Tips and tutorials

Work programme providers and FOI: contractual obligations to provide information

An annotation on an FOI request relating to the work programme is worth repeating in full – and quoting – for anyone else considering requesting information:

The DWP Head of Work Programmes Division[1] wrote a memo to Minister for Employment on 24 April 2012 which stated:

There are no “cost limits”[2] for Freedom of Information Act (FOI) requests as all of the DWP’s Work Programme’s Providers (employment related support services) have contractual obligations to provide information they hold on behalf of the DWP.

Memo extract:
http://www.consent.me.uk/docs/foicosts.png

Full memo:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/11…

All DWP Employment service contractors have to hold a “framework contract”:
Q40
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa…

Freedom of Information Act obligations in this area are outlined on pages 36 and 37 of the DWP Framework Agreement for the provision of employment related support services.

Framework Agreement Extracts:
pages 36 and 37
http://www.consent.me.uk/official

Complete Framework Agreement:
http://dwp.gov.uk/docs/framework-draft-t…

[1] Work Programmes include:

Mandatory Work Activity
The Work Programme
Community Action Programme

[2] Cost limits

An authority can refuse a request if it estimates that it will cost them in excess of the appropriate cost limit to fulfil your request. The limit is £600 for central government
http://www.ico.gov.uk/Global/faqs/freedo…

Disability, Tips and tutorials

The Work Capability Assessment – Audio recording

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“Disingenuous” is a word I find I only use and use a lot when talking about the DWP.

The thought about audio-recording a WCA cropped up over a year ago and immediately gained the support of the illustrious Professor Harrington.  More recently, there has been a lot of upset due to confusion over how will it work, when will it be available etc. and it has been the source of several parliamentary questions from interested MPs to the equally illustrious the Rt Hon Chris Grayling, Minister for Employment. Continue reading The Work Capability Assessment – Audio recording →

links

Fewer people investigating private contractors fraud, while benefit investigators increase

Here’s a good example of following the money to see exactly where the priorities lie on two kinds of ‘benefit fraud’: fraud by benefit claimants, and fraud by the companies who get the contracts to run welfare services.

Rajeev Syal reports that the government has cut those people responsible for investigating fraud by private contractors from 69 to 49 in two years: a drop of 29%. Continue reading Fewer people investigating private contractors fraud, while benefit investigators increase →

Work Capability Assessment (WCA)

Why doesn’t the DWP collect data on the accuracy of decision making?

3 Comments

The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is the test through which the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) determines entitlement to Employment & Support Allowance (ESA). It was introduced in 2008 and has been the source of considerable controversy since.

DWP outsourced the expertise it thought it needed to perform WCAs from a private company, Atos Healthcare, who in turn have recruited large numbers of healthcare professions (HCPs) – a combination of doctors, nurses and physiotherapists.

Although Atos HCPs perform WCAs and make a fit-for-work (FFW) recommendation to DWP, its own team of Decision Makers (DMs) make the final ESA decision. There is an appeal procedure that ends up with the Tribunals Service (TS). Continue reading Why doesn’t the DWP collect data on the accuracy of decision making? →

Uncategorized

Jobseekers’ complaints – how they should be handled by A4e, G4S and Ingeus {UPDATED}

2 Comments

Following the previous post on one A4e experience, Chris White points to a number of links on how complaints should be handled by various ‘workfare’ contractors. These are good starting points if you’re looking at what contractors actually do.

And here’s his advice: Continue reading Jobseekers’ complaints – how they should be handled by A4e, G4S and Ingeus {UPDATED} →

links

Testing the claims of politicians: the disability groups that Maria Miller ‘never met’

Thanks to L S McKnight in the comments for pointing us to this report from Third Force News on the Scottish disability charities who boycotted a meeting with disability minister Maria Miller after she falsely claimed to have previously met them. Continue reading Testing the claims of politicians: the disability groups that Maria Miller ‘never met’ →

Disability, links

The real life impact of being targeted by a Sun journalist as a ‘benefit cheat’

The Sun’s announcement that it is targeting benefit cheats has led to at least one very nasty experience for a 68-year-old former dustman.

Elaine Milton writes movingly about her father’s injury, countless operations, and recent discovery of bowls, “with the support of his doctor”. Then:

“You can imagine how I felt when I heard that a Sun journalist and photographer had been knocking on his door, taking his picture, telling him that they were doing a story on benefit cheats. Continue reading The real life impact of being targeted by a Sun journalist as a ‘benefit cheat’ →

Communities

Communities campaigning against welfare changes [The Void]

UPDATE (March 1 2012): I’ve collected any feeds available from the blogs below into this bundle which you can follow on Google Reader. The feeds are also aggregated on the new Help Me Investigate Welfare Facebook page.

More from the excellent blog The Void: this time a hugely comprehensive list of various communities that have largely formed in response to changes to the welfare system. I’ll try to summarise them in a list here – if anyone wants to compile a Google bundle, I’m sure a lot of people would be grateful (I’ll try to do it myself at some point): Continue reading Communities campaigning against welfare changes [The Void] →

Helping connect those investigating the welfare system