Conditionality is the setting of requirements that people must meet in order to retain their benefits and avoid ‘sanctions’. There has been increasing criticism and concern about the use of benefits sanctions; both that they cause severe hardship, stress and anxiety, and do not appear to be a particularly effective way to engage people with employment support.
A New Economics Foundation report of August 2023 suggests that the use of sanctions actually undermines the possibility of developing a supportive and successful relationship with employment support which leads to poor experiences and poor outcomes. The New Economics Foundation therefore propose an exploration of potential alternative approaches that that could be better for people’s financial security and wellbeing, while also more effectively supporting and achieving their prospects of finding well-paid, secure and fulfilling employment
They commissioned us to explore what a fairer and more supportive approach to helping people who are out of work could look like; one that does not rely so heavily on the threat of ‘benefits sanctions’ and that more successfully and fairly supports people to stay engaged.
We delivered workshops with people who have current and prior experience of conditionality to explore what effective support could look like. We worked with 19 participants in Camden, and 18 participants in Manchester over two days each in February 2024 to;
- Hear information about why we have conditionality at present and what this means in practice
- Hear information about some other approaches in different countries
- Reflect on their own experiences in terms of what has and has not worked for them within the current system of conditionality and what could improve these experiences to support people to find work
- Form recommendations for improving the relationship between the service and the person who is out of work to improve their motivation and chances of success in finding employment. Including what support would help, what kind of working relationship would be effective, and whether there is a point at which sanctions should be used and if so, when.
The New Economics Foundation report ‘Terms of Engagement; Rethinking Conditionality to Support More People in to Better Jobs’ draws together findings from our workshops with additional work with service providers and the general public and argues that an alternative approach would;
- Better balance support and accountability
- Improve experiences and outcomes
- Retain public support and consent
The report sets out a roadmap of recommendations to achieve a new and more effective system of support for people subject to conditionality.
You can read the report on New Economics Foundation's website here.