CRF in April, £75m uncovered, client awards and new impact stories

As councils prepare for the rollout of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), this month we spoke at events hosted by Huggg and the Post Office to explore delivery considerations ahead of April allocations.

Discussions highlighted the need for proactive, fast and flexible approaches, with strong emphasis on cash-first support, needs based decision making and person centred delivery. Wraparound support also emerged as a critical factor, particularly the role of income maximisation and wider referral pathways in reducing repeat crises and strengthening longer term financial resilience.

Delivering the CRF well will require a shift in how support is designed and delivered, starting with people rather than processes. This means using data to understand need more clearly, using cash to support dignity and choice, and using moments of crisis as opportunities to build resilience.

Across the country, many councils are already working in this way, combining data led insight with frontline expertise to identify risk earlier, target support more effectively, and connect crisis funding with advice and resilience services. Their experience offers a practical blueprint for authorities navigating CRF implementation.

Administrative data remains central to effective planning, helping councils better identify vulnerability, understand local need and design support that is both targeted and responsive.

Resources to support your CRF delivery
CRF cheat sheet
Good practice case studies
CRF guidance for councils: A practical delivery guide
On demand webinar with speakers from Trussell, DWP and Plymouth City Council

Fabian Chessell recently gave evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee's Transition to State Pension Age inquiry, highlighting the stark 'reverse cliff edge' faced by people transitioning from working age benefits to the state pension.

For many, monthly support can increase more than twofold just before retirement, rising from around £400 on Universal Credit to nearly £1,000 on Pension Credit. This sharp shift raises important questions about how vulnerable households are expected to manage in the years leading up to pension age.

Our evidence focused on the risks created by extending the state pension age without addressing the adequacy of working age support. We emphasised the need to recognise ability to work more accurately, strengthen income protection for those unable to work, and use data led evidence to understand the wider downstream costs of poverty.

The committee showed strong interest in how data sharing and preventative approaches can support better policy outcomes for people approaching pension age.

Contact us if you’d like to identify residents approaching pension age and encourage Pension Credit take up in advance

Nationwide Building Society has announced that its benefits calculator and support service has helped uncover an estimated £75 million in annual unclaimed benefits, supporting over 11,000 households.

Nationwide partnered with Policy in Practice to launch a benefits checking service that offers both a self-serve online and app calculator, and a free expert telephone helpline. This dual approach ensures that people who can’t or prefer not to use digital services can still receive exactly the same level of support.

Households using the service identified an average of around £560 per month in potential additional benefits. The story has been widely covered across national and regional media, including The Mirror, Daily Record, Daily Express, Belfast Live, and MSN, highlighting both the scale of unclaimed support and Nationwide’s inclusive approach.

The service uses Policy in Practice’s Better Off Calculator to help customers identify unclaimed benefits and increase take up of financial support.

Read the full case study to learn more about Nationwide’s approach

"Millions of people across the UK are missing out on vital financial support they are entitled to simply because the system is too complex to understand and access. Our partnership with Policy in Practice means more people, including those who perhaps can’t or prefer not to use digital services, can get the help they need to increase their income. By offering the choice of an online journey and a telephone call, we are hopefully making what can be a daunting and confusing experience that little bit simpler."

Kathryn Townsend, Nationwide Head of Customer Vulnerability & Accessibility

We are delighted to see South East Water launch a new online support tool to help customers quickly understand the assistance available to them.

Developed in partnership with Policy in Practice, the tool embeds the Better Off Calculator within South East Water’s customer journey, simplifying social tariff eligibility checks while also identifying potential entitlement to benefits and wider support schemes.

The initiative supports customers and advisors alike, enabling faster access to relevant information and helping frontline teams focus on meaningful conversations.

Read the full announcement

South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council have also been shortlisted in the MJ Awards, recognised for their work on housing and temporary accommodation. Their nomination highlights a people centred, data driven approach to rising demand, with the Better Off Calculator supporting income maximisation and financial resilience.

Congratulations on this well deserved recognition. If your organisation has been shortlisted for an award please let us know so we can celebrate your success too.

Policy in Practice has been ranked 128th in the 2026 Tech200, Tussell’s annual list of the fastest growing technology suppliers to the UK public sector.

While we are undoubtedly proud of this recognition, our Founder Deven Ghelani captures our perspective best:

"Growth in the public sector is only meaningful if it leads to better outcomes for residents. We’re proud that our placement in the Tech200 2026 is driven by the impact our clients are having. Last year, we put over £77 million into the pockets of families struggling financially, and found that over £24 billion is going unclaimed each year. We are proud to be helping the public sector to use its data effectively, to reduce administrative burdens while ensuring help reaches those who need it most."

Doubling our scale means doubling the impact our partners are having in tackling the £24 billion unclaimed benefits gap. Last year alone, our Better Off platform helped 1.2 million people identify over £2 billion in support they were entitled to, helping families deal with immediate crises and build longer term financial resilience.

Our growth is a testament to the innovative local authorities, housing providers, utilities and financial services organisations that are introducing proactive, data led customer journeys that remove barriers to support.

Thank you to our clients for your continued trust, and to Tussell, techUK, and The Data City for the recognition.

View the full Tech200 list

LIFT: 'newly eligible' filters now live

We’ve released new functionality in LIFT that enables clients to directly identify and target households who have recently become eligible for support like Pension Credit, Free School Meals and disability support.

This responds to a common request from councils and partners who want to engage residents as soon as their circumstances change. Clients can now identify, engage and track newly eligible or newly vulnerable households within LIFT, without requiring manual list creation.

New Summary and Benefit Take Up screens are also now available, making it easier to understand cohort level impact and track engagement over time. These enhancements are available now.

Contact us to see the new LIFT features in action

Better Off Calculator and Apply Once: expanding joined up applications

Apply Once simplifies residents’ journeys by letting them give their information just once when applying for multiple types of support. A feature of the Better Off Calculator,

By embedding income maximisation directly into support applications, Apply Once ensures residents can be assessed for broader financial support while applying for many kinds of discretionary schemes or social tariffs. This reduces friction for residents and administrative burden for teams.

Upcoming enhancements will introduce more direct scheme form management, greater customisation for local requirements and in-calculation application journeys that allow residents to move seamlessly from eligibility checking to application submission.

We’re seeing strong demand for demonstrations as more organisations look to simplify application processes and create joined up customer journeys. Book your demo here.

Learn more about Apply Once

MAST: education data now integrated

We’ve partnered with the Walsall education team to integrate school-level insights into our Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST). By connecting education data with police, health, fire, and social care, we’re bridging silos to protect children in vulnerable situations.

Practitioners gain a more complete picture of vulnerability. Insights on elective home education, school absence, exclusions and children missing education combined help identify safeguarding risks earlier and support coordinated intervention.

The integration is live and supporting frontline safeguarding teams now. Contact us if you have education data that could strengthen your safeguarding approach.

Learn more about MAST