Fairer access to benefits

In order to claim benefits, people are required to make an agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions about what they will do to look for work and improve their chance of getting work. These agreements can often contain unreasonable or unfair requirements failing to take account of physical and mental health problems, caring responsibilities and other factors.   Failure to live up to these unfair requirements then leads to claimants being sanctioned as they are effectively being set up to fail.

Claimants often don’t seek advice until after being sanctioned, and don’t realise they could have requested reasonable adjustments to their agreements, or not agreed to unfair conditions in the first place.  By delivering training to frontline mental health and homelessness workers about the changes that can be requested, PLP is ensuring client’s fairer access to benefits and enabling them to challenge decisions when things go wrong.