Evolve or Die!

Natural Selection in the Work Place

Do you like change? It’s one of the more divisive questions! Some people seem to thrive on it, others shun it at all costs. One thing’s certain though, the profile, process and funding of Benefit and benefit fraud investigation changes and changes regularly. Those of us who’ve been involved in this for some time will have seen Weekly Benefit Savings (remember that?) come, evolve into Weekly Incorrect Benefit and then go. 

You’ll remember (fondly no doubt) the cash reward for HB/CTB Fraud Sanctions. On the administration front, does anyone remember the ‘old days’ where the DHSS did (almost) everything? And who remembers regular renewal forms?

Yet now there’s talk of six-monthly benefit periods, with no need to report changes!

Housing Benefit Investigation is being squeezed, whichever way you look at it, and now’s the time to avoid staff losses by spreading your wings and evolving your teams into a more corporate animal, capable (as you know you are) of helping the authority prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute a whole range of crimes.

There are some great reasons to do it not least that the audit commission is emphasising the need for a joined up ‘corporate’ strategy for safeguarding public funds.

There are potentially greater issues to a Local Authority than Housing Benefit Fraud, and even-handedness is important – why investigate Housing Benefit Fraud but ignore Housing Fraud?