Establish a Department for Citizen Contribution in place of the DWP
www.nesta.org.uk/feature/minister-for-the-future/the-new-demographics/establish-a-department-for-citizen-contribution-in-place-of-the-dwp/
www.nesta.org.uk/feature/minister-for-the-future/the-new-demographics/establish-a-department-for-citizen-contribution-in-place-of-the-dwp/
By Sarah Harper, Clore professor of gerontology at the University of Oxford.
As our population ages, now is the time to address the length and pace of our working lives and start recognising the oft-hidden contribution of carers and volunteers. This calls for a whole new mindset around how work fits with our lives, a change which should start at the top. I propose we abolish the Department for Work and Pensions, establishing in its stead a Department for Citizen Contribution: the DfCC.
Changes to the machinery of government don’t often excite, but this would be a first step in acknowledging that many of us give valuable labour across our lives to our families and communities, not just our workplaces.
And this isn’t just a case of changing nameplates on a building. This new ministry will be charged with seamlessly linking the different phases of activity— education, leisure and employment – in a flexible journey across the course of a lifetime.
Individuals will be able to contribute more fully across their lives, whether through creativity, productive labour or by providing support and care for others.
Top of the list of priorities for this new department would be testing the creation of a Citizen Living Wage, to embed the link between civic contribution and state support; a principle the current system does little to signal. This could unify the existing patchwork of support for caring and provide volunteers alongside carers with National Insurance credits. The upper reaches of this ambition would see a full living wage for those engaged in these vital civic activities.
The living wage would also support retraining across the life course. No longer confined to a rigid work-life framework, individuals could mix paid labour, caring and volunteering responsibilities as desired or necessary, and develop new career opportunities.
Such flexibility would also harness the wealth of experience and expertise of the increasingly large number of older adults. Individuals will be able to contribute more fully across their lives, whether through creativity, productive labour or by providing support and care for others. This is a big step towards an age-integrated society, where all contributions are recognised, respected and rewarded.
This article was originally published as part of Minister for the Future in partnership with Prospect. Illustrations by Ian Morris. You can read the original feature on the Prospect website.
