Making proposals for a
decent social security system
The Commission is a ground-breaking project which in January 2022 published The Plan: for a decent social security system, including:
A Guaranteed Decent Income.
Child Benefit of £50 per child per week.
A new disability benefit.
Links with other areas.
A completely new ethos based on respect, dignity and trust.
The Commission's next phase will focus on influencing work relating to the proposals in The Plan.
The Plan: for a decent social security system
The Plan is presented in easy-read format and contains our recommendations to reset the social security system and establish a new structure built on dignity, respect and decency.
Question and Answer Session on The Plan: for a decent social security system
To mark publication of the Plan: for a decent social security system, Co-Chair of the Commission Ellen Morrison spoke with Dr Kate Summers of the London School of Economics to give you more information on the Commission’s work and the proposals in The Plan.
The Plan in audio format
The Plan: for a decent social security system is also fully available in audio format.
Supporting papers
As well as the launch of The Plan, we’ve also produced some supporting papers including a Project Report and a Technical Note containing more details of the Commission’s proposals.
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The Project Report supports the release of The Plan and discusses the background to the Commission, plus outputs, learning and challenges arising from the project.
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The Technical Note provides further details on the Commission’s proposals for a Guaranteed Decent Income, Child Benefit of £50 per child per week, a new disability benefit, and links with other areas.
It also contains statistical modelling of the impact of the Commission’s proposals and points requiring further work.
The Commission’s work is based on
five widely supported principles:
Make sure everyone has enough money to live - and support extra costs like those related to disability and children.
Be clear, user friendly and accessible to all, involving people who have actual experience of the issues from all impairment groups, in creating and running the system as a whole.
Treat everyone with dignity, respect and trust, and the belief that people should be able to choose for themselves.
Include access to free advice and support. Make sure people can access support to speak up, be heard or make a complaint.
Be a public service with rights and entitlements.
The project is led by Experts by Experience
All Commissioners have lived experience of benefits. They set the strategic direction of the work.
Our support team includes researchers from the University of Warwick and London School of Economics, according with the user engagement slogan of ‘Professionals On Tap Not On Top’.
Read more about the Commissioners, the support team, and how we work.
We seek to build consensus by working with a large-scale network
Our network includes claimant/user-led groups, Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations, the third sector, advice workers, academics, trade unions, think tanks and individuals. We welcome involvement from anyone interested in building a better social security system – find out more about our latest public consultation.
Accessibility & equalities are at the heart of the project
Accessibility and equalities are centre-stage and key when looking at the Commission’s proposals - read more about the Commission’s position on accessibility and equalities.