Minister provides details of an initiative that will lean on internal and external expertise with the aim of better ensuring that interactions with citizens are more sensitive to past experiences

The Department for Work and Pensions is embarking upon a six-year programme of work intended to ensure that all its online and in-person services adopt a ‘Trauma-Informed Approach’.

Such an approach is intended “to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours and to ask, ‘what does this person need?’ rather than ‘what is wrong with this person?”, according to government guidance published two years ago.

The advice, created by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, outlines that implementing a trauma-informed approach is, principally, intended to “prevent re-traumatisation” by adhering to six core principles: safety; trustworthiness; choice; collaboration; empowerment; and cultural consideration.

According to the DWP’s minister for transformation, Andrew Western, the department has “a dedicated Trauma Informed Approach Integration Programme and we are at the start of an ambitious journey” to implement the approach across its services.

Related content

• DWP research warns digital welfare services ‘may lead to more inequality’
• ‘Our current set-up is unsustainable’ – DWP modernisation project signs £1m deal to progress work on unified digital service for benefits
• DWP grows trials of generative AI and reports ‘no immediate concerns’ from fairness assessment of fraud algorithm

The process of doing so will involve both civil servants and external experts. Between now and a delivery date 2030, work will be directed by “an eight-stage roadmap for  implementation across the DWP with a core focus on co-production with colleagues, customers and stakeholders”.

Western said: “Our integration programme applies the six core pillars of the approach within the framework of: our colleagues; our customers; our culture; and the context of our interactions – whether that is physical, telephony, digital or postal. The design of the programme has been informed by close working with operational teams across the department and is being tested in our Trauma Informed ‘Pulse points’ and innovation hubs.”

The minister, who was answering a written parliamentary question from fellow Labour MP Jessica Toale, added that the DWP is adopting this new approach as “the impacts of trauma can make interacting with services a difficult and potentially retraumatising experience [and] the trauma informed approach is a way of trying to avoid and mitigate this risk whilst creating a safe and empowering environment for all colleagues and customers”.

Two months ago, the Ministry of Justice unveiled a new framework to help create services for prisoners that are characterised by “simple designs, with clear messages, delivered in a trauma-informed way”.