Update on the future of DWP jobcentres

[stu007]

Update on the future of DWP jobcentres

DWP confirms that some smaller jobcentres will merge with larger ones, and others will be co-located within local government premises.

 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published more details on the future of DWP jobcentres.

 

Damian Hinds, Minister for Employment (July 2016 to January 2018), said:

 

"We will always make sure that people have the support they need to get into and progress within work. These changes reflect the fact that more people access their benefits online resulting in many of our buildings being underused.

 

The changes DWP is making to its estate across the country will offer a more efficient service, and deliver good value for the taxpayer."

 

READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-the-future-of-dwp-jobcentres

[Poppy007]

Am I alone in hoping that many of the staff are laid off and so have to sign on!

[Mr.P]

Am I alone in hoping that many of the staff are laid off and so have to sign on!

 

A significant number of public facing staff at the DWP will be on fixed short term contracts or from an agency. These people can be made "redundant" and the figures can be used by the spin doctors in a variety of ways.

 

As an example, one large employer I know will regularly announce having to cut 600 jobs and lay people off. The following week, the same employer is recruiting 750 people for their call centres via various employment agencies. The original 600 jobs that had been cut were from an outsourced call centre that had come to the end of contract and the new crop of 750 new jobs, were needed to service the new call centre contract.

 

As for the redundant DWP staff, quite a few would have been on flexi & part time contracts and having to sign up to Universal Credit to make ends meet. These unfortunate souls will already have had a taste of the DWP regime imposed on claimants.

[speedfreek]

I hope that we all understand

 

The public sector equality duty is a special duty that most public authorities (like government departments, local authorities, police forces and NHS hospitals) have to:

 

eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation

make sure people with a protected characteristic have the same opportunities as other people

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/disability-discrimination/public-sector-equality-duty/

 

MIND keep changing the page! The last one had a template letter to the DWP which I modified and sent to my local CMHT with surprising effect

 

I use to be able to get to X with Y help.... now that you have closed X in order to get to Z I would require an adjustment of.....

 

GO get em

[speedfreek]

Have a copy of MINDs GP letter

 

 

[Your address]

 

To the Practice Manager

[Your National Health Service number, if you know it]

 

Dear Sir or Madam

 

Request for reasonable adjustments

 

I am writing to ask you to make a reasonable adjustment for me under the Equality Act 2010 because of my mental health problems which make it very difficult for me to access your surgery for appointments with the nurse and my doctor.

 

[Describe your mental health problem and how this is making it more difficult for you at the moment]

 

As my GP will confirm, I have experienced long term problems with anxiety and have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Because of my agitation I find that I am unable to remember the advice I was given at a consultation

[Explain what changes you want]

Because of this I would be grateful if the nurse and the GP and receptionists at the practice could make the following reasonable adjustment for me:

 

• The GP and the nurse to write down any key advice in a handwritten note at the time I am in the surgery so that I have an aide memoire of what has been said when I leave.

 

[Explain what the law is]

 

I am advised that the Equality Act applies to GP surgeries as they provide services. Under the Equality Act, you have a duty to make reasonable adjustments (changes) for people who have disabilities when their disability makes it difficult for them to access your services compared with someone who does not have that disability.

I hope you can confirm that you can agree to make these changes so that I can use your services.

 

Thank you.

 

Regards

[Your full name]

 

My tailored letter to my CMHT

 

Dear Sir or Madam

 

I am writing to ask you to make a reasonable adjustment for me under the Equality Act 2010 because of my mental health problems which make it very difficult for me to access your location in XXXXX for appointments.

 

I am also further requesting that XXXXX who I am currently assigned to is either re-educated or replaced with somebody who understands both my condition and their duty to make said adjustments.

 

In order to understand my issues you need to understand the implications of Social Security Tribunal decision CE/1537/2013

 

Judge Gray refers to CE/4183/2012. She goes on to say –

‘... to effect treatment for a mental health condition, one may be able to summon up reserves to attend such an appointment that may not be sufficient in relation to a test which is of the ability to perform an activity reliably and repeatedly.’ (paragraph 18)

 

To put this into context for you;

the effort I’m having to put into an appointment with you at your XXXXX offices is too much for me. This then starts impacting all other areas of my life which then grind to an abrupt halt. This is further compounded by the fact that at the end of each appointment the person who I’m seeing is not only dictating extremely inappropriate future appointments, he is actively refusing to alter his decision when informed of the harm they will do to me.

