Title	Date	Start Time	Duration	Register
Reducing barriers to work using data led campaigns In September 2023 the UK experienced an economic inactivity rate of 21.3% and an estimated unemployment rate of 4.3%, both of which have increased compared to previous data. Economic inactivity has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, prompting government efforts to integrate this group into the workforce. Historically, policies under Universal Credit and legacy benefits emphasised pushing people into employment through conditionality and short term measures. Today, both major political parties are exploring ways to facilitate return to work and eliminate barriers to employment. However, the government is also extending conditionality and adopting a tougher stance on sanctions for a broader range of people. Haringey is home to a young, ethnically diverse population. In June 2023, almost one fifth of those between 16 to 65 were on Universal Credit. Nearly 7% of residents over 16 were claiming unemployment related benefits, a figure above the London average of 4.7% and the 3rd highest rate of all UK councils Haringey Council wanted to find ways to overcome barriers to employment for young people and families with children and has used data to achieve success with its employment support programmes. Join this webinar to learn: - The new carrot and stick policy changes designed to break down barriers to work and reduce economic inactivity - What Haringey Council did to increase take up of free childcare for two year olds to 70% - How Haringey Council successfully helped 95 NEETs on their employment journey With guest speakers from Haringey Council	29/11/2023j/n/Y	10:30 GMT2023-11-29T10:30:00ZH:i T	1.3 hours	Register
Policy review of 2023 and what 2024 may hold Join our last webinar of 2023 to hear our policy analysts review 2023's policy changes and big issues, from the ongoing cost of living and energy crises to the funding of local government and the Autumn Statement. We will highlight our policy findings from the year including our work that revealed that millions of households across the UK are missing out on £19 billion of support each year. We'll look at the role that data is playing in helping leading organisations to tackle these issues. Through case studies of different types of households we'll look at what the changes mean for families now, and what 2024 has in store. Along the way we'll share the positive impact that organisations we work with are having, and give practical solutions that others can adopt.	6/12/2023j/n/Y	10:30 GMT2023-12-06T10:30:00ZH:i T	1.3 hours	Register
How the debt sector is connecting people to support	31/1/2024j/n/Y	10:30 GMT2024-01-31T10:30:00ZH:i T	1.3 hours	Register

Title

Date

Start Time

Duration

Reducing barriers to work using data led campaigns In September 2023 the UK experienced an economic inactivity rate of 21.3% and an estimated unemployment rate of 4.3%, both of which have increased compared to previous data. Economic inactivity has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, prompting government efforts to integrate this group into the workforce.

Historically, policies under Universal Credit and legacy benefits emphasised pushing people into employment through conditionality and short term measures. Today, both major political parties are exploring ways to facilitate return to work and eliminate barriers to employment. However, the government is also extending conditionality and adopting a tougher stance on sanctions for a broader range of people.

Haringey is home to a young, ethnically diverse population. In June 2023, almost one fifth of those between 16 to 65 were on Universal Credit. Nearly 7% of residents over 16 were claiming unemployment related benefits, a figure above the London average of 4.7% and the 3rd highest rate of all UK councils

Haringey Council wanted to find ways to overcome barriers to employment for young people and families with children and has used data to achieve success with its employment support programmes.

Join this webinar to learn:

- The new carrot and stick policy changes designed to break down barriers to work and reduce economic inactivity
- What Haringey Council did to increase take up of free childcare for two year olds to 70%
- How Haringey Council successfully helped 95 NEETs on their employment journey

With guest speakers from Haringey Council

29/11/2023

10:30 GMT

1.3 hours

Policy review of 2023 and what 2024 may hold Join our last webinar of 2023 to hear our policy analysts review 2023's policy changes and big issues, from the ongoing cost of living and energy crises to the funding of local government and the Autumn Statement.

We will highlight our policy findings from the year including our work that revealed that millions of households across the UK are missing out on £19 billion of support each year.

We'll look at the role that data is playing in helping leading organisations to tackle these issues.

Through case studies of different types of households we'll look at what the changes mean for families now, and what 2024 has in store.

Along the way we'll share the positive impact that organisations we work with are having, and give practical solutions that others can adopt.

6/12/2023

10:30 GMT

1.3 hours

How the debt sector is connecting people to support

31/1/2024

10:30 GMT

1.3 hours

Islington Council secures over £1 million for pensioners in successful Pension Credit take-up campaign

Download case study

SECTOR:
Local Authority

PRODUCTS USED:
LIFT Dashboard

Product brochure

274

households helped to claim Pension Credit

£1,231,633

total amount of benefits awarded

£6,431,068

total economic benefit to Islington

Tackling poverty in income-deprived pensioner households

Islington is London’s sixth most deprived local authority, and more than a third of the borough’s over 60s are living in income-deprived households. Ensuring that pension age residents were receiving all the help that they were eligible for is a top priority.

With up to £1.7 billion worth of Pension Credit unclaimed nationwide each year Islington Council researched why their residents weren’t claiming.

The most common responses were lack of awareness, assuming they weren’t eligible, fear of long forms to fill out, no-one to help and no idea who to ask and believing that savings made them ineligible

It became clear that Islington needed to reach eligible residents with a targeted campaign.

Some of our residents assumed that because they received a state pension that was all they were entitled to. We came across some people who were living on just £70 or £80 state pension a week.

Sarah Gamble, Income Maximisation Officer, Islington Council

Using data to identify financially vulnerable families to offer targeted support

Islington Council was able to identify financially vulnerable pensioner households and approach them to offer targeted support by analysing its data via the Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) platform.

By proactively targeting households and engaging them using data-led campaigns, Islington Council was able to boost Pension Credit take-up in the borough by 39%.

Eligible households receive an average of £4,500 in Pension Credit and associated benefits

Islington Council has achieved incredible results using their administrative data in LIFT to drill down to household level and identify 689 eligible households. By running a targeted campaign, they helped 274 households to successfully claim Pension Credit totalling £939,100 per year.

Islington was also able to distribute £230,970 in backdated Pension Credit to these households. £56,136, was distributed in other associated benefits such as a Free TV Licence, Cold Weather Payments and help with heating bills. These associated benefits also contributed to an additional £5,427 in backdated payments.

The total amount of benefits awarded was £1,231,633, or an average of £4,495 per household.

25 of these households also owed money to Islington Council, mostly in the form of rent arrears or Council Tax debt. As these households became more financially resilient, £13,649 of this debt has now been repaid.

The council has also saved £209,606 because the extra income awarded to residents now enables those with caring responsibilities to care for longer before applying for a care package.

The average resident entitled to Pension Credit in Islington is aged 77, with an average life expectancy of 83. The Pension Credit take-up campaign may therefore bring in total economic benefits to Islington Council of £6,431,068.