Welfare Reform
The ‘hardest to help’ very often represent the most vulnerable within our society - the welfare reform agenda appears to be only interested making savings and removing people as a benefit statistic – not providing meaningful support.
opinion The ‘hardest to help’ very often represent the most vulnerable within our society – in terms of ill health (physical and mental), educational status, housing status, employment readiness, language barriers, income and so on. These same people are the least able to absorb variations or changes to their benefit levels and least able to afford to take risks to work. Advice NI believes that as long as the reform agenda appears to be only interested in removing people as a benefit statistic – not meaningfully supporting people to make the transition into employment – the ‘hardest to help’ may remain reluctant recipients of welfare reform, rather than eager participants;
Given that we are talking about the most vulnerable people in society, acknowledged as being the ‘hardest to help’, Government should ensure that there are adequate safeguards in place to protect and support not further marginalise and demonise. The system must play its part in ensuring that people have sufficient income to put food on the table, keep a roof over their head and provide a basis to make informed decisions about moving from benefits to work.
In previous welfare reform consultations, Advice NI has highlighted that “forced integration into the labour market will not work” without the associated significant increases in spending on areas such as childcare. Government should not shirk its responsibilities in this regard and Advice NI believes that sufficient resources will have to be made available if welfare reform is to have any meaningful positive impact. A firm focus should be on helping those who move from welfare to work to retain their jobs over the longer term and supporting the hardest to help benefit recipients who may be left behind by welfare reform, as the labour market is swelled by students and those recently made redundant who may be felt to be more ‘job ready’.
In terms of Employment and Support Allowance, we have real concerns that it reflects a flawed policy. Most people (over 70%) are disallowed; these people (with quite severe health problems) often then turn to Jobseekers Allowance (which is not designed for persons with significant health problems); if claimants answer honestly they are likely to be excluded from JSA beyond which there is no support of any kind apart from charitable sources such as SVP.
Advice NI would urge a rethink of a reformed welfare system which allows people to 'flounder' in this way.
