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🧵 NEW: Our report 'Listen and learn' sets out how the Government should improve Universal Credit (UC) for the 15 million people who rely on it. 13 years after its roll-out began, it’s time to get UC right. We've co-produced recommendations with @changingrealities.bsky.social participants 👇

The 5-week wait remains a design flaw in UC. For many claimants – those on weekly pay or who delayed claiming – it can mean 4+ weeks with NO income. 56% take advances (which need to be repaid) but many are wary of starting their claim "in debt" to government…

Our 3-part fix for the five-week wait: ✅ Work coaches must explain advances properly ✅ Allow backdating by default (up to 1 month) ✅ Introduce discretionary grants for those in crisis (as Northern Ireland already does) Combined cost: ~£500m/year – a small price to reduce hardship.

UC's rigid monthly assessment punishes workers not paid monthly. A single parent earning £1,200 over 3 months could receive: • £5,079 in UC if paid monthly • £4,975 if paid 4-weekly (£104 less!) • £4,947 if paid irregularly (£131 less!) Same earnings, different outcomes 📉

Self-employed UC claimants face unique challenges with the Minimum Income Floor. Volatile earnings can mean lower UC awards than those with stable earnings despite having the same annual income. Our recommendation ➡️ Allow self-employed people to choose 3-monthly rolling assessments.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Despite generous allowances, childcare costs are a barrier to work for UC claimants. That’s because parents pay upfront, and claim back later. But 33% of non-working UC parents say they can't afford these upfront costs. The Flexible Support Fund (FSF) EXISTS to help, but awareness is very low

Our childcare solutions ⤵️ 📱 Bring FSF childcare into UC system (not hidden outside) ⏰ Extend childcare run-ons to 13 weeks (matching Tax-Free Childcare) 💡 Long-term: Use Tax-Free Childcare infrastructure to pay UC childcare upfront