2007-11-03 New content added.

"To help with the increasing demand in Crisis Loan applications we have, since early July, started to re-deploy staff from the Contact Centre Directorate to handle telephone enquiries about Crisis Loans. As a result there will be an extra 500 people taking calls from customers applying for Crisis Loans."

My "bullometer" detects that this is a self-defeating exercise because clients whose benefit claims would otherwise have been processed by these "re-deployed staff" are being told to get a CL in the interim, thus further increasing the overall workload and their original claims will still need to be processed, albeit later. This may help to allay (for a while) criticism of the CL service, meanwhile, it's evidently creating a huge backlog of claims elsewhere:

Huge backlogs of claims for benefit throughout the UK

Quote: "As a hard-pressed and under-valued member of staff in the Clyde & Fife Benefit Delivery Centre and having a full 24 years service I can confirm that Caroline Flint MP is being somewhat economical with the facts." (anon -  30/10/2007)

It's anyone's guess as to - how JCP are going to "remedy" these incremental backlogs? - returning the aformentioned "re-deployed staff" back to their old jobs is the obvious. Au plus ca change, au plus c'est la meme chose.

 

2007-06-19  04:40:54

Finished de-bugging the site.

Here's a copy of my latest posting on theyworkforyou.com

 

What's the purpose of this question? Did Jim Plaskitt make this one up himself and then hand it to his friend to ask him! This member of the government bowls an easy one to his hon. friend and deliberately aims wide of the wicket. The "Actual Average Clearance Times" for Crisis Loans only cover the time between the phone call to the "Benefits Delivery Centre" being answered, and the decision being taken. The phone lines are frequently engaged for lengthy periods of time, meaning that clients and advisers are simply unable to get through and start the claiming process.
The recent (prepared 23 May 2007) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/c... Committee on Work and Pensions Sixth Report gives a totally different and far more realistic perspective than that which the Minister gave by this often repeated answer.
(Incidentally; I note that three people answered "Yes" to the option "Does this answer the above question?" I'd love to know who they are, it couldn't be the Ministers for the DWP and the Chief Executive of "Jobcentre Plus" [Jim Murphy M.P., James Plaskitt M.P. and Ms. Lesley Strathie] could it?
By way of contrast;
The Independent Review Service, for example, found:

"there are substantial and widespread problems for customers trying to apply for a Crisis Loan by telephone. These include:
o "the inability to get through on the Crisis Loan Direct telephone number to make an application;
o "inappropriate corroborative evidence demanded routinely by Crisis Loan Direct decision makers, such as police crime numbers where the applicant has lost his money, before an application is accepted;
o "the refusal of payments for reasons that are not legally sound, for example, because the applicant has not had a work focused interview;
o "the failure to record a decision to refuse an award which means the applicant has no right to a review;
o "the difficulties people face getting to a Jobcentre to collect a payment following a successful telephone application, especially in rural areas; and
o "no facility to make a review request by telephone, thus preventing the urgent review of such cases."

Sir Richard Tilt added that "We have many stories of people who spend all day ringing 100 times before they get through." (My comment: Try doing this on a public phone on a cold wet day!)

There are also other issues arising from the "one size fits all" telephone claims system's inappropriateness to the needs of society's more vulnerable members such as those with physical or mental impairment, the homeless and dispossessed, those in hostels, hospital and those leaving residential care or H.M.P. custody. I have yet to be persuaded that any government of any political hue could give a damn about them given that they are less likely to pay income tax and contributions, or bother to vote. In fact, the system only seems to fit the needs of those least likely to to have a need of it, such as Essex man and Worcester woman in their centrally heated homes with internet access and telephones. These are the sorts of people who voted New Labour® into power.

I am also aware that Jobcentre Plus frequently (and unlawfully*) refuses to deal with clerical claims made using their own sf401 application form (available from their web-site), or to allow "face to face" claims to be made.

*Social Fund Bulletin 09/02 (10) states that it is a "mandatory requirement" that clients "not be compelled to provide the details to populate an application for a loan by phone. They must always be offered the option of a face to face interview."

*The Social Fund (Applications) Regs 1988 - as amended state: -

Form and manner in which an application is to be made

2.(1) "Except in the case of an application referred to in regulation 2A,". Every application for a payment out of the social fund under section 32(2)(b) of the Act (payment to meet needs other than in prescribed circumstances) shall be made in writing, on a form approved by the Secretary of State and completed in accordance with the instructions on that form, or in such other manner, being in writing, as the Secretary of State may accept as sufficient in the circumstances of any particular case.

(2) Forms of application shall be supplied, without charge, by such persons as the Secretary of State may appoint or authorise for that purpose.

(3) Every application shall be delivered or sent to an appropriate office.

Reg 2A amended the original regs to allow for claims to be made by phone but, as is evident, reg 2 retains the right to make a clerical claim.

The select committee report goes on to say that; "during this inquiry we have been presented with evidence of many of the same problems that existed in 2001: outdated distribution of budgets, inaccurate decisions, lack of consistency and poor management information. There is still not enough money in the Community Care Grant budget for all those who have been assessed as having a high priority need, a situation the Social Fund Commissioner described as "unacceptable". We have also received complaints arising from the Government's attempts at reform, particularly surrounding the telephony and application process for Crisis Loans. We heard of Crisis Loan applicants whose "fingers ached from pressing the redial button".

