Welfare rights

What we do

Our strategic aim is to achieve a just and non-discriminatory welfare system, with a particular focus on benefit sanctions and benefit deductions.

PLP has been working on sanctions and conditionality in welfare benefits since 2016.  Our work in this area includes taking on casework referrals and queries; delivering training and events on sanctions, including workshops for frontline advisers; and undertaking research in order to identify and explore current barriers to remedies.

As part of our 2022-25 strategy we have expanded our focus to include a focus on deductions from benefits, including for Universal Credit overpayments.  Our overarching aim is to secure a more just and non-discriminatory welfare system and to help guard against state punishment of poverty.

The aims of our welfare systems work are to ensure that:

• Benefit claimants have access to effective legal remedies when poor decisions are made
• We can identify and tackle systemic problems with the sanctioning and deductions system where they result in people being treated unfairly and unlawfully
• Decision-makers, advisers, charities and individual claimants all know how claimant commitments can be tailored to individual circumstances, and that doing so can reduce the likelihood of sanctioning

Claimant commitments

The claimant commitment is a record of the responsibilities (or ‘work-related requirements’) that claimants accept in return for receiving Universal Credit.

Take a look at our Claimant Commitments microsite for information on tailoring claimant commitments to individual circumstances.