I work for the DWP ... and what I’ve seen is shocking

Shawn @rightsnet wrote:Blimey ... there’s a lot in here ... from a UC case manager -

- the problem is compounded by [DWP staff] lack of knowledge about the universal credit regulations
- it is not uncommon for charities and support workers to inform case managers ... of the law, rather than the other way round.
- in reality, claimants are putting important journal messages about jobs and interviews online all the time, and the case managers and work coaches can’t reply.
-many of my colleagues feel out of their depth ... resulting in a vast amount of crucial work never being completed until claimants contact us when their payments are inevitably paid incorrectly or not at all.
- if the person who’s looking after your universal credit payment takes some annual leave, you could be left penniless by accident.
- one of the principles we’re told is central to case management is that claimants are entirely responsible for their own claim. The system alerts us when deadlines have been missed, allowing us to cruelly close claims.
- claimants who state that they are facing eviction are a penny a dozen. We are told that legal proceedings can take months so a claimant is “never really facing eviction”.
- many claimants react in anger; others break down in tears. It’s only minutes until we’re dealing with the next caller – and the last caller is quickly forgotten.