Mind responds to Work and Pensions Committee report
The Work and Pensions Committee report Safeguarding Vulnerable Claimants has outlined several areas of the DWP’s safeguarding procedures which it has described as “deficient”.
Mind was among the organisations that provided oral evidence to the Committee, highlighting the unique challenges facing people with mental health problems when they engage with the benefits system.
Key recommendations from the report include:
• The DWP must learn from previous mistakes so that opportunities to prevent deaths of and serious harm to people are not missed in the future
• The DWP should introduce a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable claimants that applies to the whole Department, and for which the Secretary of State is ultimately accountable
• The DWP should set up a reference group drawing on the expertise of people with lived experience of the benefit system to help shape safeguarding policy
Responding to the report, Minesh Patel, Mind's Associate Director of Policy and Influencing, said:
“No one should be at risk of harm due to the benefits system. Sadly, as this report demonstrates, the UK government is simply not doing enough to minimise safeguarding risks, including for those with mental health problems.
“People with mental health problems often tell us that the benefits system is a key source of anxiety for them, and how the interactions they have can cause them to experience poor mental health.
“While the UK Government has said that it is reviewing its safeguarding processes, this needs to come alongside genuine and meaningful reform of our benefits system so that people get the support they need to lead independent and fulfilling lives. This is where the focus needs to be, not on arbitrary cuts to benefits that will only push people into poverty and hardship.“
