The Department for Work and Pensions has developed the training for Jobcentre Customer Service Managers with guidance from expert organisations, including Crisis, Homeless Link and Shelter.

The new coaching is aimed at ensuring people experiencing homelessness, and those at risk of becoming homeless, get access to all relevant services offered by the department.

The managers will also act as a point of contact for partner homelessness organisations in their local area, focusing on building relationships with them and ensuring people are signposted appropriately to additional, expert support.

This is in addition to the support already available, which includes helping homeless people to verify their ID to set up claims for benefits, assistance with opening bank accounts and pausing requirements to look for work so they can concentrate on finding stable housing.

Will Quince, Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, said:

“People experiencing homelessness are some of the most vulnerable in society and we are determined to help them access the best possible support and improve their lives.

“Our jobcentre work coaches do an excellent job providing a tailored service for homeless people, including finding secure housing and helping them claim Universal Credit. Our newly trained Customer Service Managers will be instrumental in sharing best practice and building crucial links to local organisations and to ensure a joined-up package of support for our claimants.”

John Sparkes, Chief Executive at Crisis, said: “Homelessness is something we know can be ended across the country with the right policies and solutions in place. The Jobcentre Plus network has a pivotal role to play in this; especially in identifying and responding to people’s housing needs quickly, ideally before they become homeless in the first place.

“The roll out of training to all staff represents a positive first step in ensuring people facing homelessness receive the right support at a time when they need it most. By helping to shape this training we hope it will ensure that front line jobcentre staff are better equipped work with people experiencing homelessness. This also provides a good foundation for potentially growing housing and homelessness expertise amongst dedicated staff in local jobcentres where there is greatest homelessness demand.”

Training will be fully completed across Great Britain by the end of August.

Jobcentre Customer Service Managers provide crucial support to customers with complex needs and will support work coaches to identify and recognise the needs of people who are experiencing homelessness.

The delivery follows a pledge to do so in the government’s rough sleeping strategy.

Last year DWP created 2 guides specifically to help people experiencing homelessness access Universal Credit.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

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Today the Environment Agency has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2018-2019 outlining what has been achieved in the last financial year.

This report outlines the great progress being made on the goals set out in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan which has a clear ambition for our generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

One of the key priorities is to reduce the impact of waste crime on local communities and to ensure a level playing field for legitimate businesses. The Environment Agency now closes at least 2 illegal waste sites every day and has been granted new powers to lock up sites, force rogue operators to clear them up, and seize and destroy vehicles being used in waste crime.

Over the past year the Environment Agency has gone even further to align its core values and mission to protect and enhance the environment with the bold vision set out in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

This year also marks the launch of a new draft strategy for dealing with flooding and coastal erosion in a changing climate. The strategy outlines an agile approach to ensure the country is preparing for a range of climate futures, including a 4°C rise in global temperatures, while developing new standards of flood resilience.

Leaders in work place wellbeing

The Environment Agency is extremely proud that its inclusive culture continues to make it one of the best places to work, with specific recognition again this year of the Environment Agency’s record with regards to people living with mental health problems, having now won the Gold Award at Mind Charity’s Workplace Wellbeing Index 2017-18 for the second year in a row.

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

Over the past year, the Environment Agency has shown how committed it is to addressing both the causes and impacts of the climate emergency, while demonstrating the links between sustainability and business opportunities by mirroring the vision set out in the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This report demonstrates how we are also achieving the goals of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan by enhancing habitats and protecting communities from flooding, while creating better places for people and wildlife, regulating industry and supporting economic prosperity.

This year’s annual report also highlights considerable progress the Environment Agency has made towards fulfilling the goals set out in our Action Plan up to 2020.

Over the past year the Environment Agency has:

• invested £1.4 billion into protecting and improving the environment
• launched and consulted on a new draft strategy for dealing with flooding and coastal erosion in a changing climate
• signed up 12,700 new customers up to our Flood Warning Service reaching 1.5m properties
• better protected additional 50,754 homes from flooding during 2018-19
• created created more than 1100 acres of new priority habitats, exceeding the target of 1000 acres
• enhanced the water quality for people and wildlife along 44 km of the River Thames
• responded to a record 329 dry weather incidents
• exceeded our target of 6,500 people trained and ready to respond to environmental incidents
• brought 77 successful waste crime prosecutions resulting in 8 prison sentences & fines of £440k
• reduced our carbon footprint by 48% against our 2006-07 baseline year

You can access the full report on Gov.uk

The Charity Commission has today appointed interim managers to Island Health Trust (1127466), a charity which promotes the provision of primary healthcare within the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Newham.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity in November 2017 to examine concerns over the management of the charity, including the application of charitable funds and relevant decision making by the former trustees. The inquiry has focused on the expenditure of charitable funds on strategic development, a substantial part of which involved payments to a consultancy firm owned by the charity’s previous chair.

The inquiry has found that the issues under inquiry led to the direct loss of charitable funds and the options for recovery have not yet been sufficiently explored and considered. In the light of this, the Commission has exercised its legal powers to appoint Helen Briant and Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins LLP as interim managers to the charity. They will independently examine and provide advice on potential claims against the former trustees. The current trustees will continue to remain responsible for matters relating to the operation, management and administration of the charity.

The Commission’s inquiry continues; it intends to publish a report setting out its findings on conclusion of the inquiry. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK
2. Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission power to appoint interim managers to a charity.
3. Interim managers are appointed where the Commission has identified misconduct or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property. It is a temporary and protective measure.

Ministry of Justice’s update to the Employment Tribunal confirms to all affected fee paid judicial office holders the MOJ approach to claims for pre 7 April 2000 service. Since the last update to the ET, the department has progressed work on three key strands of work:

• remedy design, and particularly an appraisal of the options for calculating pension entitlement for fee-paid service before 7 April 2000
• work to determine the records held by the MOJ and other relevant agencies on fee-paid service before 7 April 2000
• creation of a new Judicial Claims Team to process eligible claims

Related link

Ministry of Justice statement in fee-paid judicial litigation: May 2019