Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

The efficiency imperative: driving impact via data driven outreach With increasing demand and shrinking resources, councils face growing pressure to deliver impactful support to vulnerable residents efficiently.

In this webinar, we explore how data driven outreach campaigns can help local authorities overcome these challenges and achieve impactful results.

Join us to hear from two leading local government organisations as they share their experiences using Campaign Manager, a powerful new feature of the LIFT platform.

Discover how they’ve leveraged their data using intelligent analytics to identify financially vulnerable residents, streamline their outreach processes, and maximise both resident outcomes and cost savings.

This session will cover:

- Strategies to manage rising demand with limited resources
- How data insights can drive targeted and efficient resident support
- Real world results from councils using Campaign Manager for impactful outreach campaigns

Join us to learn how your council can also turn insights into action and make smarter, data-driven decisions to support your communities.

With guest speakers:

- Fahmida Rahman, Senior Policy Officer, Greater London Authority
- Seth Pearson, Darlington Partnership Director, Darlington Borough Council
- Sarah Small, Darlington Partnership Programme Officer, Darlington Borough Council

26/3/2025

10:30am GMT

1.3 hours

Protecting vulnerable consumers in regulated sectors Regulated industries such as water, energy and finance play a critical role in people’s lives. With increasing economic pressures, more consumers are becoming vulnerable, requiring additional support and protections.

Regulators like Ofwat, Ofgem and the FCA have tightened expectations around how businesses identify, support and engage with vulnerable customers. Failure to comply can result in reputational damage, regulatory penalties and customer hardship. But how can organisations balance compliance with commercial priorities while delivering fair outcomes for consumers?

Join industry experts as we explore best practices, regulatory expectations and practical strategies for businesses to proactively identify and protect vulnerable consumers. Gain actionable insights on:

- The evolving regulatory landscape across Ofwat, Ofgem and the FCA
- Effective strategies for identifying and supporting vulnerable customers
- Case studies showcasing successful industry approaches
- How technology and data can enhance consumer protection

Join this webinar to learn how to strengthen your compliance strategy, improve customer engagement and safeguard both consumers and your organisation’s reputation.

Register now to stay ahead of regulatory expectations and build a more consumer focused business.

30/4/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Harnessing data for regional impact: empowering local leaders to drive change Devolution is one of the core missions of the new government, promising a strong focus on giving local areas more control over services. To tackle economic inactivity, and with many people across the UK needing support, it’s vital that local authorities deliver effective, targeted interventions. The success of tailored, region-specific approaches depends on how well local areas can harness data to drive change.

Local organisations, from Mayoral Combined Authorities to county councils, need to deliver these crucial services. Accessing and using the data insights required to implement efficient and effective programmes is a challenge and, without localised data, decision making can become less accurate. This leads to inefficient resource allocation and missed opportunities to reach those who need help the most.

Data analysis offers the key to overcoming these challenges. By harnessing the power of local data, authorities can get the accurate insights they need to target support where it will be most effective. With the right insights, local areas can design and deliver services that are more tailored, timely and impactful, ensuring the right residents get the right support at the right time.

Proven results from current data led initiatives already show the transformative potential of this approach.

Join this webinar to hear from guest speakers who have successfully implemented data driven campaigns. They will showcase real world examples of how they have come together to achieve measurable outcomes.

We’ll also explore how these data insights can be applied to address key issues like economic inactivity, youth unemployment and social isolation to deliver lasting change across regions.

21/5/2025

10:30am BST

1.3 hours

Blog

Policy in Practice named as a Nesta Rapid Recovery Challenge semi-finalist

Janet Harkin Published on 10th December 2020

We are delighted that Policy in Practice has been chosen as a Rapid Recovery Challenge semi-finalist from 148 entries.

The £3 million Challenge is funded by Nesta, in partnership with DWP, JPMorgan Chase and Money and Pensions Service. It is supporting tools and services that improve access to jobs and money for people across the UK, focussing on those hardest hit by the economic shock resulting from COVID-19, and aims to support 1million people by 2023.

