Has anybody been on the Work and Health Programme?

my job-center adviser as referred me to the whp i asked is it voluntary, she said yes. i health problems,im 62, just want to retire,. just thought this WHP might work in my favor if they leave me alone to do my own job-search and occasional interview skill rubbish,
i told reed on the phone i don't want to do any work trial,he said they are only for 2 days max, so i agreed on the appointment on Thursday,they say they will pay bus fairs.
does any one know what it entails before i agree to take part, how many days a week ect do i attend,
thanks,

london123 wrote:does any one know what it entails before i agree to take part

You've already agreed to go to an initial meeting and although you can back out at any time (if it is truly voluntary) you need to take the following into account:

The Work and Health Programme (WHP) is a targeted contracted employment provision offering tailored support to help eligible claimants to find sustained work.

It is voluntary unless the claimant reaches 24 months Long Term Unemployment (LTU) and is not already participating in the programme , in which case it is mandatory.

If a participant is already on the programme as a volunteer and have disengaged and they reach the 24 month Long Term Unemployed (LTU) trigger point they must be mandated back on to the programme at this point and must complete the balance of time left on the programme.

The above is very nasty. Why bother to volunteer then? Might as well wait until it becomes mandatory.

london123 wrote:just thought this WHP might work in my favor if they leave me alone to do my own job-search and occasional interview skill rubbish

The aim of the WHP is to get you into work. They will set up job interviews for you to attend.   

The WHP tackles barriers to work by linking up with health and social care providers and other local services aimed at getting people into work. It offers more intensive, tailored support than can be provided by the standard Jobcentre Plus offer, or through other available services and provision.

provide additional support that is distinct and additional to that available through Jobcentre Plus

Voluntary participants can disengage from the programme, although they should be encouraged to return to the programme. Their allotted time on the programme will continue to count towards the 456 calendar days. They can re-engage with the provider at any point within their allotted time on the programme.

london123 wrote: how many days a week ect do i attend

for participants with a disability, capacity to participate for any minimum number of hours per week/month will not form part of the decision to refer as there are no minimum hours of support/participation in the WHP.

Once a fortnight is too often in my opinion, particularly for anyone with health problems who might already struggle to cope with the fortnightly signing on sessions. Adding the WHP into the mix is simply more stress.

london123 wrote:i told reed on the phone i don't want to do any work trial,he said they are only for 2 days max

I don't think I'd trust anyone who said "they are only for 2 days" to me when they've not even met me and don't know how it would affect my health conditions. How casual of him to ignore the fact that if your referral is truly voluntary then you can't be mandated to attend any work trial, no matter how long they are. At all times your health conditions must be taken into consideration.  

So far the WHP has been as big a failure as the Work Programme. If you truly want to get back into work then there's a slim chance the WHP might be able to help you but if you simply want to be left alone to do your own job search, that won't happen. The WHP provider is paid to push you into any work you can do (taking your health into consideration, although I think they will ignore that part if they can).

thanks for your input, does not sound good do you think i should just not turn up for the meeting on Thursday.

i could message my job coach on my universal credit journal saying ive read up about this program and its not for me,
do you think ill be ok doing this, im also moving to a over 60s bungalow in 2 weeks so will be busy moving,

You could tell your work coach you're not going as a courtesy but s/he should definitely have told you that if you drop out of the WHP, you'll be mandated for the remainder, but they never seem to.

Gallazz wrote:You could tell your work coach you're not going as a courtesy but s/he should definitely have told you that if you drop out of the WHP, you'll be mandated for the remainder, but they never seem to.

remainder i haven't started the course,

london123 wrote:
remainder i haven't started the course,

I understand you haven't. Didn't mean to confuse or alarm you, I just meant that people should be informed of the conditions before they're asked to attend a provider meeting.

If you did not go through a WHP interview then they did not follow correct procedures.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/460415/response/1110039/attach/6/3.Initial%20Int%20caseload.pdf

They clearly did not explain the WHP to you, or you wouldn't have had to come on here and ask how many hours per week it was for or what it was all about.

I would definitely state that at this time you are unable to start the WHP, remind them that it's voluntary. A house move is a good reason not to start, particularly bearing in mind that you are over 60 and it's stressful at the best of times.

