The (In)Flexible Support Fund is failing people trying to move into work
Starting or returning to work can come with hidden costs like childcare, new work clothes and travel to interviews or training. If you can’t cover these costs, starting a new job or increasing your hours can be impossible.
The Flexible Support Fund (FSF) is a Government fund offered by Jobcentres to improve people’s job prospects. The FSF can help pay for things like travelling to a job interview, clothing or equipment needed for work, and attending training. It can now also help cover the upfront costs of childcare. It isn’t a loan, so you don’t need to pay back the money you get.
For many people, accessing the FSF could be the difference between getting a new job or staying unemployed. But all too often, the people we help miss out on the support available.
Not enough people know about FSF
Many people who could benefit from the FSF simply don’t know about it. Some people who receive Universal Credit meet with a work coach, whose job is to help them find work. But our advisers tell us that people aren’t always told they can apply for the FSF by their work coach, even if they could be eligible for support.
One person we helped couldn’t afford the bus fare to attend an interview. When he spoke to his work coach, he was told that no help was available to cover this cost. Another person we helped is a single parent with 2 young children. She was recently offered a new job, but the upfront cost of nursery was over £1000 for the first month. Her work coach hadn’t mentioned the FSF in their meetings. For both these people, it was only when they came to Citizens Advice that they learnt about the FSF.
FSF decisions don’t always seem fair
Work coaches play a huge role in the FSF. It’s their job to decide whether people are eligible for the fund and to help them apply. There are some situations where work coaches have to award the FSF; for example, if a parent is attending a mandatory training programme where childcare costs aren’t covered by the training provider. But in many circumstances, it’s up to work coaches to decide if someone should receive help.
Our advisers tell us that FSF decision-making doesn’t always seem fair. One person we helped was turned down by their work coach because they were incorrectly told the FSF was to help people only once they’d had a job offer. As a result, this person couldn’t attend a job interview and missed out on a job opportunity. Another person was refused help for paying for travel, new clothes and shoes for a job interview. Paying for these himself meant he fell behind on his rent.
With a lack of transparency around decision-making, our advisers are concerned that too much depends on individual work coaches’ discretion. This results in a potluck situation when it comes to whether or not applications to the fund are successful.
The FSF needs to loosen up
As the government pushes for more people to find work, it’s crucial to help remove financial barriers to work. Whilst the FSF could play a central role in supporting people to start work or increase their hours, it’s falling short. More must be done to raise awareness, improve decision-making and help more people through the FSF. What’s more, there are some barriers to work that the FSF doesn’t help with. For example, the fund doesn’t support people returning to work after maternity leave, despite parents needing to cover upfront childcare costs. The FSF needs to loosen up and take a genuinely flexible approach to meeting people’s needs.
