New Social Security and Financial Wellbeing Survey

The final results from our 2021 Universal Credit survey are now available and have been incorporated into the latest report covering the October to December period. While the Covid-19 pandemic, and emergence of the Omicron variant, have continued to limit some aspects of service delivery, negative impacts have also arisen from the withdrawal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift, the ending of the furlough scheme and the wider cost of living crisis. Survey respondents also continue to highlight frustrations with the DWP, including difficulties in resolving payments errors, the poor functionality of the Landlord Portal and poor communication with partnership managers. The full report can be accessed here.   
 
Re-launch of the new Social Security and Financial Wellbeing Survey
 
Following feedback from members, we have decided that the previous Universal Credit survey should be reframed as broader research on experiences of the wider social security system and the financial wellbeing of tenants. In order to encourage more members to take part in the survey, there will also be a shift to quarterly, rather than monthly surveys, and changes to some of the survey questions. The aim of this is to minimise the time required to input data while still ensuring that we are capturing important information. Future quarterly reports will also incorporate other data sources, including statistics from the Department of Work and Pensions, to help understand the wider context.
 
Why should I take part? 
 
Tackling poverty and inequality is one of the key priorities that has identified by SFHA members, and as part of our strategy for 2021–2024, we are committed to developing clear and well evidenced key asks and raising the profile of our members’ social and economic value. The information gathered through the survey will therefore play a vital role in our conversations with the DWP and our wider lobbying activities, including engagement with MSPs and MPs.
 

We need robust evidence if we are to help drive improvements in the wider social security system and to ensure we understand the impact of other external factors, such as the wider cost of living crisis, on our members and their tenants. We know that some members also find the results useful for benchmarking purposes, and there is value in being able compare the experiences of individual organisations with the rest of the sector. The more respondents we have, the more useful these comparisons will be and the better we can represent our members’ views and interests.
 
How do I access the new survey?
 
The first SFHA Social Security and Financial Wellbeing Survey will cover the January to March 2022 and can be found via this link. The survey should be completed by Friday 27 May.
                                                                                                                                       
Many thanks to those who have contributed to our research to date.

If you have any questions or comments on the survey, please contact me at cdove@sfha.co.uk