Ingeus

[flumps1976]

If thats what you want to put down ten you can, also if you wanted to you could just declare that you no longer wanted to claim JSA for personal reasons! They may try to phone you when the JCP office notify them that you have closed your claim to try to establish what your reasons are (Ingenue not JCp!) but you are under noobligation to advise them!

[flumps1976]

The only pit fall that I can also see is that if you qualify for the payment of job grant and 4 weeks run on of housing benefit aqnd tax credits then do you really want to risk losing those? If you aren't bothered about losing that money then by all means declare any other reason for ending your claim and as posted before the JCP will only disclose the reason to the provider as the one you give for ending your claim.

The figure of a maximum of £14700 that the provider can claim is for the client groups that will find more barriers in the way of securing long term employment (such as those who have a disability) and the provider is only paid this sum if the remain the the long term employment for the 2 year period that they would otherwise have spent with the provider.

[flumps1976]

The providers are contracted to stay in contact with the client for the 2 year period. The longer the client remains in employment the more the provider recives in payments. When I go through and close claims for clients who ere on the work programme I have to complete a form to post to the provider to state the reason why the claim has ended and the date the claim ended.

You can chose to end the claim without giving a reason but of course you would then lose out on the job grant and housing benefit/council tax run on too.

[flumps1976]

caledfwlch, no you are still required to keep in contact with the providers for the duration of the 2 years from when you first attemded, however nobody can force you to answer their calls or reply to their letters can they?

[flumps1976]

The providers are only paid for the outcomes they produce aso will only be paid if they get you into work and they are paid more the longer you remain work during the 2 year period you are with them.

[flumps1976]

oop sorry I stand corrected I have jumped ahead a few years where the start up fee is reduced to the point it is no longer paid. The inital payment is paid to help get the ball rolling and to be used towards training programmes setting up work trial and paying the expenses.

[flumps1976]

It may say in their guidance about these items being available but has anyone actually been successful in obtaining any of it? We get nothing but complaints from clients at their signing as the providers can hardly bear to part with travel expenses and frequently try to refer them back to the JCP to try to access the Flexible Support Fund.

[flumps1976]

You don't have a job seekers agreement with the work programme you have an action plan!

Also if they have conducted the work trial correctly then they will have signed documents in place to state that you are covered by liability insurance via the job trial.

They should have sorted out the CRB check first and foremost so are most ecertainly in the wrong however just add that the increasing list of issues with all te work programme providers!

With regards to the contacting of the employers that they wanted you to go to at the childrens play centre you could leave it up to the providers to contact them but if they don't then I bet you they will have that DMA paperwork constructed by close of business on Monday :o

Have you asked for their complaints handbook as I would reccommend making that complaint or they will keep on making this particular error.

[flumps1976]

No you are not required to wear a suit but you are expected to attaned in smart casual clothing. Trousers/Skirt, Shirt/Blouse and shoes not trainers.

If you do not have these items the your provider should arrange for you to purchase the required items to help you at interviews.

 

At this stage of your claim if a part time jon means that you re financially better off working as opposed to claiming which can be confimed by the providers conducting an In Work calculation you will be expected to apply for the position, if it's not what you want to do ultimately you can still look for alternative employment there isd nothing to stop yu doing that.

[flumps1976]

leasky32 when the client is transferred to the work programme they take all responsibilty for financial funding for training and providing clothing for interviews etc.

The JCP no longer have access to the Flexible Support Fund for work programme clients which is why the person you mentioned would have been turned down at the JCP office. The Flexible Support Fund is also extremely restrictive and each and every penny needs to be accounted for and approved by the Adviser Manager, for all you know that person may have accessed the fund previously for exactly the same reason, I have seen the same few people in our office asking time and time again for n item to help them back to work when they were already helped e.g interview clothing which they then sold but wanted more clothes for another interview set up, (just an example of a real case scenario.)

[flumps1976]

Ingenus and other providers will look on this site just the same as Debt Collection Agencies and other organisations will.

As long at it's in their own time and not during work hours (before they start work during lunch breaks and after work) they will be fine! As far as I am aware their employers should also have an electronic media policy in place and personal use of the internet is prohibited during working hours or if it is anything like DWP they could face disciplinary action!

