About the Department
The Department for Work and Pensions is here to promote opportunity and independence for all through modern, customer-focused services.
We help people to achieve their potential through employment, so that they are able to provide for their children and to work and save for secure retirement.
Our aims
We want children to have the best possible start in life, growing up in secure homes and developing skills for the future. One of our objectives is to end child poverty by 2020 and we are working with other government departments to make this happen.
We are promoting work as the best form of welfare, helping more people into work and supporting those who can't work. More at Welfare Reform.
Another key target for us is to help people plan for retirement and, when in retirement, to access their entitlement.
We are also working to improve rights and opportunities for disabled people. The Office for Disability Issues is the focal point within government to coordinate disability policy across all departments.
The Government Equalities Office is responsible for the Government's overall strategy and priorities on equality issues.
Just about everyone in Great Britain will deal with the Department or one of its eight businesses at some point in their lifetime.
All this is part of building a fair and inclusive society.
To see how we are performing against the targets for achieving our aims, see Public Service Agreement and Service Delivery Agreement. To see how we intend to measure progress against our efficiency target see Efficiency Technical Note.
As part of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2007, a new performance framework (45KB) 
has been developed and will take effect from April 2008. This includes new Public Service Agreements and Departmental Strategic Objectives.
The Departmental Framework sets out how the DWP is organised and managed.
Our main customer groups
Our main customer groups are:
- children
- people of working age
- pensioners
- disabled people and their carers.
We design and monitor our strategies through two client groups for:
- work, children and disabled people
- pensions.
Our businesses
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus provides an integrated service to people of working age. It offers help to people looking to move into work and support for people who can't. Jobcentre Plus also provides a range of services to help employers fill their vacancies quickly.
For more information visit: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Pension, Disability and Carers Service
The Pension, Disability and Carers Service was established in April 2008 and is made up of two existing Agencies – The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service. They will continue to operate under their existing names and their customers will continue to receive services from them as they do now.
- The Pension Service is a dedicated service for current and future pensioners. It provides state
financial support to over 11 million pensioners delivered at a national and
local level and in partnership with other organisations. It also helps people
to plan and provide for retirement.
For more information visit: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk
- The Disability and Carers Service supports disabled people and their carers, whether or not they work. It is responsible for delivering Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Carer's Allowance.
For more information visit: www.dwp.gov.uk/dcs
Child Support Agency
The Child Support Agency is responsible for running the child support system. It assesses, collects and pays Child Support Maintenance, ensuring that children whose parents do not live together are financially supported.
For more information visit: www.csa.gov.uk
The Rent Service
The Rent Service provides a rental valuation service for housing benefit purposes, fair rent valuation for landlords and tenants, and advice to customers within the public and private sectors on these issues.
For more information visit: www.therentservice.gov.uk
Debt Management
Debt Management provides a debt management service to the Department, from overpayment calculation through to recovery of debt.
For more information visit: www.dwp.gov.uk/debtmanagement
DWP sponsored public bodies
The Department sponsors a wide range of bodies to achieve its objectives. These include executive, advisory and tribunal Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), public corporations and other arms-length and short-term bodies.