Work Programme - Sanctions letter

[Flickyhecky]

Got what looks like a standard letter from the DWP (in Belfast) about my non-attendance of the Work Programme, it's just basically information about the different levels of santions.

 

Is this just to scare me into going back to Ingeus? Haven't had an appointment letter since the DWP (this time the Watford one) sent me a letter asking for my reasons for not attending. Can't remember what i wrote, something about being fed up of being builled into doing stuff i don't want too!

 

I shall probably attend if they sent me a letter, but i'll be well prepaired to say "NO" to things, all i want is a job like everyone else!

[flumps1976]

What does the letter actually state?

Is it asking for your reasons for not attending the appointments or for something else?

These letters are sent out once you have been madeated to the workprogramme and if you fail to attend the meetiongs. Failing to attend can result in varying lengths of sanctions depending on how many appointments yuo have missed and your reasons for missing them.

At the moment the first sanction is 2 weeks and each subsequent sanction will increase until you reach the cuurent maximum which is 26 weeks although this is due to increase to a maximum of 3 years later.

Unless you are in a vunerable group you willnot receive gardship payments either for the the durations of the sanctions and you will have to re-engage with the providers for a certain period of time (usually anything between 4 and 8 weeks) and also particiapte in the meetings before they will send anything off to the DMA team to reconsider your sanction.

[RealName]

I believe the OP is referring to a standard letter that was sent out to everyone on the work programme the other day, which was presumably sent out to us as a result of the Cat Reilly ruling.

 

The letter is essentially a reminder that if we don't attend a meeting with the work programme, or don't complete a task they ask of us, we could have our benefits sanctioned.

[flumps1976]

Oh OK I didn't know that WP had sent ou bulk notification letters to advise of the compliance aspect.

I know that the WP have been told they need to make sure that do things correctly as per the amount of complaints received

[sillygirl1]

Yes, I had one of these, even though I am on excellent terms with the Work Programme people, I live a 10 minute walk from their offices and they have rung several times at short notice and I have attended workshops when somebody has dropped out.

 

These letters are the 'big bosses' way of letting you know they have 'rights' over you and what these 'rights' are.

[LongHairedLily]

I received one of those letters on Saturday. I was more annoyed at the way it was addressed to me, by that I mean not Ms X X XXXXX, but my FULL name in capitals without my status!!!! Grrr...... Letter this week going to to Belfast to demand they never start a letter in that manner again. So disrespectful.