Employment support, new Missing Out numbers, Eisteddfod and team summer socials

1. Tackling disability, employment and poverty: insights from our recent webinar

Policy in Practice brought together expert speakers to discuss how local areas can support people with health conditions and disabilities into work, against the backdrop of major welfare reforms, this month.

Deven Ghelani, Policy in Practice, set out the scale of the challenge: “There are 2.8 million people out of work due to long term sickness, with 800,000 more people on disability benefits since the pandemic.” While reforms to PIP are paused, other changes are going ahead, including a two tier health element of Universal Credit. Deven emphasised that local government will be central to helping residents navigate these reforms and “prove that locally designed approaches can deliver better results.”

Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at King’s College London, and ex DWP, reflected on 25 years of employment support programmes to provide a historical overview of employment support for people on incapacity benefits, highlighting key lessons for today’s policy challenges. Voluntary schemes, he said, can work for those who engage, but uptake is low due to “risk and loss aversion, and distrust of the system.”

From Camden Council, Zoe Tyndall, Head of Debt and Financial Resilience, shared findings from a 12 week pilot using LIFT to offer holistic “support chats” to residents with health conditions. Around 10% engaged, and half are now working with employment advisers. Zoe highlighted how even small changes, like including a photo and bio of the adviser, can help overcome distrust.

Finally, Sam Fathers from Policy in Practice showed how councils are using LIFT and the Better Off platform to launch targeted campaigns and track outcomes. In Wales, this approach helped drive a double digit increase in school leavers moving into training and work.

View the slides and listen back to the webinar

2. Missing out 2025: New report launching this September

Each year billions of pounds in financial support is unclaimed by people who are eligible to receive it.

Missing out 2025, launching this September, will reveal new statistics and insights into who is missing out, why, and what actions to close the gap are working. This year’s analysis includes the first ever local breakdown of unclaimed support across every local authority in Great Britain.

Join our live webinar on Thursday 26 September to explore the key findings and hear from organisations that are taking action, from local government to finance, utilities, housing and advice. Hear case studies about how tools like LIFT and Apply Once are reaching more people, simplifying access and delivering real results.

Pre register to receive the Missing out 2025 report

Sign up for the webinar

3. In the media: Deven Ghelani on Universal Credit and health related support

Policy in Practice’s Deven Ghelani recently featured on both GB News and LBC, sharing his insights on the rising number of people receiving health related support through Universal Credit. On GB News, Deven explained that while headlines have focused on a surge in sickness, the reality is more nuanced:

Most people not required to look for work while on UC are living with serious health conditions
Much of the increase reflects people moving from older benefits onto UC through managed migration
The real challenge lies in an ageing population, longer NHS waiting lists, and a benefits system that doesn’t always do enough to help people back into work

“The welfare system must strike the right balance: providing security for those who cannot work, while ensuring support is in place for those who want to return to employment.”

On LBC with Shelagh Fogarty, Deven set the record straight on the latest UC statistics, challenging dramatic headlines. He explained that the rise in claims was expected due to managed migration, and that the total number of households on UC remains nearly a million below the level originally forecast a year ago.

Watch Deven on GB News
Listen to Deven on LBC

Our Managing Director, Jade Alsop, celebrated 10 years at Policy in Practice this month and was awarded with the honorary '10 year' pin.

In congratulating Jade on her milestone anniversary, Founder and Director, Deven Ghelani, said,

"The company wouldn’t be where it is without Jade. She’s absolutely committed to what we’re trying to achieve. Over the last couple of years in particular, Jade has done a brilliant job as Managing Director. The team looks to her much more than they look to me and that speaks volumes about the trust and respect she’s earned."

WPSC backs key changes we called for on pensioner poverty

Policy in Practice was pleased to contribute evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s eight month inquiry into pensioner poverty, helping to shape several of the recommendations in its final report. With 1.9 million pensioners living in relative poverty, this report comes at a critical time.

The Committee has backed several changes we advocated for, including:

Improving benefit take up, particularly Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance
Addressing the cliff edge faced by those just above eligibility thresholds
Recognising the long term impact of working age poverty on older people
Supporting targeted, data led local campaigns that are already making a difference

Read our summary and reflections on the report

If you’d like to explore how data led campaigns can help close the Pension Credit take up gap in your area we’d be happy to talk. Book a chat with the team

Policy in Practice in Wales: supporting councils with LIFT

This month Sam Fathers was in Wales to highlight the growing impact of our LIFT platform.

Sam met with Welsh Government representatives, including Rhun ap Iorwerth, to discuss how LIFT is being used across Wales to support low income households. He also spoke at the National Eisteddfod of Wales - a real honour, especially as he has only been learning Welsh since last September.

Alongside these engagements, Sam spent time with clients including Wrexham County Borough Council, Grŵp Cynefin, Adra and Tai Gogledd Cymru (North Wales Housing), exploring how data led approaches can help organisations target support where it is needed most.

Sam summed up the week:

“It’s fantastic to see the momentum building in Wales. From councils to housing providers, organisations are using LIFT to identify households in need and connect them to the right support. The response has been hugely positive.”