Just try not to post any further personal infomation either you or the providers in question is posted, you are entitled to voice your opinion and to ask for advice where needed. Unfortunately the majority of these providers are just finding their feet and are aware that the vast majority of their clients do not want their involvement for whatever reason and that is why they will view opinions and posts on here.

The providers in the area where I work are aware of the issues that I post on here and tbh I wouldn't post on here anything that I wouldn't be prepared to say in person

[flumps1976]

In that circumastance I would honestly recommend following the complaints procedure as they are paid (for te moment) a "sign up" fee to help towards the initial set up which is to be used towards reiumbursing travel costs for you to attend their appointments, training courses and clothing.

Out local providers to be the best of my knowledge utislise Matalan for items for interview clothing and also shoes. If you have specialist requiremebnts e.g you need the extra long trousers, extra wide, petite range or have specialist footwear requirements they are supposed to look at that individually.

They will also look at your individual cicumstances and if you have income from elsewhere or savings they can ask you to access those funds instead. The fund is available but still discretionary and unfortunately some are not using the discretion as everyone would like them to.

[flumps1976]

They all have individual as well as team targets on how many clients they help back into the work place. The provider is paid a "reward" for each client they help back to work even if tey actually had no input whatsoever in the job application, interview and offer :o The longer you stay in work the more they are paid too, as you are contracted to them for a 2 year period.

[flumps1976]

Don't tell them where you are starting or categiorically state that you do not wish them to contact your new employers and yuo do not give consent for them to do so. They will continue to call you of course and they may even try to contact the JCP to determine where you started but you don't have to provide that information if you complete your ES40 you can simply state found work, yes will last over 5 weeks and state that you donot wish to disclose the company as you do not want the provider to now and make contact for personal reasons.

That is perfectly acceptable and we have a lot of people doing this at the JCP where I work

[flumps1976]

If you refuse to participate with the providers they wil refer your case for a decision to consider the payability of future payments of JSA. These sanctions range from 2 weeks initially to the maximum of 26 weeks if a client refuses to engage with the provider so by refusing to sign any paperwork with the providers you are in effect refusing to engage with them.

 

With regards to help with the costs of interview clothes the providers are currently paid a sign up fee from the government to be able to provide help wih travel costs, courses and help with items to remove barriers that are potentialy preventing you from entering the workforce (such as no suitable interview clothing or even needing a haircut or alarm clock), the vast majority of providers begrudge paying this money out for anything and will try to fob clients off by saying no without providing a reason to back it up, so I would advise requesting a copy of the complaints procedure and requesting the help again.

 

If you don't specify when you close your claim to the JCP office that you are starting work of 16 or more hours per week expected to last 5 weeks or more then you will not qualify for the help with the job grant and other run on payments with housing costs.

You could write a letter to the JCP Manager stating that you feel aggrieved that the providers will be paid for you finding work whe they have not helped in the slightest but unfortunately they will still be paid (it may lead to the contracts being tightened up so that the poviders have to show that they did help to secure the offer of employment to be paid in the future).

Even when you end your cliam as you are placed with that provider for a 2 year period they will continue to attempt to contact yu on a regular basis too to enquire if you are still working as the longer you stay in employment the bigger the payment they recive. You do not have to speak to them of course! You can change you contact numbers etc tey can't do anything about that

 

Yes you are correct, I am a customer service adviser for JCP.

[flumps1976]

As far as I am aware if you refuse to sign their documents they will refer you to DMA for refusing to engage with the programme.

You will be issued with paperwork at the JCP to mandate you to the Work Programme and I'm not sure what those papers detail exactly as I have not had need to read them previously as I am not involved in the actual referal to Work Programme process.

As the providers want to be paid they will contact both you and your employers (if they know who you are actually employed by of course) you do not have to tell them and I would suggest writing a letter to attach to your ES40 to state that you do not wish the providers to be advised who you are employed by. You can also refuse to answer calls from them as it is your phone and you choose who you speak to after all

You are mandated to these provides for a period of 2 years and they are contracted to make contact with you every 3 months (either in writing or by phone) to determine that you are still employed so they claim their next reward payment.

