Anti-poverty charity cracks ‘opaque’ Universal Credit eligibility requirements with free digital tool
The tool’s release comes as the DWP recommences its process of moving people on legacy benefits onto the newer UC system
The Work Rights Centre, an anti-poverty charity predominantly supporting migrant workers, has today announced the launch of an innovative new tool designed to simplify access to Universal Credit.
Translated into five languages by charity staff and volunteers, this valuable tool has taken months to develop. The process involved painstakingly mapping complex eligibility criteria derived from years of case law, into a flowchart intelligible to all. This includes general criteria such as a claimant’s savings, age, and education, as well as the intricate criteria which migrant claimants are subjected to in needing to demonstrate what the DWP calls a “right to reside” in the United Kingdom.
Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, the charity’s Director, realised the need for this resource after the number of enquiries for support with UC applications rose significantly during the pandemic and continued to climb with the cost of living crisis. “Many of the people who come to us for help struggle not only with digital and language barriers, but also with understanding whether they are eligible for welfare in the first place.
“Universal Credit is particularly inaccessible for the 2.5million EU citizens and their family members, who were given pre-settled status after Brexit. Even though they have a right to live and work in the UK, when it comes to claiming benefits they need to jump through many hoops. DWP caseworkers will first want to see if they’re working, and if that work was “genuine and effective”; but if they’re too ill or unable to work, the criteria then become incredibly complex, and that’s putting a lot of people off applying, and confining them to poverty. We hope this tool, and the languages we’ve made it available in, will take some of the fear and confusion out of the process of accessing this vital lifeline.”
The tool is free to use, accessible on any device, and completely confidential.
Aoife O’Reilly, a Specialist Support Hub Lawyer at Public Law Project, who tested the tool during its development, commented “This user-friendly tool will be really valuable to individuals and welfare benefits advisers alike, in particular where tricky ‘right to reside’ questions arise. This is common where individuals with pre-settled status under the EUSS are concerned.
“It should help to demystify Universal Credit eligibility requirements and allow people to understand what information they need to provide to demonstrate their right to claim.”
Will Hadwen, a trainer with the Benefits Training Company, who was involved in many months of tool development also highlighted its particular value to claimants who have pre-settled status under the EUSS. “This tool should give potential UC claimants with pre-settled status more control and understanding about a key process (the habitual residence test) which can seem really opaque and confusing,” he commented.
Luke Piper, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the3million, and a newly appointed trustee at Work Rights Centre, added: “This is a vital tool to support people through a very complex part of Universal Credit applications. I hope it will empower people to pursue applications especially given that there is a cost of living crisis pushing people into needing support from the Government.”
The Work Rights Centre’s Universal Credit Eligibility Tool can be found on the charity’s website: https://www.workrightscentre.org/universal-credit It was developed thanks to funding from the Brent Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL).