Commitment to collaboration
Angela Kidd from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has written an open letter to SAIF members following her talk at the recent SAIF AGM.
“Having recently become DWP Policy lead for Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) it was great to be invited to speak at this year’s Annual General Meeting, and share more information about the support that DWP offers to people responsible for arranging funerals.
“During a lively group exercise and Q&A session I also took advantage of the opportunity to gather first hand industry insight from members, which will support our policy development in future. I have also updated my presentation to respond to some of the questions raised on the day.
“Some of you may be aware that since the conference we have a new Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, Will Quince. He has started to immerse himself into his new portfolio and is keen to meet and listen to stakeholders, to understand the services provided and discuss future challenges.
“I am committed to ensuring that my team and I will continue to collaborate with SAIF and other key stakeholders to help ensure that the bereaved are aware of the financial support available. While DWP does not prescribe what sort of funeral an individual should have, whether that be burial or cremation, we do want them to be able to make an informed decision when making choices about a funeral, particularly regarding the costs they are likely to incur.
“It would be great to be able to return to next year’s AGM to be able to update you on progress made.”
Angela Kidd, DWP Policy lead for Funeral Expenses Payment
The presentation by Angela Kidd at the AGM is available to view on the members’ area of the SAIF website.
Tags: Angela Kidd, DWP, family, funeral expenses payment, Minister, policy, Politics, SAIF, UK