Withdrew consent from work programme - what does their reply letter mean?

[PurpleRonnie89]

Hello,

 

This is going to be quite long, so please bear with me.

 

I stopped going to my work program almost a year ago & ceased all contact as they were useless. (I'm now working, they never helped me).

Since I stopped going, I have received letter after letter after letter from them demanding I attend appointments or else. They even had the cheek to show up at my house once, which annoyed the hell out of me. Told them to sling it but still received letters demanding I attend even though I was working. All letters went straight to the bin as thought they would get the messege & p*ss off

 

I received an email from the work programme saying the the jobcentre had contacted them (months after I started work) stating I was no longer claiming JSA so thought that would be the end of it. I never told the jobcentre where I was working & certainly weren't going to tell the work programme so they could make a massive profit over doing absolutely nothing. The letters & emails still came..

 

So last week, I sent them the whole withdraw consent letter from that consentme website, (7 pages long) where they also have to cease contact with me. in the hope they would finally leave me alone. Received 2 more letters demanding I attend their office, then today I finally receive a letter (I had to sign for) confirming they received my letter but I'm not entirely sure what it means. This is what it says...

 

 

Dear PurpleRonnie89

 

Re: Authority and Consent to Collect/Gather/Sharing Dsclosurof my personal Informaion

 

I am writing to acknowledge receipt of letter dated 6th May 2013.

 

I wish to clarify that DWP is able to disclose information relating to social security, employment and training to persons providing services to DWP for use for those purposes, under Section 3 of the Social Security Act 1988. This could include personal information about claimants who have been referred to a service provider for the purpose of the Work Programme or Mandatory Work Activity.

 

We & it's supply chain are providers carrying out work on behalf of DWP & require access to individual personal data & information held by DWP to be able to provide the required services. In this situation, DWP remains the data controller & we act as the data processor as defined by the Data Protection Act. Therefore, there is no breach of principles of the Data Protection Act as DWP remain the Data Controller.

 

This letter acknowledges your request to withdraw consent to share information with DWP and to contact an employer to obtain evidence of employment. I respectfully draw your attention to the above and expect you to continue to engage on your respective programme.

 

Your Sincerely,

Idiot from work programme

 

So, does this finally mean they wil leave me alone? Because that final sentence seems to say that I still need to attend appointments?? Will this **** ever end?

 

Thanks for your replies in advance & apologies that this is a long post.

Edited May 16, 2013 by PurpleRonnie89
typo's

[LongHairedLily]

Looks to me they are still going to hound you. What a bunch of idiots.

[Sparks_]

They want there commision for getting you a job! OK they didnt get you one but they still think they are entitled to commission!

[Guest]

If they didn't get you the job then trying to get commission for it is surely fraud?? I would write to my MP......seems this lot are a bunch of scroungers seems the dwp and your MP need to know what theyre up to.

[jasta11]

I have a feeling that for the most part, the DWP know exactly what the WP's are getting up to - and the tactics they use - and aren't interested. After all, if the WP gets a 'result' (no matter how it's obtained) then the DWP can boast that the system is working and doing good.

 

I treat the DWP exactly the same as I would the WP.

[Guest]

So who pays them their commission then? someone is fraudulent here?

[PurpleRonnie89]

So apart from having sent the withdraw consent letter, there's nothing more I could do?? I read somewhere about a sending a SAR, would this help me? Does it cost any money for a SAR? Or should I just send them a "Get the f*** out my life & stop harassing me or I'll call the police" type of letter?

[Mr.P]

As a subcontractor to the DWP, they are correct in stating that "We & it's supply chain are providers carrying out work on behalf of DWP & require access to individual personal data & information held by DWP to be able to provide the required services. In this situation, DWP remains the data controller & we act as the data processor as defined by the Data Protection Act" - However, as your claim for JSA has ended, so has any obligation to "engage" with them along with any requirement for processing of data. Two lines of attack you can try:

 

• Instruct the provider that they could be found guilty of harassment and any personal callers will be forcibly ejected from your property and the police will be called.
  

Alternatively:

 

• Inform them that you are happy to provide information and guidance sessions for their staff, but you require payment for said services - Hourly rate of £xx subject to a minimum of £xxx plus expenses. Failure to pay promptly will result in county court proceedings being issued.
  

In either case, a strongly worded complaint should be sent to the Third Party contracts manager at the DWP and another one sent to your MP.

[jasta11]

Some WP needs to be made an example of and hit with a massive fine for harrassing people after they've signed off benefits, might discourage the others.

[flumps1976]

Once you have been referred to Work Program they are supposed to keep in contact with you for the duration of the 2 year appointment regardless of if you are still claiming benefits or have signed off to start work, or any other change in circumstances.

Withdrawing consent dies not stop them contacting you only stops them from contacting any possible employer, but they will still put in for their performance bonus even if they can't confirm you have started work.

 

If you wanted to be very sneaky you could always reply to their letter stating that you are no longer claiming benefits and are not working (they can't claim the bonus then) and you can state that it will not be worth contacting you in writing again as you are considering moving address and are no longer obliged to inform them of your whereabouts.

[osdset]

I received a letter yesterday from Seetec informing me that I have a mandatory appointment for next Friday. I have only ever been to Seetec's offices once months ago and that was for (as it transpired) a mandatory introduction session,(I'm on ESA WRAG) I was told by the chap doing the session (after sitting through nearly an hour of spiel) that my participation was voluntary, at which point I upped and left.

