The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken a step towards making universal credit data available in real time to local authorities and other organisations to support groups of vulnerable people.
It has agreed on a two-year, £2 million contract with Capgemini, which came into operation last month, to work on the discovery and alpha stages of a project to develop APIs and other means of extracting relevant data.
This derives from a DWP commitment three years ago that it would make data available to councils so they could identify cohorts of vulnerability and make more targeted interventions to support people.
Since then it has engaged with several organisations, some of which already have initiatives in place, which have all indicated they would like to have access to universal credit data. This includes data related to vulnerabilities, such as deductions from the benefit to pay rent arrears and debts, deductions for the repayment of fraud penalties and details of unemployment.
The department is considering the possibility of a standalone solution for local authorities, but it also in discussions with iStand UK, the local government standards body that runs the SAVVI (Scalable Approach to Vulnerability via Interoperability) programme. SAVVI is aiming for a nationally accepted standard for information governance, which includes data sharing agreements, and interoperable technical standards for the creation of a data mesh.
Brand new data share
The framework schedule for the contract with Capgemini states: “Whether DWP ‘go with’ SAVVI or keep a watching brief and press for a DWP standalone solution for local authorities, this has always been described as a ‘brand new data share’ and is intended to be more strategic, making full use of secure remote access available services, as well as utilising modern code and best-in-class security measures.
“DWP have more user research and horizon scanning to conduct and still need to discuss our requirements with DWP/UC solutions architects.
“However, DWP are keen to accelerate this piece of work and don’t want to miss an opportunity to have a dedicated US based resource working with DWP from the latter stages of discovery, through alpha (with real options appraisal) to delivery and live.”
An example of how universal credit data can be related to vulnerability emerged in May of last year, when the charity Citizens Advice published the results of a survey showing that recipients of the benefit were more likely to have stopped spending on broadband connectivity than non-claimants.