I know a friend on the WHP program, so far he has to attend once a week with the WHP coach, as well as any JCP appointments to attend.  And has been to two different 'soft skills' course these where ‘interview techniques’ and ‘career change’. And he is in his 60’s with some major health problem so the likely hood of any employer investing time and money in him is very unlikely?  But he says the WHP coach has a deaf ear to his. Also they want him in for computer job search once a week in addition to any appointments, so they can monitor what he is applying for. Even thou he has the internet at home and computer literate, yet they still want him on their pc’s?  

His option of the WHP so far has been very poor, and have been on little or no help. Just repeating of what the JCP has been doing, just more harassment from these people.

well i have the flu coming on,so defiantly not going to the meeting on Thursday. when i don't show they will ring my job-coach
when my job-coach rings asking why i did not addend the meeting, ill say as its voluntary i changed my mind after doing some research,i decided against it, and also will mention the flu.

ive moved this into the jobseeker help section for now

admin

hi and welcome to the site

london123 wrote:well i have the flu coming on,so defiantly not going to the meeting on Thursday. when i don't show they will ring my job-coach
when my job-coach rings asking why i did not addend the meeting,  ill say as its voluntary i changed my mind after doing some research,i decided against it, and also will mention the flu.

To be fair I'd try to contact the provider to cancel the meeting on Thursday citing your above reasons, after all, you did agree to go and a "no show" might not go down well with your roach.

Absolut wrote:

london123 wrote:well i have the flu coming on,so defiantly not going to the meeting on Thursday. when i don't show they will ring my job-coach
when my job-coach rings asking why i did not addend the meeting,  ill say as its voluntary i changed my mind after doing some research,i decided against it, and also will mention the flu.

To be fair I'd try to contact the provider to cancel the meeting on Thursday citing your above reasons, after all, you did agree to go and a "no show" might not go down well with your roach.

yes will do that after ringing reed on Thursday morning stating i cant make it ,and would like to decline the program.

london123 wrote:yes will do that after ringing reed on Thursday morning stating i cant make it ,and would like to decline the program.

I hate roaches soft-soaping vulnerable clients onto that scheme. If any schemes are ever mentioned to you again the best response is to say you will take some time to look into it first before agreeing and will get back to them. For example, my JC is quite happy to send disabled claimants to a provider who works out of a second floor location that anyone on crutches or in a wheelchair would struggle to cope with. Scumbags, the lot of them.

rang reed yesterday and explained i had flu and would not be attending the appointment on Thursday for the WHP ,also said that the program not for me and will look else where for voluntary work. he replied ok get well soon,
then i wrote in my online journal to my work coach explaining what i had done,she messaged back saying thanks for the update,
now today i receive a text from reed saying they will ring me later to book another appointment as my job coach as referred me. but ive heard nothing else from my job coach, so ive blocked there number on my phone.

london123 wrote:so ive blocked there number on my phone.

my job center coach was not happy about pulling out of the course, and as told me to reconsider or face sanctions,or daily signing.and she will be putting it to a decision maker if i don't go on the course, shes given me two weeks to think about it, so looks like ive no options,

london123 wrote:my job center coach was not happy about pulling out of the course, and as told me to reconsider or face sanctions,or daily signing.and she will be putting it to a decision maker if i don't go on the course, shes given me two weeks to think about it, so looks like ive no options,

OMG!

Don't have time to write a detailed post but unless the referral was mandatory and it was made clear to you in writing that your benefit would be affected if you didn't attend, you can't be sanctioned for not accepthing the referral to the WHP. You didn't 'pull out' because you didn't start - a referral to the WHP isn't the same as a start.

I think she's trying to frighten you into accepting the voluntary referral.

Will edit later to include links but someone might back me up in the mean time.

Draft letter for your consideration London123

Address 1
Address 2
Town / City
Postcode

Date

District Manager
DWP Complaints
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 2GY

Email is best

District Manager Emails:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-partnership-opportunities-with-jobcentre-plus/jobcentre-plus-district-managers-contacts-for-partnership-opportunities

Dear [add name]

Formal Complaint:  Unlawful threat of a sanction/unfavourable treatment for choosing not to attend the Work &Health Programme on a voluntary basis.

