OPEN DWP - Social Benefits – Strategic Plan

OPEN DWP (Outreach for People Experiencing Need) is an early-stage pilot concept that applies the Project Health Control (PHC) Service to support Universal Credit participants through structured, transparent weekly progress logging and light-touch mentoring, without changing anyone's benefit status or interfering with DWP systems. The core problem is not a lack of effort by claimants, but a lack of visibility and trust: work-search compliance can become box-ticking, while real barriers and constructive community contribution remain unseen. OPEN DWP creates a practical record of intention, action, barriers, and next steps that participants can take to Jobcentre reviews, and that stakeholders can evaluate as a proof-of-concept. The proposed first deployment is a cohort of around 100 voluntary participants over 12 weeks, preceded by a PHC 7-Day Review and a short setup phase to confirm feasibility, data rules, roles, and onboarding. to confirm: which local authority or community host will sponsor the first cohort, in which location, and who will be the named operational lead and evaluation contact? Success will be tracked through retention, logging quality/consistency, usefulness of records in reviews, and sponsor/participant feedback, producing a disciplined pilot report suitable for scale-up decisions.

Products and Services are currently defined at proposal stage: a voluntary PHC participation package for Universal Credit recipients, including weekly progress logging, mentoring support, and simple dashboards that make effort and barriers visible without creating payroll, reclassification, or a parallel bureaucracy. The service is designed to produce a portable record for Jobcentre reviews (what was done, what was attempted, what blocked progress, what is next) and a management view for sponsors (engagement levels, common barriers, safeguarding flags, and delivery risks). to confirm: which outputs does the sponsor want as a minimum (weekly summaries, monthly reports, final evaluation report), and what data fields are permitted? At present, the offering is intentionally lightweight and repeatable in batches, but the operational parameters (host, recruitment channel, consent model, and success criteria) still need to be confirmed before launch.

OPEN DWP becomes a repeatable, low-cost governance and mentoring service that local authorities or community hosts can sponsor in cohorts, giving participants a credible, structured pathway through the UC period and producing clear learning for policymakers. In the mature model, PHC tooling supports consistent weekly logging, early identification of barriers, and optional progression for high-performing participants into PHC Trainee/Admin roles on other PHC-serviced projects. DWP engagement remains as observer/alignment input rather than operator, preserving non-disruption while improving insight. to confirm: is the long-term intent to keep DWP purely as an observer, or to trial an official partnership once evidence is established? The service standardises a small set of measurable outputs (retention, activity consistency, barrier resolution rate, participant confidence, and next-step readiness) so sponsors can compare cohorts and justify continuation funding.

First, stabilise the pilot definition: confirm the host organisation, sponsor funding route, participant eligibility and referral channels, and the data governance position (GDPR, consent, anonymisation, and who can see what). to confirm: will participants opt in to any public visibility, or will all reporting be anonymised by default? Run the PHC 7-Day Review to produce a Go/No-Go report, baseline concerns register, and a simple operating model (roles, mentor ratios, onboarding steps, and reporting cadence). Use that output to finalise scope, schedule, and budget. Complete setup (accounts, training materials, mentor onboarding) and deliver the 12-week cohort with weekly logging and monthly sponsor reviews. Close with a concise evaluation pack and a decision proposal for the next cohort (scale, adjustments, and funding plan).

Premises and Equipment requirements are minimal. Delivery is remote-first using the PHC Portal and cloud-hosted dashboards, with participants typically using their own phones or laptops and their existing internet access. Order Efficiency Ltd provides the hosted environment, account administration, and routine backups. A local meeting space is optional for onboarding or periodic check-ins. to confirm: will the host provide a community hub room, and are any participants likely to need device loans or data support? The main current gap is formalisation of the information security and retention rules for pilot reporting (what is logged, how long it is kept, and how anonymisation is handled).

The project operates on a stable, secure, scalable platform that supports multiple cohorts and hosts, with consistent onboarding, role-based access control, and simple reporting outputs that sponsors can trust. Where needed, community hubs provide supported access for participants with poor connectivity, and the tooling is optimised for low-friction mobile use. Data handling is standardised so outcomes can be shared safely as anonymised learning while protecting individuals. to confirm: does the sponsor require any independent audit or data protection review? Infrastructure scales by increasing cloud capacity and mentor/admin support rather than expanding physical premises.

Confirm the technical baseline: hosting arrangement, user provisioning approach, backup schedule, and minimum security controls (authentication, access levels, and export controls for reports). Document the data retention and anonymisation rules before onboarding. Pilot the onboarding workflow with a small subset first (e.g., 5-10 participants) to validate usability and logging quality, then roll out to the full cohort once friction points are removed. to confirm: is a short pre-pilot acceptable within the sponsor timeline? If a physical hub is used, agree a simple operating routine (opening times, staff support, and safeguarding escalation) and keep it optional so the project remains resilient to local facility constraints.

