How are Targeted Case Reviews working in practice? New qualitative evidence

Title: Fraud and Fair Process in Benefits Administration: A Socio-Legal Analysis of Targeted Case Reviews in Universal Credit

Abstract: This article provides the first socio-legal analysis of the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions’ Targeted Case Review (TCR) scheme—a fraud and error reduction programme to which millions of Universal Credit claimants will be subjected in the coming years. It traces the rapid expansion of TCRs since 2022 and provides an account of the law and administrative procedures of TCRs. Drawing on 22 original qualitative interviews with Universal Credit claimants who have undergone a TCR, the article further identifies emerging themes from claimant experiences of these new procedures. The account developed raises significant questions about how fair process can be maintained in the TCR scheme, particularly in a global context where similar programmes have led to systemic failures of administrative justice.

Authors: Mark Bennett, Jed Meers, and Joe Tomlinson

Publication: Working Paper

Link to paper: here.

Funder: The Legal Education Foundation