Information for advisers and professionals
Employment and Support Allowance
This section gives specific information for advisers and professionals. It also contains a catalogue of DWP products including, leaflets, posters and technical guides.
To find information on specific benefits, see our A-Z list or use the search facility.
For more information about support for disabled people and their carers see the Disability and Carers Service.
- Specialist guides, publications and manuals
- Guides and manuals for Medical Practitioners
- The Law Volumes
- Decisions of the Commission
- European Social Fund
- Supplying DWP
Habitual Residence Test – evidence of nationality
Changes to DWP arrangements for determining whether a claimant is "a person from abroad" or "a person not in Great Britain" – evidence of nationality, began to take effect from April 2008.
Keeping in touch with advisers and professionals
The Department manages its relations with customer representatives in a number of ways. We help you keep in touch with developments in the Department through our Publicity Register and our magazine Touchbase.
We arrange forums where we meet advisers, intermediaries and other professionals. We publish annual forum reports on the following forums:
- disability
- ethnic minority
- pensions
- Scottish
- Welsh
- DWP annual forum.
Specialist guides, publications and manuals
These pages give open access to the guides, manuals and related material used within the Department.
Agents, Appointees, Attorneys and Receivers'
Guide
This guide promotes consistent procedures for dealing with agents, appointees, attorneys, receivers and third parties.
Code of Appeals Procedure
This code describes procedures for dealing with appeals to an Appeal Tribunal.
Code of Practice on Obtaining Information: Social Security Fraud Act (81KB) 
Compensation Recovery
A guide to the recovery scheme and how to apply, plus information on additional services.
Decision Makers' Guide
A guide for professionals making decisions about benefits claims.
Direct Payment
Information and advice for local councils, agents and appointees.
Eligible Loan Deductions Scheme
A service for the recovery of loans from approved lenders.
Financial Redress for Maladministration
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circulars
An index to circulars about Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Jobseeker's Allowance for 16-17 year olds – Making a Severe Hardship Decision (131KB)
Guidance for DWP staff – published here for the use of advisers and others.
Journal of Occupational Psychology, Employment and Disability
Aims to increase the understanding of applying Occupational Psychology to employment and disability.
Neligan's Digest
This is a summary of important decisions made by the Social Security Commissioners.
Representatives, Guide to working with (78KB)
This guide sets out the principles that guide decisions about dealing with
representatives, and when and what to disclose to them. It is important that
we have good working relationships with all representatives, whether they are
from the advice organisations, or simply friends or family
members, so we can give our customers the best possible service.
Social Fund Guide (976KB)
This guide contains the Secretary of State's directions and guidance. It is intended for use mainly by Decision Makers and independent Social Fund Inspectors.
Suspension and Termination Guide
A guide for DWP staff involved in suspending and terminating a customer's
payment of benefit or in deferring the decision on a claim while waiting for
the result of a Secretary of State appeal in a similar case.
Third Party Payment Creditor Handbook (20KB)
Guides and manuals for Medical Practitioners
Corporate Medical Group
Welcome to the web pages of Corporate Medical Group. This link will direct you to areas of special interest to medical practitioners while the link below will take you directly to the IB204.
The guide for registered medical practitioners
This gives guidance to doctors when certifying sickness and reports.
Disability Handbook
A handbook on the care needs and mobility requirements likely to arise from various disability and chronic illness - Second Edition.
The Law Volumes
These pages contain the legislation relating to social security, child support, and war pensions.
The Law Relating to Social Security sets out the current provisions relating to social security (but excluding war pensions). The work is known as the Blue Volumes.
The Law Relating to Child Support sets out the current provisions relating to child support. The work is known as the Orange Volumes.
The Law Relating to War Pensions sets out the current provisions relating to war pensions. The work is known as the Green Volumes.
Decisions of the Commissioner
These pages contain reported decisions of the Social Security and Child Support Commissioners and of the Courts on appeal from, and on reference by, the Commissioners.
Decisions of the Commissioner contains reported decisions that have been published since 1991.
Hard copy versions of the Decisions of the Commissioner are also available.
European Social Fund
The European Social Fund (ESF) is a European Union initiative that supports activities to promote employment opportunities for all. It is especially aimed at people who are disadvantaged in the labour market or who have no or low skills. Target groups include:
- long-term unemployed people
- lone parents
- people from black and minority ethnic groups
- people with disabilities.
Since 2000 ESF has helped over 4 million people in England to improve their employability and skills and develop their potential at work.
About £2 billion will be available through the new ESF programme for England from 2007 to 2013 to support the Government's strategies to increase employment and improve the skills of young people and adults. Find out more about the ESF programme on the ESF website.
Supplying DWP
Information for suppliers on how to work with the DWP can be found at Supplying DWP.