People delivery is currently centred on Order Efficiency Ltd and the PHC Consortium, using PHC Strategists/Analysts/Admins to set up governance and mentors to support participants' weekly logging. Participants are enrolled as PHC Guests (and optionally Trainees), with no employment relationship created. Recruitment is expected to be voluntary via the host and referral partners, but the exact eligibility criteria and safeguarding steps still need definition. to confirm: what are the minimum safeguarding checks, and who is the named safeguarding lead for the host? Capacity planning (mentor ratio, admin support load, and escalation handling) will need to be set before launch to avoid over-promising and under-supporting participants.

The pilot runs with a clear operating team: a small PHC core team, trained mentors with defined caseloads, and a host-side operational lead who coordinates referrals and local support. Participants experience consistent mentoring and a credible growth pathway, with the best performers progressing into PHC roles on other projects, improving employability and reinforcing a culture of measurable contribution. to confirm: should progression be offered to all, or only to a small selected subset based on engagement? The stakeholder set includes an evaluation partner (optional) so outcomes and learning are credible enough to inform future policy and sponsor decisions.

Define roles, mentor caseload targets, reporting cadence, and escalation routes (including safeguarding and wellbeing). Confirm recruitment channels and intake criteria with the host, and agree a simple participant agreement covering consent, expectations, and privacy. Train mentors on the PHC logging standard and run a short induction for participants focused on weekly consistency and practical next-step planning. Use the first 2 weeks to tune the process (common barriers, support prompts, and report templates). Maintain weekly delivery discipline, hold monthly sponsor reviews, and close with an evidence-based continuation plan (what to change, what to keep, and what resources are needed for the next cohort).

Finance is defined at an indicative level. The proposal positions the pilot as a targeted investment of around GBP 200 per participant over 12 weeks, plus PHC delivery costs for the 7-Day Review, setup, and continuation, with emphasis on keeping overhead low and avoiding payroll structures. Costs are expected to include cloud services/data storage, mentoring time, system administration, onboarding, and reporting. Some budget items remain placeholders (travel/logistics if any on-site setup is required). to confirm: who is the intended first sponsor/funder, what is their budget ceiling, and do they require a fixed-price package or a capped time-and-materials model? Financial tracking is intended to be transparent through PHC reporting, enabling a clear view of what was funded and what outcomes were achieved.

The project is funded cohort-by-cohort through sponsors (local authorities, MPs, CSR/ESG budgets, foundations, or philanthropists) who want measurable engagement and learning at a predictable cost. A mature model provides a clear unit-cost per participant, a standard reporting pack, and a repeat decision cycle so sponsors can continue, pause, or scale based on evidence. Cross-support from commercial PHC work may strengthen sustainability, but the pilot remains viable on sponsor funding alone. to confirm: is any incentive or share-out component intended for participants, or is the value proposition purely mentoring, structure, and records? Over time, comparable cohort data supports stronger cases for policy collaboration and wider adoption.

Convert the indicative budget into a sponsor-ready costed plan: confirm scope, cohort size, mentor ratios, reporting outputs, and any local facility costs. Produce a simple payment schedule aligned to the 7-Day Review, setup, and monthly continuation checkpoints. Secure the sponsor commitment, then use the 7-Day Review output to lock the baseline risks, mitigation plan, and resource plan. Keep a live cost tracker and issue log so any drift is visible early. After the cohort, deliver a concise value and learning report that enables an explicit funding decision for the next cohort (continue, adjust, scale, or stop).

Marketing is currently relationship-led and credibility-led rather than promotional. The project uses direct outreach to local authorities, MPs, community leaders, and potential funders, supported by LinkedIn articles and demonstrations via the PHC Portal and draft proposal materials. Public communication is optional and must be controlled to protect participants' privacy. to confirm: does the sponsor want any public-facing communications during the pilot, or should the pilot remain quiet until results are validated? At this stage, the priority is securing one credible host and sponsor rather than building broad awareness.

Marketing becomes evidence-based: sponsors are shown clear pilot outputs, anonymised cohort insights, and a repeatable delivery model with defined costs and governance controls. Case studies (properly anonymised) demonstrate what changed for participants, what barriers were most common, and what interventions were effective, giving decision-makers confidence to fund the next cohort. to confirm: what consent model will allow the use of anonymised case studies, and what approval process will the sponsor require? Partnerships with community hubs and aligned organisations create local credibility and reliable referral pathways.

Build a short sponsor pack: one-page summary, costed pilot outline, data/privacy position, and example reporting outputs. Use that to approach a small, targeted list of hosts and sponsors, aiming for one committed pilot rather than multiple tentative conversations. Once a host is secured, agree the communications stance (quiet pilot vs. limited updates), define what can be shared, and ensure participant consent is built into onboarding. After pilot completion, publish a controlled learning summary (anonymised) and use it to expand the sponsor pipeline for the next cohort, keeping the message operational and measurable rather than aspirational.