Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Denise Hatton YMCA CEO about benefits and Young People.









The failing benefit sanctions system is unfairly targeting Britain's youth

Jobcentre Plus is failing young people, who are almost twice as likely to see their benefits stopped
Job centre plus entrance
Jobcentre Plus: sanction first, think later? Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
Every two minutes a young person somewhere in the UK has their benefits stopped by a Jobcentre. Despite making up only 27% of jobseeker's allowance claimants, young people are the recipients of 43% of the sanctions issued. Figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions also reveal an alarming number of sanction decisions taken against young people (38,969) being eventually overturned, suggesting they have been incorrectly or unfairly applied in the first place.
People can see their benefit payments taken away for a number of reasons, from failing to attend a meeting at a Jobcentre to leaving a job without a good reason or because of misconduct. Sanctions can last between four weeks and three years.
Young people lack access to support and information on how the sanctions process works and guidance about how to challenge the decision if they believe it to be unfair. Nearly two thirds (63%) of the young people in our research said that they need more information on how they can avoid being sanctioned. While most were broadly aware that they could appeal a sanction (85%), over four fifths (81%) said they needed more practical information on how to do this.
Many of the young people receiving benefits or being sanctioned will often be classed as vulnerable and the responsibility for providing support when things go wrong will often fall to housing providers or support organisations. In order to properly support the young people we work with, we need to understand why they are being hit so hard by this sanctions regime and how this can be prevented.
Jobcentre Plus is failing when it comes to communicating many aspects around sanctions. In some cases it even fails to provide a clear reason why a sanction has been imposed or that it has been imposed at all, leaving many to find out when they next go to the bank. More than 70% of young people who had been sanctioned were informed by letter, which usually follows a generic template and does not provide a full explanation. This leaves them at risk of being sanctioned again for the same reason.
Nearly all (94%) of YMCAs responding to our research reported an increase in the number of young people they have seen sanctioned since October 2012. We know first-hand the impact that taking away an individual's main source of income can have, with the significant majority of those vulnerable young people reporting being forced to go without essential items like food (84%), housing costs (81%) and toiletries (75%).
Any decision to stop somebody's benefits should only be taken as a last resort – not the 'sanction first, think later' approach currently being adopted by Jobcentre Plus.
The current welfare system is failing a generation of vulnerable young people and drastic reforms are necessary. But there is a serious risk that the reforms currently being rolled out in the form of universal credit will place increased expectations and punishments on claimants, with potential devastating impact on even more young people's lives.
Less than half (49%) of the young people we questioned had heard of any of the reforms currently taking place. Not only does this lack of awareness stop them from being able to prepare and respond accordingly, it is preventing them from influencing the design and implementation of the reforms.
Young people need tailored early advice and support to help them overcome the barriers they face and find sustained employment. This should be at the heart of the government's reforms, so young people can begin feeling the benefits of a welfare system, rather than simply feeling processed and punished.
Denise Hatton is chief executive of YMCA England. Read the YMCA's guides to understanding the benefits system here.