Charity leaders have warned that forcing people who receive benefits to work for charities is “fundamentally at odds” with the ethos of volunteering, in response to policy proposals outlined by Reform UK.
The criticism comes in response to Reform UK’s Welfare to Work plan, which would require some welfare claimants to carry out council-assigned work placements, including in local charities.
Under the party’s policy, people who have claimed benefits for over a year would be assigned a community work placement, which could be within the council itself or with “approved locally registered charities”, Reform UK’s policy document shows.
Failing to participate, absenteeism, poor performance or on-the-job misconduct would result in “immediate sanctions”, the document says, including a revocation of benefits.
But charity leaders have said the “forced volunteering” proposals could have “enormous unintended consequences”.
Kate Lee, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: “Volunteering is a brilliant way for people to build skills, confidence, connections and experience, and for many can be an important way into paid work.
“But the reality is, the charity sector relies on people making a meaningful contribution because they have a genuine connection to the cause they are freely supporting.
“Forcing people to work for charities under threat of losing their benefits is fundamentally at odds with that idea.”
She said proposals like Reform UK’s are often not designed to support the health, resilience and impact of the voluntary sector.
“A system like this could have enormous unintended consequences, such as creating a two-tier volunteering system, undermining trust between charities and the communities they serve, and placing significant administrative burdens on organisations that are already experiencing overwhelming pressure and demand,” Lee said.
“If the aim is to help people back into work or become more active in their communities, there are much better ways to work with the voluntary sector to achieve those aims.”
Jay Kennedy, director of policy and research at the Directory of Social Change, said: “Forced or coerced volunteering isn’t volunteering.
“Many charities exist to help people into employment or for the relief of poverty. But as far as I’m aware, participating in state policies which involve surveillance of charity beneficiaries or coercing them into doing things the state wants them to do isn’t a charitable activity or purpose.”
Last year, hundreds of charities warned Kier Starmer’s government they would not cooperate with separate proposals that would force migrants and refugees to volunteer as a condition of UK settlement.
More than 300 charities said they would “not work with coerced volunteers” in a letter to the then Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, while NCVO said three-quarters of charities opposed the plans.