£billions of Welfare Benefits are unclaimed each year. A detailed report on this topic has been released by Inclusion. It covers issues such as trends in benefit take-up, key factors affecting take-up and the impact and design of take-up initiatives. Conclusions about possible best practise include-
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● 'Reducing complexity by simplifying the language and content of benefit application forms;
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● For some benefits reducing duplication in the information on, and verification of, circumstances required;
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● Easing the process of claiming through telephone and digital claims processes, albeit such developments
require careful design so as not to create new barriers;
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● Making systematic use of feedback from users, advocacy organisations and front line staff, to highlight problem
areas in the system, especially where different multiple entitlements interact;
Ensuring people are informed of entitlements at key „trigger‟ points when they become eligible, for example, when registering births; -
● Targeting take-up campaigns at those not claiming high-value entitlements, especially amongst harder-to-reach groups and communities;
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● Taking information into communities through outreach activities, often in partnership with other trusted intermediaries, such as health workers, and community based organisations.'
'The findings point to the value of welfare benefits advice being made available through local, trusted, and more accessible settings, including Children‟s Centres, community and voluntary centres, health care locations and, to some extent, through welfare to work providers.
One of the recurrent findings concerns the importance of easy access to advice services with trained staff that are able to provide independent and authoritative welfare rights information. Such services play a key role in take-up initiatives and when they supplemented the work of other front line staff they were perceived to improve attitudes towards claimants and knowledge of entitlements and the welfare system.'