The Department for work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to over 22 million claimants and customers. Some of their responsibilities include understanding and dealing with the causes of poverty rather than its symptoms, encouraging people to work and making work pay and providing value for money and reducing levels of fraud and error.
DWP reduces level of support it offers to claimants of universal credit because of a shortage of work coaches at its Jobcentres.