Policy in Practice will be working to scale our winning solution, the My Benefits Calculator app, to thousands of people in the next year, in order to help those in society who need it most. My Benefits Calculator is a personalised app to navigate the complex benefit system. It will give you access to the widest possible range of support, help you plan from month to month, and put you in control of your money, so you can take steps toward financial independence.

The need for the Rapid Recovery Challenge

COVID-19 has drastically changed the financial resilience of people in the UK, young and old alike. It has made more of us financially insecure and in need of welfare support, in many cases for the first time. Applications for Universal Credit soared by 90% between March and September 2020, resulting in nearly 6 million people now receiving the benefit. We now have nearly 1.6 million people looking for work as a result of the pandemic, a staggering 117% increase between March and August. Sadly this looks set to increase further, to more than 2m, as the OBR expects more jobs to be lost by April 2021 when the furlough scheme ends.

In response to the crisis, Nesta launched the Rapid Recovery Challenge in September 2020. The challenge aims to find innovative solutions relating to jobs and financial recovery in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s focused on supporting and scaling solutions from organisations and charities that will improve the job prospects and financial situations of people across the UK, from young people to marginalised groups. The semi-finalist’s innovative solutions range from helping people identify and develop transferable skills to find new work, to digital and personalised support to navigate benefits, bills and personal finances.

Rapid Recovery Challenge semi-finalist: My Benefits Calculator

The My Benefits Calculator app by Policy in Practice will give you a free personalised way to navigate the complex benefit system. Covid-19 has made many more of us financially insecure and in need of social security, sometimes for the first time. Often, we don’t know the full range of support we could get from the benefit system and elsewhere, and more than £10 billion goes unclaimed each year.

Our app will help you to access the widest possible range of support, keep track of Universal Credit as your payments change from month to month, put you in control of your finances and help you to take steps toward financial independence. This will help all of us to recover faster from the effects of Covid-19.

“Covid-19 has made many of us financially vulnerable and in need of the welfare system, perhaps for the first time. Finding your way around the complicated system though is hard – over £10 billion of benefits is unclaimed each year. My Benefits Calculator will help people to access the widest possible range of support, and keep track of their finances from month to month. We’re delighted to become a Rapid Recovery Challenge semi-finalist. Thanks to the support of the Rapid Recovery Challenge we will be able to help people recover from the financial effects of Covid-19 and build their financial resilience.”

Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder, Policy in Practice

The new app will build on our successful online Better Off Calculator, available through GOV.UK which allows users to check their eligibility for certain benefits. The app will provide ongoing, personalised support to give people with insecure earnings the ability to plan for the next month.

Helping new claimants to access the widest range of support will have an immediate impact on economic recovery. Personalised on-going calculations will help users to manage their monthly income, empower people to make more informed choices and move people towards financial independence.

The impact My Benefits Calculator will have

Nearly 6 million people claim Universal Credit now, and this is growing. At the same time, £10 billion of benefits is unclaimed each year. If just 10% of claimants use My Benefits Calculator to access all the support they’re eligible for we will help 600,000 people to build their financial resilience.

Deven Ghelani, Director and Founder, Policy in Practice

My Benefits Calculator will have a positive impact by showing you how your income may change from month to month. It will highlight little known benefits you could claim that can make a big difference. The app will also help you to manage your expenditure so you can keep on top of your payment commitments and avoid falling into debt. Finally, the app will link to DWP’s ‘find a job service’ and show you how you may be better off in work.

Over the last year we have reached 1.2 million users with our existing web-based Better Off Calculator. We know that 33% of our current users report no earnings, and 89% of households report no savings. 92% of our users report earnings below £18,000 a year. As we continue to navigate through the effects of COVID-19, My Benefits Calculator is needed now more than ever.

By helping you to access the benefit system and track your income from month to month, My Benefits Calculator will put you in control of your finances, easing pressure and helping you to take steps to progress in work, and toward financial independence.

Get involved: please join our user research

We will be carrying out user research from January 2021 to help us develop My Benefits Calculator. If you, your organisation or the people you support would like to take part please contact us on 0330 088 9242 or via hello@policyinpractice.co.uk