Vulnerability Guidance – Additional Support for
Individuals
1. This guidance is to help you deal with individuals with complex needs, or
individuals who require additional support, to enable them to access DWP
benefits and use our services
2. For DWP purposes the description of Vulnerability is “An individual who is
identified as having complex needs and/or requires additional support to
enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services”
3. “Individual” refers to claimants, customers, clients, service users, anyone who
accesses benefits and uses our services.
4. “Complex needs” are difficult personal circumstances and/or life events that
affect the ability of the individual to access DWP benefits and use our
services
Social Justice (SJ) and the DWP Approach to vulnerability
5. Social Justice is about giving individuals and families, facing multiple
disadvantages, the support and tools they need to turn their lives around
through tackling the root causes of poverty and disadvantage to deliver real
and sustained change. It is very important that these individuals are identified
so that tailored support can be provided to help them to access and use our
services, meet their individual responsibilities and receive an appropriate
service outcome. DWP has developed the DWP approach to vulnerability to
support the Social Justice principles and there is a range of policies and
procedures in place to help these individuals with difficult personal
circumstances and/or life events (multiple disadvantages) access benefits
and use our services.
DWP approach to Vulnerability
6. The aim of this approach is to ensure:
we are consistent in offering individual responses when needed;
the response is always joined up and meaningful for the individual and
we deliver appropriate service outcomes.
7. The aim of this approach is to ensure that the targeted additional support to
individuals enables them to
access benefits and use our services and
meet their individual responsibilities.
8. This approach consolidates existing DWP practices and will not result in any
changes to existing policy or procedures.
9. The DWP approach to individuals with complex needs and those who require
additional support includes:
one description of vulnerability
consistent use of language and terminology throughout DWP
focus on life events and/or personal circumstances rather than customer
group
identification of these individuals and recording the support required to enable
them to access benefits and use our services
a clear DWP support offer is in place, to address the impact of those life
events and personal circumstances (including health issues and disability)
that affect the ability of the individual to access DWP benefits and use our
services
clarity of timeliness and suitability of DWP support offer:
not all individuals with life events/personal circumstances/health
issues/disability will require support.
individuals may have one or multiple reasons why they may require
support.
support offered should be tailored to individual needs.
support may be put in place once, for a short, medium or long period of
time
individuals may move in and out of situations where they do/do not require
support
signposting – using stakeholders to help, enable and support individuals
a coordinated, defined, overarching strategy
staff Learning & Development products reflect this approach
integrated and consistent approach in all Customer Journeys to provide
additional support to enable individuals to follow standard Customer Journeys
Identification
How to identify those individuals who may need additional support to
enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services
10. Individuals now contact us through a variety of channels. Identification of
support needs will depend on the channel used.
11. A individual may require additional support to enable them to:
access benefits and use our services (may be unable to use on-line claim
facility, unable to read claim forms for ESA, JSA, PIP, PENSIONS, etc)
prove eligibility (may not understand or remember what evidence they have to
provide, to prove they are eligible to claim)
maintain conditionality (may not understand the requirement to attend an
interview in the jobcentre)
maintain their claims (may not understand when to provide change of
circumstances information)
maintain their finances (be in severe financial hardship/debt, may not have
the ability to understand money/numbers)
12. An individual might experience difficulties with:
understanding information
interpreting situations
making decisions
giving consent
communicating information or their views
requesting specialist or additional help and support
13. When making a judgment about whether an individual requires additional
support, it is essential that you communicate with them and record their
additional requirements. If, and what, support is required can only be
determined as part of a measured assessment.
14. Some individuals may be unwilling to reveal that they are experiencing
difficult live events or personal circumstances
15. You should use a flexible approach to put additional support/special
arrangements in place that are tailored to the specific needs of the individual.
This will provide them with equal access to our products and services and
enable them to follow the standard Customer Journeys.
16. This support may be put in place once; for a short, medium, long period of
time; or recurring dependant upon their needs.
17. Examples of special arrangements or additional support (not an exhaustive
list):
assisted telephony service
offering a face to face appointment
implementing benefit easements where appropriate (for example for victims of
domestic violence)
reasonable adjustments must be put in place if required for disabled people
and individuals with health issues
18. All service providers, including DWP, have a legal duty to make ‘reasonable
adjustments’ to ensure their services are accessible to disabled people.
19. LMS markers and hotspots – Working age. It is essential that the
markers/hotspots are completed accurately and updated accordingly. Markers
and hotspots that are not completed, or hold inaccurate information, can have
a significant impact how DWP addresses the needs of an individual. The
marker information, if used correctly, will help us to target support where it is
most needed, keep all staff informed in hand off/over situations and reduce
the need to obtain this information time and time again. Incorrect marker
information can result in the individual not receiving the correct payments or
not getting the additional support they require. Some of the life events and
personal circumstances require the LMS markers/hotspots to be completed
and staff should follow the appropriate guidance to complete them:
Disabled Person (DP)
Benefit Cap
Ethnicity
Incident or PV
Domestic Violence and abuse
Care Leaver
Work Focused Support for Carers (WFSC)
Alcohol Misuse
Drug Misuse
Refugee
Ex-Offender
Person Without Accommodation
Parent
Lone Parent WFI
Child Details and Childcare Barrier to Work
LA Families Programme (Offices in England only)
Life Events, Personal Circumstances, Health Issues, Disability
20. There are many life events, personal circumstances and health
issues/disability that may impact on the individuals’ ability to access DWP
benefits and use our services. Some individuals may not require additional
support even though they are experiencing difficult life events and/or have
complex personal circumstances, health issues or disability. These life
events, personal circumstances, health conditions and disability may indicate
that these people require additional support putting in place, to enable them
to access the standard Customer Journeys.