I am writing to ask you to investigate my concerns in line with your complaints and maladministration policies as follows:

[Date] I was referred by [name] to attend [name of provider].  I didn’t receive a lawful mandatory notice to attend the scheme and I was not told that I would suffer unspecified consequences if I chose not to attend.

[Date]  My Jobcentre work coach told me she was not happy that I did not attend the voluntary meeting and said that I’d face sanctions, or punitive daily attendance as result of my decision.  She also said she would be submitting my case to a Decision Maker if I didn’t attend the course.  She has given me two weeks to think about it.

Jobcentre officers have a common law duty to provide sufficient information to meet the 'prior information requirement' to establish whether the requirement to participate in a mandatory scheme should be imposed.

Evidence

The letter/information you received.

Impact of the maladministration/ fraud / breach of the Civil Service Code of Conduct

Immense stress and mistrust of the JC official.

Resolution

An apology
A change in process/procedure
Financial redress
Change of work coach

In your response please provide details of the relevant internal policy and/or the legislation you have used.   This letter is also a formal, Freedom of Information request for the internal policy you’ve applied in this case.

I look forward to receiving a written reply within 15 days.

Yours sincerely

Signature

Name
NI no.

Copy to MP ?

https://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/


References

Complaints procedure
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure

DWP Customer Charter
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-customer-charter

Staff & Provider Complaints
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/155225/response/377558/attach/html/4/Guidance%20for%20complaints%20about%20providers.pdf.html

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/155225/response/377558/attach/html/5/Guidance%20for%20complaints%20about%20staff.pdf.html

Special Payment Guide
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/277119/response/674068/attach/html/3/Guide%20for%20special%20payment%20officers.pdf.html

Financial Redress for Maldministration Guide
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/671381/financial-redress-for-maladministration-dwp-staff-guide.pdf

Civil Service Conduct and Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-conduct-and-guidance

Citizens Advice information
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/benefits-introduction/problems-with-benefits-and-tax-credits/complaining-about-the-service-you-ve-received-benefits-and-tax-credits/ Not applicable

i said to my work coach you said this course is voluntary, she said it is but it will help you to get back in to work.and these spaces for the course are well sought after, i said well give someone else the course, see she said no its for you.she also said the person from reed who phoned to say i was not attending the course was shouting at her other phone,

i have sent a complaint to dwp stating the draft that
Non_Deficere2 posted. ill wait and see the out come,and get back to you, thanks for helping.

london123 wrote:i have sent a complaint to dwp stating the draft that
Non_Deficere2 posted. ill wait and see the out come,and get back to you, thanks for helping.

Well done. I think your roach will cack herself when she gets wind of it.

hope so,

Please check out the thread on this Forum started by MightyQunit way back in April on this link:

https://respectfulbenefits.forumotion.com/t3574-being-mandated-onto-whp

The Work and Health Programme is thoroughly and comprehensively discussed.

A bit more here:

https://respectfulbenefits.forumotion.com/t4061-9-out-of-10-of-work-and-health-programme-whp-participants-88-have-not-obtained-a-job-outcome#11306

Even more here:

https://respectfulbenefits.forumotion.com/t3652p25-linking-periods-for-the-work-health-programme

Surprised nobody pointed those threads out to you. Would have saved 3 weeks of posts and much unnecessary anxiety.

Fortunately, more through luck than management, further action by your coach is delayed.

You don't specify to whom in DWP you have made your formal complaint. So far your dispute is between yourself and your work coach and as such if you sent your complaint to a District Manager you would have wasted your time since they do not handle such complaints at an initial stage without it having progressed through the Jobcentre's own internal complaints procedures first.

If you intend to make a formal complaint it should be addressed in the first instance to you coach and copy to your Jobcentre manager. It should be in writing. Have you got time before your next appointment to compile/arrange your response?

In the meantime do not contact the Provider in any way, shape or form, ignore completely any mail or calls from them to you. Remember, even setting foot on the Provider's premises implies consent to the referral, that's even before you open your mouth.

All complaints go via the Complaints Resolution Manager unless you ask to speak to the local manager.

I find from years of experience that it is most effective to email the district manager, who will swiftly forward the complaint to the CRT.  I used to have all the internal CRT emails, but they have changed.  I am not so active these days!!

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure#who-to-contact-1