 

Currently although informed that I had a NeuroPsychiatry appointment on the XX and a GP appointment on the XX XXXXX decided that the XX would be our next appointment. When I said no XXXXX went as far as suggesting that I cancel my GP appointment. This is similar to our 1st appointment (XX) when after being told of the issues I faced over the XX period, which I repeated to XX XX still enforced an appointment on the XX.

 

I have now started having panic attacks whilst out even when on Diazepam which can be directly linked to these appointments. My level of self neglect has also risen markedly to quite a concerning point as my ability to care for myself has dropped as a result.

 

Because of this I would be grateful if you could make the following reasonable adjustments for me:

 

1, the current appointment of XX cancelled with immediate effect.

2, a new appointment booked on or after XX.

3, all appointments occur between the hours of 10am and 2pm.

4, either a closer venue to myself is found or a taxi booked by yourselves to get me to your XXXXX offices. I’ll pay for it but will be unable to book it. Eliminating my current 50 minute walk from almost XX Town Hall up XX and along the length of the extremely busy XX Road would go a long way.

5, an emergency way to contact you other than via telephone.

6, a change in the person who I see.

 

I am advised that the Equality Act applies to Mental Health teams as they provide services. Under the Equality Act, you have a duty to make reasonable adjustments (changes) for people who have disabilities when their disability makes it difficult for them to access your services compared with someone who does not have that disability.

I hope you can confirm that you can agree to make these changes so that I can use your services.

 

 

I've got an appointment with the CMHT at my local 10-15 mins walk hospital on the back of that so.....

 

 

My local job centre is going so since my ESA wifi person - nice lady In fact can't fault her as she's lovely - has told me my next appointment will be at busy place down

a few busy busy High St's far far away. plus it's mangers discretion on which JCP you attend I'm intending to ask for a switch using another letter (same as above) to my preferred JCP office (there's 3) over their preferred!

 

Try it! But don't push it.....

[unclebulgaria67]

Job centre closures is down to a number of factors. Government is encouraging shared office use between DWP and local council authorities.

 

Government is also encouraging more use of internet and Job Centre work coaches are there to validate document evidence for benefits, as well as making sure claimants are searching for work. If a claimant has a problem, they phone a service centre or use an online journal.

 

I can see the UC service centres becoming much more involved with what Job Centre work coaches are currently doing. Once all documents can be uploaded to UC by claimants and most aspects are digital, most work search review checks and other current DWP requirements will be done by phone or by online discussion with claimants. The Job Centres will see claimants less often.

 

The Job Centres will not be equipped with enough staff to handle face to face interviews and enquiries from the 7 million claimants who are expected to be on UC by the end of 2022.

 

Unemployment is currently low according to official stats, but it looks like there will be lots of redundancies in the retail sector in the next few years. And with greater use of technology, I can see unemployment increasing significantly.

[Nystagmite]

Am I alone in hoping that many of the staff are laid off and so have to sign on!

 

But if the job centres shut down, it also affects the public too. If my local one closes, I've got no idea at all where my local one will be. I know there's one some 6 miles away though.

[Poppy007]

What about the people have no access to public transport and can't afford to run a car?

Will the DWP cover the cost of a taxi?

[Poppy007]

I have been suffering due to illness thanks, which has been made much worse by the actions taken by the DWP, JCP staff and the evil assessment process!

I would like each one of them follow a claimant through the whole process to really see how badly people are treated.

[Nystagmite]

But it doesn't just affect them. It affects us too.

[SoggyMoggy]

I have been suffering due to illness thanks, which has been made much worse by the actions taken by the DWP, JCP staff and the evil assessment process!

I would like each one of them follow a claimant through the whole process to really see how badly people are treated.

 

Sorry to hear about your illness, but do you really think each and every person who works for the DWP has it in for you? You don't think that they must follow procedures that are passed down from above?

 

Thousands of worker's lives will be massively affected by this. I think you should show more compassion.

[Andyorch]

Off topic posts removed and thread tided.....please keep this civil with no further personal posts.

 

Regards

 

Andy

[Mr.P]

I think we are all too quick to blame the front line staff when things go wrong. Unfortunately, they are caught up in having to follow government policy, a disfunctional institution entrenched in its ways, and very restricted in what they can do. There are some good people working within the DWP, but they are buried in red tape & procedures that have to be followed.