Life Events and Personal Circumstances
Adoption - children
Age - older person
Age - older person - financial abuse (pensions)
Age - Young Person - 16 & 17 year olds
Bereavement, Death - recently bereaved
Caring responsibilities
Children - child care
Children who leave care/over 18 care leavers
Crime – Victim of crime
Cultural Barriers, Language barriers – English not their first language
Debt/indebted
Divorce/termination of Civil Partnerships
Domestic Violence and abuse
Drug and alcohol dependency
Gender recognition/transgender
Homeless (person without accommodation, in temporary accommodation,
frequent change of address)
Just Left hospital
Leaving the Armed Forces, Ex-armed forces personnel and their
spouses/partners
Lone Parent
MAPPA individuals (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements)
Offender/ex Offender/ Prisoners/Detainees
Race - Immigration status/refugee/asylum seeker/people arriving from abroad
Redundancy
Retirement
Rural Isolation
Suicide and/or Self Harm Declaration
Supported by Troubled Families programme
21. Individuals may tell you about a life event (for example, “my mum has just
died”) or give out information in the conversation that indicates they may have
complex personal circumstances (for example: they have no ID which may
indicate they are currently homeless). There may be a combination of factors
which mean they require additional support to enable them to access benefits
and use our services.
22. Note
: Claimant Commitment guidance must be followed if appropriate
regarding acceptable restrictions
23. Note: Some individuals might
not require additional support even though they
are experiencing a life event, health issue or disability; have complex needs
or difficult personal circumstances. Try to avoid making assumptions; the
individual themselves is the expert on what support is required. If you are
unsure as to whether they want/need any additional support, you should
consider asking “do you require any support to help you to use our services”.
Signs, behaviours and language
24. These may indicate that an individual requires additional support. When you
are communicating with the individual you need to assess whether they are:
in distress
not understanding you
giving brief or one word responses
upset
frustrated
giving inappropriate responses which do not answer the question asked
continuously avoiding eye contact
having difficulty processing or remembering what you have said
holding a parallel conversation with someone else who may be their advocate
or appointee which shows face to face contact might be preferable
unacceptable customer behaviour
Problems dealing with written communications, numbers or language
25. When you are communicating with the individual, they may display
behaviours that indicate they have reading and/or writing difficulties or
difficulties dealing with numbers or language.
The individual may:
be reluctant to complete/read paperwork
be unable to navigate telephony or on line services
be unable to manage money or budget as they do not have sufficient number
skills (state they are in debt)
fail to understand verbal communications sufficiently enough to engage with
DWP staff
DWP staff may identify:
errors on completed on line application forms or paper forms
that the individual is unable to spell out words if requested via telephony
contact
that English is not their first language
26. Note: not all individuals who have problems dealing with written
communications, numbers or language will need support to access our
services.
Health conditions and disability
27. When you are communicating with an individual, they may declare or display
behaviours that indicate they have health issues or a disability. We have a
legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 to put reasonable adjustments
in place. Health conditions/disabilities may not necessarily indicate
“vulnerability” but may mean the individual requires a reasonable adjustment
to enable them to access benefits and use our services.
LMS markers and hotspots guidance must be followed when recording
reasonable adjustments.
28. Cognitive and Neurological Impairments include:
mental health conditions
hidden impairments (for example ADHD, Autism Spectrum
Disorders/Conditions, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia)
memory loss
learning difficulties
reading writing difficulties
literacy/numerical difficulties
29. Physical and sensory impairment/disability include:
mobility
hearing
visual
speech
30. An individual might:
declare memory loss due to medication
state they prefer a bit of information at a time
not interact in long conversations
fail to remember instructions/information provided by you
fail to remember personal details
declare they have sight, hearing or speech impairment(s) (sensory disability)
declare they are physically disabled/have mobility issues
be unable to physically access a DWP building
be unable to physically use electronic or telephony equipment
declare they have a mental health issue (hidden impairment)
display inappropriate behaviour that indicates a mental health issue (hidden
impairment)
31. DWP Staff may identify that an individual might:
fail to remember information provided by you
fail to remember personal details
not understand simple instructions
have difficulty accessing the office, room, equipment etc available to them
32. Note: not all individuals with a physical, sensory or mental health disability will
need support to access benefits and use our services
Health conditions and disabilities - additional information
DWP D&E Disability Home page
Operational Guidance. JCP Equality Act - Disability discrimination Guide
The list of A-Z of medical conditions –
glossary of terms is primarily used by
decision makers. However, you may use it to obtain information on a health
condition or disability, to improve your understanding, as it provides a brief
overview of the condition
DWP Support – what additional support/special arrangements
are available to enable individuals to access our
services/benefits
33. We have a variety of ways of providing support and help to enable individuals
to use our services - to find work, claim benefits, claim pensions, obtain child
maintenance, and look for jobs. It will depend on which service is being used
or which benefit is being claimed, and their personal needs as to what
additional support is provided and for how long we put this support in place.