We are concerned that the resourcing of the Social Fund is inadequate to remedy the situation in terms of both staff numbers and training. There has been no formal consultation process on reform with no timetable for improvements. We are disappointed that the debate has moved on so little in the six years since the Social Security Committee's 2001 report.

 

 

2007-06-16 18:38:02

I've still got a few "bugs" to eliminate with regards to the internal URLs within some of the content pages pointing to the wrong destinations. I must also "clean up" (remove) some useless site components which were introduced during the transfer process. Hopefully all will be fixed in a few days. My apologies in the meantime for any inconvenience which you may encounter, and for any server "down time" you may have experienced over the past 6 days. Navigation of the site through the menus, titles, banners and external web-links is unaffected. The sitemap is working OK and will get you to the correct site content (for now).

 

05 May 2007:

Quote from Anthony D. Wright  M.P. (Gt. Yarmouth, Labour - Westminster Hall debate on 2 May 2007)

"I have anecdotal evidence of the time delays that result from such job cuts. People calling for crisis loan applications can stay on the phone for hours. I have a worksheet for 10 to 13 April that says of people calling for crisis loans:

Been ringing since 9.00 am yesterday... Unable to get through... Has tried for almost two weeks, one day tried for three hours constantly on the redial button—line engaged".

 

New content added. Link section  Rules and regulations which includes; Mythbusters link (Don't be caught out by the myths); Social Fund loans and payments eligibility and conditions (the rules JCP should use, but doesn't always go by); and the Independent Review Service home page (this is the complaints body to go to if you're unhappy with the outcome of your case after asking JCP/DWP for a review. N.B. an ammendment to the Social Fund [application for review] Regulations 1988 has come into force since 24 April 2006, whereby applications for an Inspector's review can be made directly to the IRS rather than through JCP). Also, in the link section Anecdotal evidence and corroboration is the latest report from Sir Richard Tilt - Social Fund Commissioner. The section "Important Issues Arising" (pages 34-37) vindicates my criticisms of the DWP. See also, appendix 12 (page 55 onwards) with regard to the DWPs' snivelling contempt. Shortcut to The Social Fund Commissioner's Annual Report - 2005/2006

 

Read my comments at  http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2007-01-16a.102383.h  whereby Lesley Strathie's written answer gets completely de-bunked.

The DWP have made some revisions to their web pages causing browsers of the original Crisis Loans link URL to be re-directed.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/crisis_loans.asp 

has (since 9 Feb 2007) been re-directing to;

http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/

Dev_013949.xml.html

 

Although I first noticed this happening today, a peep at the page info

(WARNING 93 Kb image file, not recomended for slower internet)

of the page above showed that it was modified at 01:02 hrs. this morning, and, that it is indeed a new redirect, note the 'Address' and the 'Referring URL'.

The page which I originally linked to has gone and a very different page

appears instead. Click on the link above and see for yourself!

 

Now here's a strange thing, at the bottom of the JC+ page it says under the heading, 'You can download a Budgeting Loan form', "You can download a Crisis Loans form in PDF format. The form comes with notes that will help you fill it in and tell you where to send the completed form." Untrue, the form gives no advice on where to send it other than to contact JC+ or Social Security. Given that JC+ have been refusing to accept 'paper based claims' and saying that there is no alternative to the 0800 method, this is erroneous nonesense.

 

I can't speculate as to the significance of  this, but I do find it curious that

a DWP page advising 'clients' that it was OK to make a 'paper based claim' re-directs to a 'JC+' page which omits this fact, and also it links to a pdf pamphlet which in turn makes the same omission. (http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/

websitecontent/dev_012147.pdf)
(What makes it even more curious to me is that, in an email which I sent

him on 17/01/2007, I brought to the attention of  James Plaskitt M.P. that contradictory advice was being given by the DWP and JC+ , the only

difference now is that the DWP advice page has conveniently and

mysteriously become unavailable on the web!)
In the section "How and when do I make a claim" (on page 12 of the pdf)

it only says, "To apply for a Crisis Loan get in touch with Jobcentre Plus.",

and goes on to say, "Some JC+ offices are now able to take Crisis Loan

applications over the telephone. The office you contact will advise you of

whether they can deal with your application by telephone."  It's bull****

because it's more than likely that the office you contact will advise you of

the 0800 call centre, whereby you can re-dial  ad infinitum for days without

getting a reply from an assessor. This is what happened to my neighbour

on 11th of January 2007, and when I asked if JC+ would allow a claim using form sf401 they refused. That's funny because in their report ; (from December 2005)
Submission to the Work and Pensions Committee

The efficiency savings programme in Jobcentre Plus , the CAB wrote,
"Jobcentre Plus offices have also refused to accept completed forms, even

when they have been downloaded from their own website.  Bureaux report a widespread, if incorrect, belief amongst Jobcentre Plus staff that it is no longer possible to complete paper forms.  It is in fact unlawful not to allow claimants to submit paper claims, especially when they have no other alternative.

(Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations, Reg. 4)"

I am not convinced that JC+ have suddenly got their act together.

The introduction of the new 'CMS' IT and telephony systems have been beset by problems for years, and then, (that is in the space of one month) everything is running like a "well oiled machine", pull the other one JC+ and stop insulting peoples' intelligence.