In April 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commissioned Learning and Work Institute (L&W) to conduct a qualitative research with DWP and Work Programme (WP) staff who had delivered a Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) Sanctions Early Warning Trial (SEWT).
The SEWT was delivered in Scottish DWP districts between April and September 2016 and involved 6,500 Claimants. The Trial introduced two main changes to the Sanctions process for Claimants. Following the normal five‑day period between a doubt being raised against compliance with a JSA claim, where a decision was taken by a Labour Market Decision Maker (LMDM) to proceed with a Sanction, Claimants would receive:
- An additional 14 days to provide evidence of good reason
- A Sanctions Warning Letter (SWL) requesting Claimants to contact DWP to provide any evidence of good reason against the scheduled Sanction and attached evidence form.
The research was designed to qualitatively evaluate how well the Trial operated and to understand the impacts of the additional time and communications contained in the Trial letter on Claimants taking part in the Trial. The research supported DWP’s internal quantitative analysis of Claimants taking part in the Trial.
Download the report