34. The aim is for individuals to follow the standard Customer Journeys and we
need to work with them to identify how we can enable them to do this.
35. Support on offer includes: (not an exhaustive list)
easements fo
r Domestic Violence Victims
Voluntary referral for claimants with
Drugs or Alcohol dependency
providing information in
large print for customers with visual impairments
the BigWord
interpreting services for those whose first language is not
English
British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting services for those with hearing
impairments
day one support for people recently released from prison
working with representatives. Representatives/Key Workers can be very
helpful both in supporting the individual and by offering advice to DWP staff
on recognising support needs and how this impacts on the individuals’ ability
to access benefits and use our services.
specialist Single Point of Contact (SPoCs) are available in some parts of
DWP to help with customer service
36. The Vulnerability Hub provides more information on life events and personal
circumstances, and further details of the range of support on offer for
individuals who require help to enable them to access benefits and services.
Vulnerability Hub
37. The Vulnerability Hub (previously known as the Vulnerable Customer Hub) is
a DWP intranet site, designed to bring together existing information and
guidance (a one stop shop of information), to help you to support individuals
with complex needs, and those who require additional support, to enable
them to access DWP benefits and use our services. The Vulnerability Hub
includes mini guides on Life events and Personal Circumstances, Health
conditions and Disability, or direct links to all relevant DWP guidance and
signposting information.
Suicide and Self Harm
38. DWP has policy and guidance available for how to handle individuals who
make a declaration of
suicide or self harm.
Signposting
39. Staff can find general information, fact sheets, leaflets and signposting details
in a number of locations:
Signposting Leaflets – All customers/individuals
Links to external websites for help, advice and support
District Provision Tool – Working Age. The District Provision Tool (DPT)
provides access to the full range of provision and support delivered by
Jobcentre Plus, Skills Funding Agency (SFA), Skills Development Scotland,
Careers Wales, other providers and local authorities. It includes a
comprehensive menu of Specialist support information for vulnerable groups
linking to national and local sources of help
Local signposting arrangements are provided at some DWP office locations
Advisory Services Team Site provides information via sub sites on Armed
Forces, lone parents, under 18s and childcare
The
Vulnerability Hub includes mini guides on each of the Life Events and
Personal Circumstances, and links to organisations that can offer help and
support to individuals
DWP Strategy / Policy on offering support to enable an
individual to access and use DWP services
40. DWP staff are expected to identify and make judgements about those
individuals for whom it would be more appropriate to put additional support in
place to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services. DWP
staff are expected to identify those situations where support is required,
record this and then put it in place. For example, offering a home visit or face
to face service if it is more appropriate, because the individual has complex
needs or requires support to enable them to use our services.
41. DWP has customer service standards in place to ensure all individuals
receive equal access to our products, services and benefits.
DWP CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS
Legal Requirements
42. Some of the products and services we offer are underpinned by legal
requirements. For example the Equality Act 2010 states that Disabled people
need to be identified so that DWP can:
meet its obligations as a provider of goods and services, by giving access to
specialist disability service help if needed, as a result of a person's disability
meet its obligations as a provider of goods and services by making
reasonable adjustments to its services for disabled people
ensure that we do not discriminate, or allow others to discriminate, against
disabled people in vacancy handling
satisfy Treasury that funds devoted to us for the provision of disability
services are used appropriately
DP (Disabled person) marker guidance
Learning and Development
43. There is a variety of
Learning and Development products available for staff
(this is not an exhaustive list)
Introduction to working With Vulnerable Customers
Introduction to Working with Customers with a Mental Health Condition
(facilitated event)
Introduction to Mental Health conditions for Telephony Staff (0.5 day
facilitated)
Diversity and Equality Learning – including disability awareness
Guidance Queries and help
If, after reading this guidance, you have a query relating to either the policy or
procedures contained therein, you must contact the
DWP Advice Line. Please do
not use the ‘E-mail page owner’ and ‘Page information’ links at the bottom of
each page of guidance to raise policy queries, these should only be used to
report broken hypertext links.
Contacts
44. Vulnerability Hub.
Policy/guidance owners: To update the Vulnerability Hub, please send a template
to the
Social Justice Integration Team
Mini Guide Template - to add a mini guide to the hub and the A to Z of life
events/personal circumstances or to
update mini guide content on the hub
45. All staff – if you have a suggestion for a Mini Guide on the Vulnerability Hub,
please email
xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
For advice and support
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xxx.xx
