Policy paper

Exemplar 14: Universal Credit

Published 1 June 2013

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

© Crown copyright 2013

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gds-transformation-programme-2013-to-2015/exemplar-14-universal-credit

The Universal Credit exemplar aimed to simplify the benefit system and ensure people are better off in work.

Department responsible

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Status

In beta development. The Universal Credit Digital Service is being released gradually to groups of invited users to test and iterate functionality.

Watch a demonstration of the prototype service built by the Government Digital Service and DWP, delivered in October 2013:

Exemplar 14: Universal Credit - Demo

Successes

Established a digital team at DWP, building user-centred services.

Release service to a group of users in Sutton.

Challenges

Complex service, affecting up to 10 million people.

Managing scale of the service as more complexity is added.

Next

Recruit, retain and develop a high-performing team, with the right skills and capabilities to develop the full service.

Digital strategy statement

From the ‘Department for Work & Pensions digital strategy’, December 2012:

Users will be able to make a claim, check details of payments, notify changes of circumstance and search for a job through a single account, making digital the primary channel for most working-age people to interact with the Department.

Digital inclusion

GDS has mapped the exemplars against the digital inclusion scale to help show where these services may be difficult for some people to use. See the rating for Universal Credit.

Delivery Status

Discovery

Completed: Workshops with DWP and GDS - Apr 2013

Read about the discovery phase.

Alpha

Completed: Ministerial oversight group ask GDS to start digital solution - May 2013

Completed: Strategic solution (Digital) team established - June 2013

Read about the alpha phase.

Beta

Completed: Delivered digital strategic solution - October 2013

Release public beta - after March 2015

Read about the beta phase.

Live

Service goes live (depending on user feedback) - after March 2015

Read about the live phase.

10m adults supported

See Universal Credit on GOV.UK.

For further information about this project please contact us.

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