JSA Mandatory Work

[JournalistElect139]

ATM, I'm waiting on a start date for a job so hopefully won't be on JSA allowance any longer.

 

At my last advisor meeting last week, my advisor told me that if this job didn't pan out (did not know I'd got the job at that stage) that they should would either put on a two-day training or mandatory work.

 

Now, since November 2013, I'd been doing voluntary work in admin etc which I firmly believed helped me get this job I'm waiting on and helped me get an interview for another job which I was unsuccessful for.

 

But she said despite it being voluntary work, I'd have to do mandatory work. So potentially, had things not worked out for me, I would have had to leave my voluntary work to do a mandatory work scheme (am I right in saying that's basically the Work Programme and a placement at Poundland?) that won't have helped me in getting work in the field I'm experienced in?

 

Madness to me if that's the case. Shame some logical thought can't go into these sorts of situations when a person is actively heloing their chances for work and it could be hampered by leaving that for his mandatory work scheme.

[Mr.P]

Is this a Work Programme "adviser" or one from the JCP ?

 

I'll need to do a bit of digging, but I have a feeling that if you are already doing voluntary work, this should count towards a MWA - Won't be able to do anything for you until next week due to other engagements.

[JournalistElect139]

Is this a Work Programme "adviser" or one from the JCP ?

 

I'll need to do a bit of digging, but I have a feeling that if you are already doing voluntary work, this should count towards a MWA - Won't be able to do anything for you until next week due to other engagements.

 

JCP.

 

She did mention two-day training courses so I imagine she might (as she seems relaxed and nice), might let me do the training courses rather than mandatory work.

[Beatrice Bee]

Mandatory work activity is not the same as the Work Programme. WP is 104 weeks and they refer you when you have been claiming JSA for at least 6 months but it varies. They referred me after a year. And finished it just now. It included no mandatory work activity for me because not 18 year old with no experience. My guess for the reason. [Thank you, Seetec.]

 

From what I gather, for up to 30 hrs per week for up to 4 weeks you would have to work somewhere.

 

You need to find out whether you are eligible to be referred to work activity [provider guidance]. Since you are doing volunteer work and for two months now, you do have recent work experience. You have demonstrated that you are able to seek out and retain employment [paid or voluntary].

 

To wriggle out of it, I would get a statement from the organization I volunteer for stating: start date, number of hours per week, main responsibilities, fact that they are happy with you and that you have demonstrated the disciplines and behaviors needed in a work environment.

 

The last bit sounds funny but JCP mandates clients to learn the latter through work experience. They can mandate you activities which are reasonable in your circumstances so argue that it is not reasonable in your circumstances to undertake work activity. This admin work fits well into your career, as opposed to a four-week Pizza Hut placement the JCP could manage to put you onto. You want to discuss it with the manager.

[Beatrice Bee]

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259364/pg-part-p.pdf

 

This is a link to 50 page mandatory work activity guidance.

 

Got the four weeks and up to 30 hrs pw right but can not see which JSA claimants should be referred. Lists over 18s.

[Beatrice Bee]

"The Aims of Mandatory Work Activity

 

1.7 MWA is intended to help claimants move closer to the labour market,

enabling them to establish the discipline and habits of working life, such as

attending on time regularly, carrying out specific tasks and working under

supervision while delivering a contribution to the community."

 

Quote from Chapter 1 of the above guidance.

 

So the statement from your admin volunteer placement should state that you have demonstrated all the above. And then referring you to MWA would defeat the aim of the placement: waste of government money.

 

 

 

[Beatrice Bee]

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/108396/response/263011/attach/2/FoI%201028%2012.03.12.pdf

 

 

DWP guidance:

 

15. A JSA claimant potentially suitable for MWA is one identified through the work targeted interview process, supported by use of the Customer Assessment Tool, as lacking ,or failing to demonstrate, the focus and discipline that is necessary to effectively:

 

• seek out and pursue job opportunities
  
  
• secure and retain employment
  
  

16. MWA may be beneficial for a claimant that has recently received a labour market related sanction/disallowance, providing an opportunity for them to develop the skills, disciplines and behaviours sought by employers.

19. If a lack of recent work experience is proving to be a barrier to finding work for an otherwise well-focused claimant, Advisory Teams must seek to address this through appropriate measures eg Work Together; MWA is not an appropriate measure in such cases

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/100786/response/253145/attach/10/Mandatory%20Work%20Activity.pdf

 

Please refer to points 15-17 in the above guidance. Sorry it's in bits and pieces.

[Beatrice Bee]

The print out of the screen shot below shall convince your JCP adviser and the manager not to refer you to MWA "by virtue of" point 17 of their own guidance on the basis that you are currently doing voluntary work, you must not be referred to MWA, says the guidance.

 

Citizens Advice Bureau will have 18 months, 2 full days a week, to teach me how to advise clients.

 

Posting bits and pieces while researching the info is one option and does not look very organized. Part of the learning process. Scary cat handed in her application to CAB today to train as an adviser which is volunteering in itself and keeps away having to stack shelves opposite CAB in Tesco for 26 weeks, 30 hrs pw unpaid work, courtesy of the JCP and our government and the work for your benefit / Help to Work Scheme.

 

In my FOI I asked DWP to provide guidance if my adviser can ask me to give up my volunteer placement. They did not say anything about that one so you have to fight this one for yourself with the power of reasoning, common sense and print outs from DWP guidance. Why should you give up a work-related activity that is helping you move closer to the labor market?

 

If DWP FOI team is unable to show existing legislation which enables your highly trained adviser to mandate you to give up your volunteer placement, then how will this highly trained adviser will be able to provide a legal basis to do so?

 

The very next sanction machine they will use [following the Universal Jobmatch] is the My Work Plan booklet in which you set out your activities to find work for the next fortnight and your JCP adviser checks it if what you have actually done is what you have set out to do.

 

Their own guidance says that they can not legally oblige you to use this booklet though advisers are advised to highly encourage you to use it. Sounds like the Uni Jobmatch account.

 

By 1st April 2014 the JSA Claimant Commintment should be rolled out nationally so new JSA claimants sign a CC instead of a Jobseekers Agreement. Just as Work Programme leavers.

 

My Work Plan document is part of the CC.

 

The attachment below confirms that it reasonable to sign in to your Uni Jobmatch only once or twice a week if you do not have a computer at home and have to use JCP IADs or library to access UJ.

 

How does JCP know if you have a computer at home or not and you can still say you unwilling to accept cookies so your home computer is out of question. [that will p*ss them off] so no computer at home may be a better version.

 

How many log-ins per week you negotiate in your Jobseekers Agreement is up to you and can be changed any time upon your request. No access for DWP to Uni Jobmatch is still the best policy and then they can not see how many times per week you log in.

[Mr.P]

Looks like BB has been up all night doing the research (thanks).

 

If you (the OP) do get referred to MWA, ask for it to be passed to a Decision Maker along with a statement that you are already doing volunteering work that has moved you closer to the job market - The interviews and (possible) job offer being proof of this.

 

The same argument could be made for many of these "courses" aimed at improving your CV or job searching skills. Get the adviser to justify these activities and how they fit in with your current circumstances.

[JournalistElect139]

Thank you very much BB and Mr P.

 

This is all very informative just incase, the worst case disaster scenario happens and the job falls through and they ask me to do this. But my advisor is pretty sound but I wonder whether the pressure she might be under from her superiors might nudge me towards one of their own MW placements rather than seeing common sense and letting me do my voluntary work.

 

Thank you guys, extremely helpful.