| answer text |
<p>Emergency cash payments (ECPs) are a longstanding operational contingency provision
in place for several years.</p><p>ECPs have been used to support service users who
had issues with their Aspen card over the transition period. All accommodation providers
have been instructed to ensure ECPs are provided to those in critical need of support
during this period. Their use has been further adapted to meet the demand and remove
barriers to authorisation which allow swift deployment.</p><p>Those who have issues
or are unsure how they can activate their cards are able to contact the 24/7 Migrant
Help helpline. There was an initial spike in relation to the volume of calls during
the first week after going live, however the number of calls to Migrant Help has since
reduced. Migrant Help also maintained the availability of their webchat and the Raise
and Issue communication channels.</p><p>Migrant Help increased staffing numbers to
support service users in the weeks ahead of the new service going live and thereafter
during the transition. Additionally, during the transition to the new payment provider,
there was an out of hours operational team working alongside Migrant Help to ensure
ECPs could be provided to those who required a payment. Migrant Help continue to be
the first point of contact to support service users in relation to any issues faced
regarding asylum support.</p><p>Fully functioning Aspen cards, including translated
instructions on how to activate them, were distributed to all service users via first
class post prior to the transition date of 24 May. The majority of eligible card holders
had completed this activation process by 24 May and have had access to funds via their
card.</p><p>However, some card holders had yet to successfully activate their card
by this date. As part of the transition of services we are working with our new card
service supplier PFS to enhance data and understand the reasons behind the residual
cards which are yet to be activated.</p><p>In addition, our accommodation and advice
service providers are working closely to target support to all such service users
to encourage and assist with those who are still yet to activate their cards. This
includes ensuring subsistence support remains available through access to Emergency
Cash Payments where appropriate and replacement cards are issued where delivery problems
are reported to us.</p><p>It is not currently possible therefore to provide an accurate
breakdown of the reasons some cards have not been activated or what proportion of
this is due to a delivery issue.</p><p>Our latest available management information
suggests the following approximations for the activation of cards:</p><ul><li>As of
28/05 – approximately 73% of service users has activated their card</li><li>As of
04/06 – this figure rose to approximately 83%</li><li>As of 22/06 –over 93% of service
users had activated their new Aspen card<br></li></ul><p>It should be noted these
figures have been taken from a live operational database and have not been quality
assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.</p><p>We
continue to work with strategic delivery partners to ensure all cards are successfully
received and activated with the appropriate service users being targeted for assistance.</p>
|
|