[flumps1976]

Someone that I signed a couple of weeks ago told me that they had a job to start but didn't want the provider to contact them or their new employers, we had a discussion about them filling in the ES40 the following week before the started work and when they came back in they asked for me personally :o They had completed the form ES40 and written a covering letter, detailing a complaint about the provider and that tey would be changing all contact numbers and permission was not granted to contact his new employer. Mickey Mouse in Cartoonland!

 

The providers attached to the office that I work in have a large complaint submitted by our JCM and ASM and several of the customers that have been screwed over big style.

I am sick of being called (as one of them got hold of my direct line :@ ) to be asked if Joe Bloggs has declared who he is employed by (when I complete the relevant forms to declare a customer has started work I never declare the name of the company) and if tey have re-signed 13 weeks later. I have raised it via my team leader and this is being looked at too.

[flumps1976]

It depends of course if you are entitled to the job grant and housing benefit run on payments as these will only be paid if you are employed over 16 hours per week and expected to be employed at least 5 weeks.

If you are entitled to that extra payment and want to claim for it then you have to state that you have started work however you do not have to declare where you are working, but you would have to sign off by completing and returning for es40 and not through the telephony in work team as they cannot process you information without employers details etc.

[flumps1976]

Because they have a contract with the Government that states if a client moves into work they are entitled to a reward payment even if you don't give either the provider or the JCP office details of the employers. If you state that you found work they will claim that it was due to their help and be eligible to receive the payment which increase each quarter that you remain in employment.

The only way to ensure they are not paid (and you risk losing any run on payments for housing benefit and job grant) is to state that you wish to end your claim an not give any reasons at all. Of course they will still attempt regular contact with you for the remainder of the 2 years that you are contracted with them. You do not however have to answer your phone or reply to any letters

[flumps1976]

FND was flexible New Deal the scheme that was running prior to the Work Programme, and yes if you have been unemloyed for 26 weeks or more and find work of 16 hours per week or more that is expected to last 5 weeks or more you will automatically receive a run on payment of 4 weeks housing benefit as mos hjobs are now wmonthly paid and it can help to allow you to manage financially until your first wage is received.

[flumps1976]

They probably do monitor this website, I have no problem with that at all and I work for JCP.

It is only the same as DCA monitoring the other parts of the forum and and of course as I work for JCP (just to add on a considerable lower salary than the post for the WP jobs and probably worker much harder for my wage too) should I not use this site? Or can I be of some use and advise using the knowledge that I have to help people on here with querires?

[flumps1976]

You are supposed to inform that you will be recording and will be required to sign forms to state that the recording will be for your own personal refernce and it cannot be posted on any part of the internet. Also the adviser can refuse to be recorded and another adviser will be found who is happy for this to happen. Due o data protection if you do decide to pursue recording the interview it must be held in a provate room so that you do not not record anyobody else and the company will not be in breach of data protection of other peoples information that cuould be recorede in an open environment.

[flumps1976]

Do you mean the Job Grant?

If yes then have a look at this link.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Employedorlookingforwork/DG_10013908

[flumps1976]

If your friend did actually work 16 hours then yes the claim would have been closed correctly.

The payment of the run on for HB and Ctb and even the job grant would be initially disallowed on the basis that the claim was not continously claimed/received (due to the 16 hours work) he could then write and ask a Decision Maker at the Benefits Processing Centre to consider the payments due to the circumstances which he should list, the decision is nothing to do with JCP about the payment of job grants etc.

If there is entitlement it is paid/awarded automatically via the JSAPs system.

 

If you don't want the WP providers to contact employers but still need the payment of Job Grant etc, you don't have to declare the name of the company that you will start with just that you will expecting to work for 5 weeks or more. Also tell your WP provider/adviser that you will be changing your mobile so they may as well delete you contact numbers and that you will update the new number when yuou have it but then forget to do that!

[flumps1976]

The point for the previous poster (silv.surfer) is that unless your friend is part of a couple then by working 16 hours in a benefit week he has effectively closed the claim. It wil not matter if the job was meant to have been full time, permanant or temporary, unfortunately the cut off is hours for JSA and for a single person it is 16 hours.