This will also include:
- 300 new Disability Employment Advisers in jobcentres
across the country
- a one-to-one health and work conversation with a
Jobcentre Plus Work Coach to help raise confidence in
managing a health condition, when appropriate
- the introduction, from the summer, of a new
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Claimant
Commitment for disabled people or those with a health
condition who are out of work, setting out the support
the Jobcentre will provide and what is expected of
claimants
- personalised support provided to
new ESA claimants
placed in the work- related activity group, and new
claimants of Universal Credit’s equivalent group, to
help them move closer to the jobs market and, when they
are ready, into work
Other welfare reforms also come into effect in April to
further help those who can work get back into work, while
ensuring support is in place for those who need it. These
include the more generous Universal Credit taper,
starting on 10 April, which will mean claimants keep more
of their earnings as they build up their work hours.
The other changes were all announced in the summer 2015
Budget and have been legislated.
Other changes
From 1 April
Delivering on the government’s commitment to remove
automatic entitlement to housing support for 18 to
21-year-olds for new claims to full service Universal
Credit. This means that young people will no longer be
able to choose to leave home and claim housing support
straight away, and young people on benefits will have to
face the same housing decisions as young people in work.
Those who are in work, or have been in work for the
previous six months, and vulnerable people including
young care leavers, those with dependent children and
those in temporary accommodation, are exempt.
From 3 April
New claimants to ESA who
are placed in the work-related activity group and new
claimants to Universal Credit placed in the limited
capability for work group will get the same rate as the
job-seeking equivalent in both benefits to reduce
barriers against starting to prepare for work and focus
support on those who need it the most.
In order to ensure parents have the best chance of
returning to work after having children, those in receipt
of Universal Credit will be expected to prepare for
employment when their youngest child turns 2 and to look
for work when their youngest child turns 3. Under
Universal Credit, parents in work can claim up to 85% of
their childcare costs back.
From 6 April
Child Tax Credits and the child element of Universal
Credit will be limited to 2 children, so benefit
recipients face the same family planning decisions as
those who support themselves solely through work.
The higher rate of child element for the first child in
Universal Credit and the family element in tax credits
will also be removed for claims where the eldest child is
born on or after this date.
Also coming into effect on April 6 is the Bereavement
Support Payment, which widens help so that more bereaved
people get the support they need. It will replace
Bereavement Allowance, Widowed Parent’s Allowance and the
Bereavement Payment for those who lose a spouse or civil
partner on or after this date.
