Suicide guidance given to DWP staff ahead of welfare reforms
- 27 Aug
It has been reported that frontline staff at the Department for Work and Pensions have received guidance on how to deal with suicidal benefit claimants ahead of more welfare reforms.
Workers at the DWP have been given a six-point plan on how to deal with people who are denied benefits and are feeling suicidal, reports the Independent.
Call centre staff have been instructed to allow rejected claimants for universal credit to talk about their intentions to end their lives.
A DWP spokesman did not deny that the guidance had been handed out, and said: “Our frontline Jobcentre staff work hard every day supporting people to find jobs and it is only right we provide a range of training and guidance to assist them in their work.”
Disability campaign group Black Triangle later estimated that as many as 80 suicide cases were directly to benefit cuts.
“If it was a medical trial, it would have been abandoned long ago. So many have died as a direct result of the withdrawal of benefits, as confirmed by numerous coroner's inquests,” John McArdle, co-founder of the group said at the time.
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Responding to the DWP Consultation: Housing Benefit Reform - Supported Housing "It was well-run, in a good location, and very useful. I've only one suggestion; as the session went on it would perhaps have been useful for bullet points of general agreement about what should be in the sector response to be displayed and added to as the session went on, maybe on a flip chart. Regarding your response paper, I particularly like the answer you give to question 9. In fact the general: "if it ain't broke don't fix it" response could be pushed harder." M.P. - Adref Ltd
