives it can increase
ease and availability of access. Ensuring that access to Universal
Credit is simple, secure, intuitive and attractive will support
increase of use and reduce costs. However, for those who do not
have access to the internet it could create further complications
to the current welfare system and result in greater social exclusion.
3. One in five of the young people Catch22 works
with has no access to the internet.[114]
Furthermore, Catch22's Digital Divide report showed that a quarter
of young people thought that moving government services online
was a bad idea; that figure rose to a third among those who did
not have a computer in the home.
4. An online banking approach to Universal Credit
may be useful in simplifying benefit assessments and payments,
and will allow people to report change in circumstance more easily.
However, without access to the internet service improvement will
be inconsistent, and people already experiencing social exclusion
will be further disadvantaged.
5. The White Paper states that face-to-face services
will remain only for those who really need it. We need assurance
of how the assessment of "need" will be made to ensure
that those with complex needs, who may respond better to personal
meetings, are not overlooked. Services by telephone are a second
option, however many young people we work with only have "pay
as you go" mobiles which can run out of credit. Young people
sensibly chose these phones to prevent overspending and debt that
can result from a contract. Running out of credit may prevent
young people contacting DWP at key times. We therefore recommend
a system where people can text DWP and receive a call back.
6. Catch22 would like to see telephone and face-to-face
services remain in place for young people who want this support
and seek further clarity on the Government's approach to providing
this.
CASE STUDY:
SAM, AGE
20
"My Life is made more difficult by not having
access to the internet or a PC. It seems that everything now requires
the internet; often other organisations tell me to look online
to find information. This includes the Job Centre, Housing Benefit,
choice based lettings, Sure Start, health information.
On occasions when I have not had enough phone credit
to contact an agency by phone, they have suggested that I email
them. If I can't afford credit for my phone, what makes them think
I can afford the internet?
I do not see how I will be able to save up to buy
a PC in the foreseeable future as it is difficult to manage a
home on benefits. I do want to better myself, but it is all a
struggle."
CONDITIONALITY AND
SANCTIONS
7. We support the principle of helping more young
people into work and the simplification of the benefits system
through a single working age benefit. However, we are concerned
that some elements of conditionality associated with the Universal
Credit will result in unintended consequences - pushing vulnerable
people further away from work.
8. The introduction of a "claimant commitment"
that requires people to report to their Jobcentre Plus centre
more frequently or that expects young people to undertake Mandatory
Work Activity may interfere with a volunteering or educational
commitment that is in fact preparing young people for work. Volunteering
enables young people to gain the experience, skills and aptitude
for work as well as making a wider contribution. Catch22 runs
intensive volunteering programmes (minimum 22 hours per week for
13 weeks) with young people who are not in education, employment
or training. Our experience shows that this can contribute to
preparing young people for work and should be recognised by Jobcentre
Plus.
9. Some young people drop out of the volunteering
programme with Catch22 because they get forced by Job Centre onto
an "activity plan" that is usually just going into the
centre and searching for jobs all day, when the volunteering course
they were previously on would have given real experience. A young
person we spoke to in a recent focus group asked "Why
do my job centre advisors still not recognise my volunteering
as beneficial and make me do work trials which are nothing to
do with my career goals and interfere with my volunteering?"
10. Conditionality needs to be tailored to individual's
personal circumstances and needs - for example taking account
of young people with chaotic lives who are unable to meet more
frequently because of complex and multiple problems. The White
Paper states that "conditionality will be responsive to individual's
circumstances" but goes onto describe a very formal set of
sanctions that appear to leave little room for a tailored approach.
We are particularly concerned that some young people with complex
and multiple needs do not meet any specific criteria or "threshold"
for services but nonetheless have needs that make accessing work
difficult. These young people must not be overlooked.
11. Financial sanctions could be a further reason
young people are forced into debt, and in extreme cases left homeless.
Increased financial pressure from penalties could exasperate a
complex situation. It is stated that there will be a safeguard
for vulnerable people and ensure that mental health and substance
misuse problems are taken into consideration. Catch22 is seeking
further detail on what safeguards will be put in place and how
these needs will be taken into consideration with regard to sanctions.
12. Catch22 is seeking further detail on what
safeguards will be put in place for vulnerable groups and how
these needs will be taken into consideration with regard to sanctions.
HOUSING
13. The possibility of Local Authorities directly
making rent payments to landlords raises some concerns. Current
reforms are intended to move people into work and independence.
We believe that offering support to enhance independence, including
budget management skills, will be more effective at enabling young
people to manage their own money and learn how to be independent
adults. Furthermore, it is likely to be increasingly frequent
that young people have to make up rent shortfalls from other benefits
as they are given less Housing Benefit than other groups. If this
money is lifted directly from the persons account they could be
left short of money that is allocated for other needs, leading
to possible recurrent increasing debt. This financial burden would
prevent a move away from state dependence.
CHILD CARE
COSTS
14. The White Paper cites that changes to child
care provision are still under review and that help with childcare
will be focused on those in work. Catch22 recognises that this
is an important time to highlight the need for child care support
for parents in education. We welcome that for working parents
in need of child care support it will be maintained, however we
need to see provision in place for parents who are in education.
Young people in education often financially struggle without needing
to meet child care costs. We need assurance that those parents
who are trying to move into independence by gaining qualifications
to get into work will be recognised and supported.
PASSPORTED BENEFITS
15. Catch22 is apprehensive that if benefit dependant
thresholds for passported benefits are removed a national disparity
of entitlement could occur. Young people meeting their own prescription
costs from benefits designed for other means could be one more
thing in their budget that they don't have room for. With the
loss of EMA, and added insecurity around access to free school
meals, access to education is likely to be reduced for vulnerable
young people.
SOCIAL FUND
16. Crisis loans are important for many Catch22
young people, they enable those in hardship to cope with unexpected
expenses; if responsibility for these loans is devolved we are
concerned this will be another area where young people could face
a postcode lottery of support.
AGE BRACKETS
FOR UNIVERSAL
CREDIT
17. There are currently lower rates of support
for young people. The Government are currently looking to simplify
the rules under which lower rates of benefits apply to some but
not all of those under the age of 25. Young people in need of
financial support will not necessarily have a support network
to fall back on. The financial circumstances and need of a young
person are unlikely to be different to someone over 25. If many
children's services cut off at 18, why do over 18's not receive
the same benefits as someone over 25? Catch22's current "Ready
or Not"[115]
campaign seeks to the change the current approach to young adulthood
and services for young people.
December 2010
114 Catch22, Young People and the Digital divide,
2010
http://www.catch-22.org.uk/News/Detail/Young-people-and-the-digital-divide
Back
115
http://catch-22.org.uk/Ready-or-Not-campaign Back
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