Ingeus

[flumps1976]

no problem

[flumps1976]

It won't be the JCP themselves requesting the info omskus it will be the DMA section after receiving an entitlement doubt from the Work program providers.

 

Nystagmite depending on the type of work you are looking for and if you have caring responsibilies or as in your case a lack of public transport you are required to be available to take employment of 40 hours per week (or less if again responsibilities agree a reduced number of hours) so yes they can insist you look for work including weekends unless you can show them the lack of public transport prevents it.

[flumps1976]

The providers usually keep in contact once every 3 months, although they can call as often as they like.

[flumps1976]

Although I'm not 100% certain I would imagine that CCTV in the toilets in the Work Promgramme buildings are usually because they are leasing the buildings along with other companies and tey are to ensure that if any one particpates in any behaviour (drugs/criminal damage/assault or lewd behaviour) they can be prosecuted.

[flumps1976]

I had my union newsletter in the post and there is an article about A4E and the investigation into the fraud allegation and if found that there has been any fraudulent activty (proven) then they will lose the contract immediately.

Both the work programme providers and the Government are oblivious about the issues surrounding how customers are treated and the complaints that are received about the providers at the JCP, until customers make the complaints in a dformal fashion to the providers directly nothing is going to be done at all, as bth parties believe things are going well!

If you have any issues at all then make the complaints.

[flumps1976]

You only have a certain number of providers in each area depending on who won the contracts, (Ingenus, A4E, Tomorrows People, SERCO, ESG holdings, Remploy) and I'm sure there were others but can't think of the names now, once you have been allocated to a provider you can be referred to another provider (that wprks either with them or alongside them) you cannot be taken from that provider and placed with a "rival" provider.

 

The providers must be able to provide their complaints procedure and by not doing so they are breaking part of their contracts, you can also inform the JCP ofthe issues and complaints but these cannot be escalated to the regional offices on their own they have to be backed up by customer complaints too or it is deemed just sour grapes on the JCP part iygwim?

[flumps1976]

bakatcha honestly the work programme provider management and the government believe that the programme is progressing well even if they are hoping to be able to renegotiate asking for extra money for their results due to the difficult economy!

They only believe it is going well due to the distinct lack of complaints so if anyone does have a legitimate complaint about the practises and not just becuase they don't like attending then they should make sure the complaints proceduure is followed so that they get a true reflection of the public perception.

 

Also the European Human Rights Centre (EHRC) are looking at outsourcing their telephony service and guess who is thought to be the preferred contender at the moment (according to the union newsletters), yep A4E!

[flumps1976]

caledfwlch as I posted earlier that information will not make any difference sorry, once you are contracted to that particular provider unless they have a subsidary they can refer you to amongst their own group in that area you remain with them and in this case the only option is to follow the complaints procedure.

 

Under the old FND process customers could attend their local JCP office to advise that they weren't getting on with the providers and could request to be moved, this would be considered by the Adviser Manager and the personal adviser to establish if the transfer would be appropriate and a decision would be made.

 

Under the work programme this discretion has been removed and it is to stop the providers from cherry picking their customers (to ensure they only receive the most likely customers to return to work that will be long term to allow them to claim the higher reward payments).

[flumps1976]

basically by the time you reach WP you have beenunemployed for at least 9 months (if 18-24) and 12 months (over 25) so you are required to be applying for all jobs that you capable asnd qualified to undertake. If tere happens to be more work available in the area that requires this qualification then that is why they are putting you on the course to maxmise your chances of gaining sustainable full time employment.

It doesn't actually matter to then what type of work you would like to do anymore.

[flumps1976]

sorry misunderstood you, have been under the weather with a rather nasty virus so not been able to concentrate fully and have read and re-read posts.

I'm all for getting the providers to do what they are supposed to do, however I somehow doubt it will ever be as it should.

Again with something like this I honestly recommend following the offical complaints procedure and if that doesn't have any result then yes make further enquiries about the nextaction to take.

[flumps1976]

No the DWP have no way of regulating the work programme, the companies tendered for the contracts from the government.

All I can suggest is that any complaint is made in writing with a request (put politely of course ) for confirmation in writing that the complaint has been received and will be investogated as set out in their complaints procedure.

The complaints are only measured by written submission, verbal complaints do not and are subsequently not recorded any where.

[flumps1976]

Andrea87, if you fail to attend the work programme appointments your case will be referred to the DMA team and depending if you have already received sanctions you will soon find yourself with a possible sanction, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and eventually 26 weeks, if you don't fall into a vunerable group then no hardship will be payable and you will be left with any form of income until you either re-enagage or the sanction ends and if you still don't attend further sanctions can be imposed.

[flumps1976]

honda17 they can and probably will refer you to dma if you refuseto comply with a direction. potential sanction could be imposed.

[flumps1976]

I think the whole removing your consent for the data protection with work programme could back fire.