The week also offered some lighter moments, from enjoying cultural performances at the Eisteddfod to discovering a vending machine that sold only cheese.

Watch Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, announce the partnership between Policy in Practice and the Welsh Government

Helping councils tackle debt and boost income with LIFT

At this month’s London Revenues Group (LRG) meeting Policy in Practice’s Abigail Everett showcased how our LIFT platform is helping councils reduce debt and increase household income. The event brought together Revenues and Benefits Managers from across London boroughs to share best practice.

Abbie looked ahead to the future of LIFT, highlighting how it simplifies complex processes, delivers insights quickly, and saves council teams valuable time. She also introduced our new Campaign Manager feature, designed to make it easier than ever to run targeted, data led outreach to households. Current users have described the tool as “transformational”, with feedback overwhelmingly positive.

LIFT is helping councils deliver real world impact. In Gravesham, for example, the platform supported a partnership with Southern Water to identify vulnerable residents and connect them to support. This led to £572,000 in water bill savings for low income households.

“By combining data driven insights with targeted action, councils can improve financial resilience for their residents while making better use of limited resources.”

Watch a clip of Abbie’s presentation
Read how LIFT helped Gravesham's residents save £572,000 in water bills

🔍 What is LIFT?

LIFT is our analytics platform that helps councils provide timely and effective support to people who need it most, improving outcomes for low income families. By identifying residents who may be missing out on support, in debt or at risk of homelessness, LIFT enables councils to take early, targeted action. It brings together data from multiple sources, helping local authorities to allocate resources more effectively and track the impact of their interventions over time.

Learn more or book a call to see LIFT in action

Policy in Practice's Paul Garlick has become our Caldicott Guardian, as part of his role in leading on client support for our Multi Agency Safeguarding Tracker (MAST) tool.

In this role, Paul will ensure that people’s health and social care information is handled legally, ethically and appropriately. He will champion confidentiality, making sure these standards are embedded in our products and support the delivery of better services.

We’re also proud to share that the MAST team has recently achieved a “high assurance” rating in the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit annual assessment.

New Better Off Calculator feature: Request further information from applicants

When the Better Off Calculator is used to process applications, such as council tax support or housing applications, there might be gaps, ambiguities or other queries with the initial application.

Our new ‘request further information’ feature lets you send applicants a secure link to update their case with the details you need.

For advisers: Ask for info and review responses directly in the calculator, no need to switch windows
For applicants: Easily and securely update their application, even for complex queries
For organisations: Streamlined workflows save both time and money

Contact your Account Manager to enable this feature

🔍 What is the Better Off Calculator?

The Better Off Calculator helps people see what support they can claim, quickly and clearly. Used by advisors and available for self serve, it simplifies complex benefits to maximise income and improve financial resilience. Organisations also use it to engage more people, reduce arrears, and save time and money. Built with client feedback, it includes budgeting, scenario tools and local scheme integration.

Learn more or book a call to see the Better Off Calculator in action

Thanks for your support in the Consumer Credit Awards

This year’s Consumer Credit Awards may be over, but we couldn’t be prouder of the support we’ve received along the way. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared some of the incredible 5 star reviews we’ve received for our Better Off Calculator while voting was open.

We’re proud to have been a finalist for "Best Financial Support Provider"and we’re so grateful to everyone who took the time to vote for us and leave a review. Your feedback genuinely motivates our team and reminds us why we do this work.

We may not have taken home the trophy, but knowing our work is helping people stay in their homes, return to work or access vital support fills us with pride. Your feedback will continue to guide and motivate our work, and we’ll keep building tools that make a real difference for the people who use them.

Meet us at sector events this September

September is a busy month for Policy in Practice, with our team out and about across the UK at key sector events. We’ll be sharing how our LIFT platform and Better Off Calculator are helping organisations to tackle debt, boost income and support households while closing the unclaimed support gap.

We’re looking forward to connecting with colleagues at the following events:

IRRV Scotland: 3 - 4 September
Solace Scotland: 4 - 5 September
Housing Community Summit: 8 - 9 September
UK Credit and Collections Conference: 11 September
Consumer Vulnerability & Debt: 18 September

Each event is an opportunity to showcase how data driven insights can transform support for low income households. Whether it’s helping councils to manage debt, housing providers to improve tenant resilience, or finance organisations to address vulnerability, we’re proud to share practical solutions and proven results.

If you’re attending an event we’d love to meet you. Come and say hello, hear about our latest innovations, including Campaign Manager and Apply Once, and explore how we can help you deliver better outcomes for customers.

To arrange a meeting with our team at one of these events email us at hello@policyinpractice.co.uk

We’re so proud of our colleague Anna Cunnane, recognised by SheCanCode as one of their Ones to Watch at the 2025 PowerUp Awards.

As our Chief Technical Officer, Joseph Hollingworth, puts it:

"There are two things that always stand out about Anna to us. First, her willingness to dive in, whether its tackling a challenging problem or something completely new. Second, her determination to get things right first time, with exceptional attention to detail and a drive to keep improving. It's brilliant to see her achievements recognised alongside other inspiring women in tech."