Pregnant domestic abuse survivor 'refused water' during dizzy spell in job centre

A pregnant domestic abuse survivor was refused water after she experienced a dizzy spell in a job centre, MPs have heard.

The woman, who was claiming universal credit after fleeing an abusive relationship, was treated without "basic human decency", Women's Aid said.

In another incident, an autistic man with sensory overload was grabbed by a security guard at a job centre when he didn't hear his instructions to pull his hood down, leading the man to have a meltdown in the reception.

The accounts were shared during a meeting with MPs on Wednesday on how to better protect vulnerable benefit claimants who have been let down by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Charities and MPs from the work and pensions select committee gathered to hear about the obstacles facing autistic people, domestic abuse survivors and those with mental health issues trying to claim benefits.

Need for 'cultural change'

The incidents speak to a wider cultural issue in the DWP, where staff are not encouraged to be "curious, understanding or compassionate", said Sophie Francis-Cansfield, the charity's head of policy.

Some vulnerable claimants' "first interaction at the front door" has been needlessly stressful and a "cultural change" in the DWP "is needed", Tim Nicholls, the National Autistic Society's assistant director of policy, research and strategy added.

The committee also heard that 97% of autistic people told the National Autistic Society they found the process of applying for benefits difficult to navigate.

In a separate survey, 70% of autistic people said their benefits assessor didn't have a sufficient understanding of autism, something that the assistant director of policy, research and strategy at the charity said is a "recurrent, historical issue".

Steve Darling, a member of the work and pensions select committee, told Yahoo News he was "most disheartened" to hear about the difficulties vulnerable claimants are facing.

"I heard about the institutionalised development of barriers and a culture of ‘computer says no’'," he said.

"This makes things difficult for not only claimants, but all the hardworking and compassionate DWP staff who want to better support claimants.

"To give people the best chance of staying in work and supporting themselves, the DWP should adopt a culture of professional curiosity, so that claimants are properly supported, not shoved, into work. I welcome a duty of safeguarding as one way to ensure this."

'Properly supported, not shoved into work'

The work and pensions select committee first launched the inquiry after several deaths of people claiming benefits were reported to the DWP.

The number of internal reviews after the death of a vulnerable claimant doubled between 2019 and 2022, government figures have shown, with 140 internal reviews conducted into claimant deaths over this time. Between 2016 and 2019, that number stood at 64.

To prevent further needless deaths, the select committee is looking into introducing a statutory safeguarding duty for vulnerable people claiming benefits.

This would make it the DWP's legal duty to protect the wellbeing of those who claim financial support from the government. Currently, it has no legal obligation to do so.

Women's Aid is calling for "a proper process to be put in place" to ensure that DWP staff are "adequately trained on key information about domestic abuse and coercive control and understand how they can best respond to survivors".

"These barriers are largely underpinned by cultures in the DWP which prioritise compliance and employment over the wellbeing of individuals," Francis-Cansfield told Yahoo News.

The National Autistic Society also supports the government's plans to introduce the safeguarding duty, but warns it "must be pinned by a better awareness and understanding of autism".

Nicholls told Yahoo News: "To do this, the government must listen to and fully include disabled people, including autistic people, in designing any reforms.”