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

Using data led insights to take action on poverty in Redbridge

Download case study

CLIENT:
London Borough of Redbridge

SECTOR:
Local Authority

PRODUCTS USED:
LIFT Dashboard

Product brochure

£2.3 million

in unclaimed benefits and support secured

£2.6 million

in overpaid Housing Benefit collected

4

data-led poverty prevention campaigns delivered so far

Addressing the impact of poverty in a rapidly growing region

Redbridge Council has strong plans to address the impact of poverty in the region. Redbridge aims to boost residents’ wellbeing and make the borough a more positive place to live. They aim to do this by helping people out of financial hardship, reducing low pay and the gender pay gap, and targeting interventions to tackle poverty in priority neighbourhoods.

Located in North East London, Redbridge’s population grew by over 11% in the ten years from 2011 to 2021. This increase is far higher than the overall population increase in England, which stood at 6.6%. Providing the right support for a growing population is a key challenge for the Benefits Service at Redbridge.

Using data to deliver front-line support

The team runs benefit take-up campaigns throughout the year targeting families in cash, fuel and food poverty. The Benefits Service analyses its own data sets using a Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) platform to identify households most in need. Armed with this information the team then proactively contacts those households via a variety of channels with offers of tailored support.

The team at Redbridge is working on a number of initiatives to deliver the council’s anti-poverty strategy. The data exploration enabled by LIFT gives the team information on trends identified from the benefits caseload and insights derived from LIFT. Using the management information they can suggest practical solutions for residents in the greatest financial need.

The LIFT platform helps Redbridge to deliver wrap-around support for residents and prevent them from falling into financial crisis. By using administrative data to identify vulnerability, target preventative support and encourage benefit take-up, Redbridge leads the the way for other local authorities.

Helping households maximise their income by awarding over £2.3 million in unclaimed benefits and support

With LIFT in place Redbridge Council continues to provide broad support, whilst now also offering tailored support to residents who need it the most. More collaborative working relationships, with both internal and external partners, provide a more seamless service for Redbridge residents.

For example, benefit checks can be done at the same time as triaging residents’ need for a food bank to ensure that as much support as possible is being given. The council is able to run highly-targeted Pension Credit take-up campaigns in conjunction with Age UK, too.

By maximising income through efficient claims processing and the work of the Benefits service team, Redbridge is improving the lives of its most vulnerable residents. Increasing residents’ income boosts financial resilience and reduces the fear of financial deprivation.

Redbridge can now identify and target those residents in its growing population who are eligible for benefits but not claiming them. LIFT has helped the team pay out the following in the 2021/22 financial year:

£1.3 million in Discretionary Housing Payments
£750,000 in Pension Credit take up
£181,000 in Hardship Payments
£82,000 in Household Support Fund payments

In the same year the team was also able to collect £2.6 million in overpaid Housing Benefit, and help residents to claim over £2.3 million in unclaimed welfare benefits and support.

The importance of growing residents’ financial stability to avoid poverty and promote broader wellbeing cannot be overstated. Offering timely support and early, highly-targeted intervention can help people successfully navigate their way through financial crises.

The LIFT platform helps Redbridge to give sound benefit advice to residents. Their support helps people maximise their household income. Spin-off benefits from the work include enhanced wellbeing and improved financial resilience for residents. Frontline advisors have experienced a significant mindset shift; from being focused on output targets to be focused on people.

Interdepartmental teams and external partners are now better able to collaborate to offer Redbridge residents seamless support. They can rapidly identify solutions that will allow residents to become more financially resilient while offering support around their broader needs including mental health, education and nutrition.

The Benefit Team has been instrumental in setting up internal referral processes which have greatly benefited our tenants. We have implemented systems to ensure Discretionary Housing Payments are utilised optimally.

We also collaborate on joint initiatives, such as drop-in sessions for the Household Support Fund.

There has been a brilliant level of synergy between our teams which we are confident will continue for the foreseeable future and will greatly benefit the residents of Redbridge.

Amar Bansil, Specialist Support Manager Rent Recovery Team, London Borough of Redbridge