When you sign your original claim and paperwork at the beginning of your claim to JSA you are in effect giving consent for your details to be held to enable your claim to be processed and maintained. This is for the duration of your claim for JSA so also covers the work programme.

By informing the providers that wish to remove you r consent you are in effect removing the JCP and DWP authority too which technically results in your claim being terminated.

[flumps1976]

I am only adding the information that was shared at an office meeting recently. As the providers are starting to have an inlfux of people withdrawing their consent (and I wouyld like to add her at what point have I ever stood up for the work programme in this thread) I am not the enemy simply sharing info that I have obtained through my current job role.)

I try where possible to help others in the forum through the knowledge that I have gained during my many years of experience with BA/ES/DWP/JCP.

Sorry for adding my tuppence worth maybe I will avoid this thread in future too, I though we were all allowed to post opinions etc as long as they are ept with the forum rules an in a civil manner.

 

Both the providers, DWP and governemt are now trawling through to determine if customers are able to withdraw their consent from the providers under the JSA regs. Next time I'll keep my typewriter quiet!

[flumps1976]

I know and I apologise for the "blip" had some very bad personal news and I'm only human! I may wear a t-shirt with a superwoman symbol but it doesn't give me the magic powers I crave! 3 people very close to me have either been diagnosed or had treatment for cancer this week and was told one of them is at a point where nothing further can be done and was only told last night. So if I'm not about it's not because I'm sulking about this it's simply because I am in a big heap of a sobbing mess. See we civil servants have feelings too

[flumps1976]

Hekky13 with regards to sickness if you call in sick they notify the JCP office and then you will be asked to complete form JSA28 to cover their missed ppointment due to your illness on that day (for a maximum of 14 calender days) and you can only declare 2 periods in a 12 month period, if you declare a 3rd period your claim for JSA will close and you will need to claim ESA and then make a rapid reclaim when you are fit to seek work again.

I could explain in more detail how the periods of sickness fall into job seeking periods but you may not want to fall asleep just yet!

[flumps1976]

When you are referred to work programme you will have been claiming for 9 months if you are aged 18-24 or 12 months if you are aged 25+.

After 6 months you are expected to be widen you job search further than the 3 types of employment on your Job Seeker Agreement and should be applying for all vacancies that you capable and qualified to do.

If you are not applying forthe "suitable" vacancies then the work programme can refer you for an entitlement doubt to the dma team to consider if you are actively seeking suitable types of employment and actively applying for the suitable vacancies.

Suitable vacancies are those which you can reach within 90 minutes of travel each way, that you are qualified to undertake that fit in with the hours you are able to work as long as the vacancy is a minimum of 24 hours per week (if it's under 24 hours DMA will not consider refusing to apply/accept a job referral).

They should not be sending out emails where you have access to other people's email addresses, this is a breach of data protection and needs a complaint making. There is a facility to Bcc emails to ensure that email adresses are not visible to other recipients.

[flumps1976]

hehe, WP use the direct gov website and tey use other well known sites such as monster and total jobs, they don't get privately posted positions as the mahority of companies utilise as many free advertising sites as possible.

[flumps1976]

connexions I believe are joining forces with the national careers service at some point (I'm sure our adviser who comes in to the JCP on behalf of the National Careers Service previously next steps said this when everything changed last month).

[flumps1976]

Yorkylad I think they legally have 20 working days to forward a response to you.

[flumps1976]

The 3rd was last Thursday, assuming 2nd class post, so if it wasn't produced in time to leave the same day it was posted on the Friday and with the Bank Holiday it could reasonably have taken this long to be delivered.

[flumps1976]

Yorkylad I don't work for Work Programme so really sorry but wouldn't know if they do share details or not, I only know how they always contact te JCP office to ask if they hold the correct details and I'm a right stickler for the rules and ask them to put requests in writing!

[flumps1976]

sorry I must have mis understood and thought they had posted the letter as opposed to the email, as email is pretty much instant then not a leg to stand on for them.

[flumps1976]

One of the many problems with the WP is that they do not understand about sanctions and have no intention of learning abot the coorect proccess either.

Sanctions are threatened left right and centre but as a JCp customer service officer I am fully aware within the guidance that there are procedures to be followed and reason to refer for a sanction.

With regards to the "you will be sanctioned if you don't attend this appointment/interview/take this job" I would personally love to attend their offices to observe these interviews so I could actually witness to tell them how sh** they are.

You can only be referred for failing to attend the interviews, or for an entitlement doubt if you do not actively particiapte in meetings or do not satisfy the conditions of JSA e.g availability or ase.

The only time you can be referred for a consideration on refusing to apply/or to take a job offer is if the vacancy jas been matched as per your JSAg/action plan and that they have taken the correct steps (and as they can't even get the basics right it's odds on they wouldn't have a hope of doing this).

 

I hope they do read this and realise they are not performing as they signed up for through their own incompetence.

Canyou tell I had a bad day at work for a start and that WP wre partly to blame!!!!!!