New engagement toolkit puts disabled people at the heart of…

• New resources launched to help organisations run workshops and events with disabled people and those with long term health conditions
• The workshops cover three key themes: what PIP is for, what it is like to apply, and how decisions are made.
• All materials are available on GOV.UK. and organisations can submit insights from their Workshop in a Box until 17 July.

Launched last autumn, the Timms Review is being co-produced with disabled people and aims to make sure the benefit is fit and fair for the future and better reflects the impact of people’s conditions in the modern world.

New resources are now being made available to support organisations and communities across the country to run workshops, bringing together disabled people to share their experiences and views. These sessions will focus on key aspects of the system, including what PIP is for, people’s experience of applying, and how decisions are made.

Their responses will shape the Review, with its launch following the closure of the Call for Evidence last month which received 38,000 responses.

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:

Hearing from disabled people across the UK is vitally important to inform the Review.

That is why we are co-producing this review with disabled people every step of the way — to make sure that PIP is truly fair and fit for the future.

I encourage any organisation that is able to host a workshop to do so, because we need to hear the views and lived experience of as many disabled people as possible.

The resources include downloadable, ready-to-use engagement materials to help organisations across the UK engage with the review, run their own sessions with the people they advocate for, the public, or other stakeholders.

While the workshops are designed primarily for disabled people and those with long-term conditions, organisations are encouraged to adapt the materials for carers, advisors, and others with relevant knowledge and experience of PIP.

Co-chair Sharon Brennan said:

It is vital to the success of the review that we hear from as many people as possible about their thoughts on PIP, especially those whose voices are less heard such as those from marginalised communities or who are do not feel comfortable engaging with government-led consultations.

We hope this new engagement method allows people to have conversations that matter with the organisations that they most trust so their lived experiences can shape the outcomes of our Review.

It is open to anyone who would like to host a session, including Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPOs), disability and health charities, community groups, and elected representatives.

Organisations can sign up for information sessions on how to conduct a workshop in a box taking place on 10 and 16 June and access the materials via the Timms Review webpage on gov.uk. Those taking part will need to submit their insights by 17 July to directly inform the steering group’s recommendations.

Additional Information:

• The newly released resources which make up the ‘Workshop in a Box’ are one of six evidence and engagement strands within the Review’s programme. The others are analysing existing data and research; carrying out new quantitative survey research; hearing evidence from experts; and running deliberative events.
• We have approached a small number of organisations to offer financial support to deliver accessible workshops with local groups and communities in their networks. These organisations have been identified for their ability to reach individuals and groups who are less likely to engage with government research or public consultations, including those from marginalised or underrepresented communities.
• An interim report will be published in the coming months, providing a fuller update on the steering group’s work to date.
• The resources can be found on GOV.UK at: The Timms Review – GOV.UK
• The Review sits alongside reforms already made to the broken welfare system inherited from the previous government, including:
• Rebalancing Universal Credit to remove the perverse incentives that encourage ill health rather than looking for work
• Allowing sick or disabled people to try work without fear of immediate reassessment
• Investing £3.5bn into employment support for sick or disabled people by the end of the decade
• Connect to Work which delivers tailored, personalised, local support that will help 300,000 people into work by the end of this parliament
• The national expansion of WorkWell backed by £259mn, helping up to 250,000 people with health conditions to stay in or return to work
• The deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers who’ve already helped tens of thousands of people the previous Government wrote off

SOURCE: GOV