Colin WatsonFeb 5

“Moreover, I am concerned that these attitudes may be more widespread, and indicative of a culture within the department that blames claimants for errors and fails to recognise the needs of vulnerable people.”

This is one of the cards in Digital Benefits and Disbenefits Cornucopia @DBD_Cornucopia See card “Queen of Trust”

#carersallowance #dwp #welfarebenefits #carers #uk #servicedesign #designdiscretion

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/04/dwp-chief-accused-of-overseeing-culture-of-complacency-that-led-to-carers-allowance-scandal

DWP chief accused of overseeing ‘culture of complacency’ that led to carer’s allowance scandal

Commons committee chair says DWP repeatedly failed to prioritise the vulnerable and was slow to fix errors

The Guardian
Jardinintime.frDec 19

Un moment pour soi, loin du bruit.
La chaleur apaise, les sensations prennent leur place.

✨ Air Bliss — technologie d’air pulsé & chaleur douce.
Une stimulation sans contact, progressive, pensée pour le bien-être intime et l’écoute du corps.
Silencieux, étanche, discret, utilisable sous la douche ou dans un moment de calme.

🌿 Jardin Intime — prendre soin de soi, simplement.

#JardinIntime #AirBliss #BienEtreIntime #SelfCare #RituelPersonnel #Intimité #designdiscretion

Colin WatsonDec 7

Claimants primarily blamed by DWP, despite how the DWP could have done more. The official found that "longstanding and 'unacceptable' systemic DWP leadership problems and poor benefit design were at the root of the failure, which it said could not be blamed on carers." So, not the legislation or regulations, but instead discretionary choices made by civil servants.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/06/senior-dwp-civil-servant-blames-victims-for-carers-allowance-scandal

#dwp #carersallowancescandal #carersallowance #designdiscretion #welfarebenefits #uk

Senior DWP civil servant blames victims for carer’s allowance scandal

Neil Couling said failings by individual claimants ‘at the heart’ of crisis, despite a report finding DWP shortcomings ‘unacceptable’

The Guardian
Colin WatsonOct 29

Yet more so-called welfare benefit “fraud and error” found to be just inaccurate data about claimants:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/29/hmrc-pauses-child-benefit-crackdown-after-23500-families-caught-up-in-data-error

This is an example of poor data verification practices which harm claimants. For more information on this threat to claimants, see The “3 of Trust” card in the Digital Benefits and Disbenefits Cornucopia card game at trust https://www.digitalbenefits.uk/deck/trust/3

@DBD_Cornucopia

#welfarebenefits #digital #harms #unfraud #fraud #designdiscretion

HMRC pauses child benefit crackdown after 23,500 families caught up in data error

Parents say they were treated as fraudsters because Home Office travel records failed to show their return to UK

The Guardian
Show threadColin WatsonSep 29

…. those who choose not to claim, are out off claiming, don’t know they are eligible, and those who are forced to use online only (because of no alternative available and/or offered) but cannot do so and so never become a “customer”.

See some ideas why people can have difficulties using online services due to design choices (beyond devices, data and accessibility) @DBD_Cornucopia https://www.digitalbenefits.uk 2/2

#welfarebenefits #dwp #socialsecurity #designdiscretion #humancomputerinteraction #hci

Digital Benefits and Disbenefits Project

Information from the Digital Benefits and Disbenefits Project which explored e-government technology-generated remote self-service encounters in welfare benefit public services