About the campaign
The benefits system is designed to be a safety net for people across the country who find themselves unable to work or in need of financial support. It is one of the cornerstones of our society and exists for all of us when we need it. But it is desperately failing people, including people living with severe mental illness.
We know that many aspects of the benefits process can cause severe distress for people – including applying for benefits, being assessed or reassessed, the threat of sanctions and the impact of administrative errors. This can lead to tragic instances of serious harm and deaths by suicide.
On top of this, our research has found that the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) processes for investigating are shrouded in secrecy. From the DWP’s failure to publish any analysis of deaths or serious harm, to the lack of a clear route for professionals or individuals to report incidents, and the fact that people and bereaved families are not routinely told if their case is subject to an investigation.
Our Stop Benefit Deaths campaign is shining a spotlight on these issues. We are campaigning alongside families who have lost loved ones to call for a public inquiry into deaths linked to the benefits system and for a new body to investigate future cases. We are also calling for the DWP to be more transparent and accountable.