Stop the Stigma. Fix the System Parliamentary launch

On 30 October we launched our policy report, From stigma to support, alongside our campaign Stop the Stigma. Fix the System in parliament.

Based on the research with Bristol University that we launched earlier this year, our report and campaign provide solutions for the government to create a social security system free of stigma, that we can all trust in our time of need. 

The launch was an opportunity for us to put our insights directly to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with Andrew Western, Minister for Transformation, speaking in response to our recommendations.

Terry Jermy, Labour MP for South West Norfolk kindly sponsored the event, which was attended by Steve Darling, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Social Security and several sector partners. 

Our co production partners Liam Knowles, Esther Lumutenga and Caroline Cawley attended, and Caroline shared her experiences of the social security system. She talked about the difference between how she was treated by the DWP when applying for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and how she was treated when applying for Adult Disability Payment by Social Security Scotland.

Caroline detailed the impact that delays and an incorrect decision on her PIP application had on her life, and contrasted this with the way she was treated in Scotland. Caroline told us that the delays to PIP meant:
 
"I wasn't getting all of the disability premiums on my income. I wasn't getting the housing benefit. I wasn’t getting the council benefit. I had been chased for over a year by all these people telling me that I owed them money... The ADP process is not perfect and I was only transferring, I wasn't applying as a new claimant, but I could call up Social Security Scotland to get the form filled out.

"They arranged a three-hour video call with a member of their staff and it was just like a chat, a conversation over the internet. They filled out the form, they handed it in. Eight weeks later I got the results. 

"No one person is an island. You break your leg, you go to the hospital. You get a chest infection, you go to the doctor. Your washing machine blows up, you call a plumber. Your lights go, you call an electrician. You lose your job when you get sick, you go to the social security system. It should be as easy and automatic as that."

Lucy Bannister, Head of Policy and Influencing said: "It was so heartening to see such enthusiasm from so many MPs, Lords and sector experts for our call for a social security system that treats everyone with dignity and respect. We started some excellent conversations with the Minister and DWP officials, and we look forward to working with them towards a system we can all be proud of."

We’re calling for a benefits system that treats everyone with dignity and respect.

We agree with the government that our benefits system needs to change, but they must recognise that the lack of trust in the system will undermine their proposed reforms. We need a system that is respectful, not condescending. Reassuring, not intimidating.
 
A social security system that treats everyone with dignity and respect is a system that works. That’s why, based on our research and insights from our co-production partners, we’re telling the government to make three critical changes: 
 

1. Transform access to disability benefits - simplify the process of applying for PIP and train assessors so they understand the realities of disability and illness.    
2. Supportive conversations, not interrogations - make sure frontline staff have the time and tools to build trust with the people they support. 
3. Jobcentres that lead with trust, not suspicion - give people time and support to prepare for the next step in their career, instead of threatening sanctions that just don’t work.

Read our policy report detailing these recommendations in full.