 

I tried to get to the bottom of this via phone but it looks like I may have to pay them a visit, everyone I spoke to kept repeating the same mantra to the effect that 'this meeting is very important', and 'everyone has been mandated to attend both JSA and ESA 'customers', my protests that I am not actually on the Work Programme and therefore can't be mandated to do anything seemed to cause mass confusion, and of course all advisors were far too busy to check my status.

[flumps1976]

osdset it depends what element of ESA (WRAG or SG) you receive and how long you been receiving it.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-2.pdf

[osdset]

Ok thanks flumps,

I need to find out just what my current status is, I don't trust any information from the drones, so who best to ask JCP or my BDC?

Edited June 30, 2013 by citizenB

[Mr.P]

Once you have been referred to Work Program they are supposed to keep in contact with you for the duration of the 2 year appointment regardless of if you are still claiming benefits or have signed off to start work, or any other change in circumstances.

 

With all due respect, maintaining contact with a claimant once they have exited the work programme is part of the providerDWP contract and not in any JSag. If the (ex)participant has issued clear instruction that no further contact with the provider is desired, then the provider should respect that choice. As I recall, the DWP contract does state that post-WP contact is optional and subject to consent on the part of the (ex)participant.

[flumps1976]

No Mr P unfortunately once you have been mandated to the work program you are mandated for the full 2 years and they are contracted to keep in regular contact with the claimant even if no longer in receipt of benefits.

It doesn't actually matter what the claimant wants sorry. However the regular contact could be anything from weekly to 3 or 6 monthly, they will attempt to agree that with the claimant when they leave the benefits system.

Contact is no optional however you do have a choice of opening post, emails or answering text messages phone calls etc so if you choose not to respond then that is you choice but they will keep attempting contact.

[flumps1976]

osdet you need to contact the benefit centre to determine what element and the length of how long you have been claiming.

[jasta11]

They're certainly leeches in every sense of the word...they can even try and latch on to you before you've even joined the WP, as this extract from 'Chapter 4 - Referrals' shows. I've highlighted the important bits in red;

 

Participant starts work between referral and attachment

 

71. Claimants may report that they have found a job in between their referral interview with Jobcentre Plus and engaging with you.

 

72. If you are notified before the job start date you should endeavour to engage with them and complete attachment activity, up to and including the day before they actually start work.

 

73. Undertaking this action promptly will enable you to offer the claimant both the initial support they may require to begin work, for example travel expenses, clothing etc and ongoing in-work support to help them sustain employment.

 

74. In these circumstances you will be eligible for the attachment fee and any subsequent outcome / sustainment payments in line with current award criteria.

 

75. If you are unable to complete engagement activity before the claimant starts work you must not attach them.

Edited May 18, 2013 by jasta11

[flumps1976]

Jasta11, yep we get that quite a but where a claimant attends the referral interview at JCP but starts work before they attend the induction at work program and then I get calls from the providers asking for work information so they can try to claim their referral fee and performance bonus as it's quicker than waiting for the WP07b form to report the change in circumstances.

All they get from me is "the WP07b is in the post".

If the induction is not completed as the claimant has already started work they still try to contact and once again call to check the details they hold are correct.

[jasta11]

Somehow I had a feeling they'd be doing that, Flumps.

 

But doesn't anyone in higher DWP management ever bring fraud allegations against the WP's for doing this?? It would seem a pretty clear-cut case to me. The JC would know that the claimant started work before they ever stepped through the WP's door so no way could the WP ever make a claim to have 'helped' them.

 

Like I poster earlier, a few high-profile prosecutions might make them think twice.

[flumps1976]

I don't know as I only work in a JCP not in a district office so don't get to see anything official like that.

[osdset]

An update on my post #11 it looks like I may have been added to the list http://intensiveactivity.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/work-programme-providers-begin-the-chase/

 

Seetec have booked everyone mandated to the WP at 16:30 next Friday, if they all turn up it should be interesting.

[PurpleRonnie89]

An update on my post #11 it looks like I may have been added to the list

 

Seetec have booked everyone mandated to the WP at 16:30 next Friday, if they all turn up it should be interesting.

 

wow, thats disgusting. How they keep getting away with it? The government should be rewarding us for stopping these charletons claiming what isn't rightfully theirs & saving this country 100s of thousands of pounds that could be better spent giving the rich a further tax cut.

 

This must be some kind of fraud, surely?

[Mr.P]

Might I be so bold as to suggest you print out some leaflets outlining what constitutes harassment within the scope of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 quoted from CPS:

Although harassment is not specifically defined it can include repeated attempts to impose unwanted communications and contacts upon a victim in a manner that could be expected to cause distress or fear in any reasonable person.

The harassment of another or others can include a range of offences such as those under: the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; the Sexual Offences Act 2003; and the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

 

Harassment of an individual can also occur when a person is harassing others connected with the individual, knowing that this behaviour will affect their victim as well as the other people that the person appears to be targeting their actions towards. This is known as 'stalking by proxy'. Family members, friends and employees of the victim may be subjected to this.

Reprint the consent withdrawal letter that has been posted elsewhere, and handing out to fellow attendees should get you noticed

[dyfed]

Just continue to ignore them or what I would do is if they phone me I would just make animal noises down the phone and throw letters in the bin.

Its just like tv license people, if you ignore them long enough they will just go away.

Be happy knowing they are wasting time and money on you lol

[dyfed]

So the work program providers sign you up for two years in order to;

A, provide you with on going help with your new job and to offer further support and training etc

Or

B, just to get more money out of you.

 

Answers on a post card