"Couling's post said one of the main causes of overpayments was as a result of the DWP's rather byzantine guidance on the averaging of carer's earnings. But he suggests these overpayments ultimately occurred because individual carers failed to report fluctuations in their earnings that breached benefit rules. Incidentally what has been missed in all the [media] coverage is that this error (and hands up we made it and we will put it right) affects only a relatively small number of cases"
"An independent review into the scandal last month found that longstanding and unacceptable systemic DWP leadership problems and poor benefit design were at the root of the failure, which it said could not be blamed on carers. Some carers who fell foul of the benefit's outdated and complex rules felt so shamed, distressed and desperate they contemplated suicide, the review found. It described being caught in the system as like being at the whim of a faceless machine."
One of the most senior DWP civil servants blamed individual carers for overpayments in the carer's allowance system, asserting failures to report earning fluctuations caused breaches. The post was removed and triggered outcry from charities and politicians. An independent review found longstanding systemic DWP leadership failures and poor benefit design at the root of the scandal and concluded carers could not be blamed. The review reported that some carers were so shamed and distressed they contemplated suicide and likened being caught in the system to being at the whim of a faceless machine. Whistleblowers, auditors and MPs had repeatedly warned about the issues for a decade.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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