Ingeus

[osdset]

Having said all that, give Ingeus a fair chance at the start - you may actually get a decent advisor who genuinely wants to help..it's got to happen to someone!

 

A bit like winning the lottery then. It's got to happen to someone.

[Starguitar]

Thank you for the replies and useful tips & information. The jobcentre have basically shut the door on me regarding the referral to Ingeus. They told me that it is in their hands. I am amazed how badly people are treated regarding the lack of information given regarding this referral for instance. As some of you have mentioned, my personal CV and information is potentially going to this company and they can send it to whoever they like for any job they want to link me with. I am assuming as it stands that my personal CV is not currently in their possession? I know the jobcentre have forwarded all my telephone numbers which I was not happy about, is there any other information they will have. I already have an issue with the mobile/landline numbers as I did not to my knowledge give permission so it seems a bit too free and easy with the personal information already.

[Chester6]

You could remove your consent so they can't pass your details for any job they feel suitable

I think the lack of info is there to aid the pimps to screw over the clients they get

[Mr.P]

Once the DWP have any personal information about a client, be it a phone number through to medical records, they can pass it on to a WP provider - Under the Work Programme contract, the DWP remain the data controller and the provider is the data processor. Unfortunately, the only way to prevent a WP provider from doing what they like with your data is to refuse to hand it over to the DWP from day one of your claim.

 

Refusing to sign a providers data waiver limits what they can do in contacting an employer or redistributing any data that you subsequently provide. It won't stop them from matching you up to any vacancies/schemes, but they should leave you to follow up with an application.

[joeski]

i'm not feeling all that well today and i'm booked on a workshop at ingeus tommorow afternoon, i'm going to see how i feel in the morning but what do i do if i don't feel well enough to attend?

[Mr.P]

Have you been "mandated" for this activity along with the prescribed wording ?

 

If not, send them a note instructing them to reschedule at a more convenient time & date - No need to give a reason.

Else fill in a JSA28 and get it in to your local JCP office as soon as possible and then inform the provider that due to (an unspecified) illness you will not be attending - Inform them that a JSA28 has been submitted and any attempt to raise a sanction will be viewed as vexatious.

[joeski]

Have you been "mandated" for this activity along with the prescribed wording ?

 

If not, send them a note instructing them to reschedule at a more convenient time & date - No need to give a reason.

Else fill in a JSA28 and get it in to your local JCP office as soon as possible and then inform the provider that due to (an unspecified) illness you will not be attending - Inform them that a JSA28 has been submitted and any attempt to raise a sanction will be viewed as vexatious.

 

well i've got a letter from them and it says if you cannot you must contact us asap so that arrangemnents can be made for a new appointment. does that class as been mandated?

[Mr.P]

Been here before, but still worth repeating. If the letter does not contain all of the following:

If you do not undertake the activities required in this notification your benefit could be affected.

When you take part in the Work Programme, you are taking part in a scheme established by law under the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations

2013.

 

If without a good reason you fail to attend or participate in the Work Programme your Jobseeker’s Allowance and National Insurance credits will be stopped (or will be paid at a reduced rate, depending on your circumstances) for:

 

 

• four weeks; or
  
• 13 weeks, if DWP have previously decided on one or more occasions that your JSA should be sanctioned because you failed to comply with your Work Programme requirements, or you committed any of the failures listed below within 52 weeks (but not within two weeks) of your last failure.
  

 

The failures referred to are, if without a good reason, you:

 

 

• fail to attend an adviser interview
  
• if applicable, fail to take part in a particular employment programme (such as the work programme)
  
• do not take the opportunity of a place on an employment programme or training scheme
  
• refuse or fail to apply for or accept a place on such a programme or scheme notified to you by your adviser
  
• fail to attend or give up a place or through your own misconduct lose a place on such a programme or scheme
  
• fail to comply with a Jobseeker’s Direction.
  

Without the above text, you only need to tell them that you won't be attending.

[Chester6]

When I was ill and mandated I would phone them and tell them I was ill, I would get another appointment but that was all that happened, I know it can be concerning due to the threatening nature of these supposed charities/pimps though and my partner got told I needed a sickness note which was wrong

[joeski]

so you can't get sanctioned or anything if you not not well enough to attend?

[Chester6]

so you can't get sanctioned or anything if you not not well enough to attend?

 

I have never ben sanctioned for bieng ill

I can't see how they could - it would be a whole new barrel to scrape if they could sanction you for bieng ill

[antone]

so you can't get sanctioned or anything if you not not well enough to attend?

 

Not as long as you take the right steps. To cover yourself, declare a period of sickness to JCP on form JSA28 and then inform the WP provider of the situation and that you need a new appointment.

 

Note that you can only declare two periods of sickness (each up to 14 days) in any one year of your claim.

[Nystagmite]

so you can't get sanctioned or anything if you not not well enough to attend?

 

You can't. I did however get a lecture for only giving 2 hours notice.

[joeski]

it wouldn't surprise me if the likes of ingeus did try and storpe that low..i mite be ok tommrrow but if i'm not do i have to declare a period of sickness or will phoning them be ok?

[Nystagmite]

I'm not sure what else I was meant to do. I've got long disabilities and from time to time do get painful and unpredictable flare ups.

 

I would phone them and see what they say.

[Chester6]

it wouldn't surprise me if the likes of ingeus did try and storpe that low..i mite be ok tommrrow but if i'm not do i have to declare a period of sickness or will phoning them be ok?

 

Phoning them has always been Ok for me - on enough occasions

Making it official with a period of sickness seems extreme plus you can only do it twice so I'd save it for emergencies

[osdset]

Not as long as you take the right steps. To cover yourself, declare a period of sickness to JCP on form JSA28 and then inform the WP provider of the situation and that you need a new appointment.

Note that you can only declare two periods of sickness (each up to 14 days) in any one year of your claim.

 

Which means that many claimants will take the full 14 days for the sniffles, and who could blame them?

It would be more sensible to have 28 days spread over the year, it's far more likely for most people to have the odd off day here and there rather than two weeks straight illness, mind you we are talking common sense here so I suppose that can't be applied to the DWP.

[joeski]

what do i say when i phone up to say i won't be attending becuase i'm not well? how do i word it?

[Nystagmite]

Just say that. I don't think they need to know why.

[joeski]

Just say that. I don't think they need to know why.

 

would texting them be ok to as im not very confident on phones?

[joeski]

if so would you send the text to the number they text the reminder to you on?

[Mr.P]

would texting them be ok to as im not very confident on phones?

[...]

if so would you send the text to the number they text the reminder to you on?

 

If they consider it a good enough means of contacting you, it would be reasonable to assume texting them would be acceptable. If they also use email, that is another alternative..

 

Which ever method you use, keep a copy so you can present it if they try to claim "you didn't tell us".

[joeski]

If they consider it a good enough means of contacting you, it would be reasonable to assume texting them would be acceptable. If they also use email, that is another alternative..

 

Which ever method you use, keep a copy so you can present it if they try to claim "you didn't tell us".

 

i will do, do i replace the +44 at the start of the number with a 0? always confuses me having the +44 there :/

[Paulo83]

would texting them be ok to as im not very confident on phones?

 

If you have an email address for your adviser, try doing it that way. If not, just use the number for your local centre and say you are not well enough to attend. You don't need to go into detail. They should (hopefully anyway) just book you on the workshop on a different day.

[antone]

i will do, do i replace the +44 at the start of the number with a 0? always confuses me having the +44 there :/

 

The +44 would be fine, normally, but the problem is that you can't assume their automated system that sends out appt reminders and so on is able to receive texts. It's often just a send-only computer program.