Flexible New Deal Ombudsman: Where? New Blog launched
Post Categories: DWP • Flexible New Deal • Flexible New Deal Sanctions
Tags: Department for Work and Pensions, DWP, Flexible New Deal, Flexible New Deal Ombudsman, jobcentre Plus
Flexible New Deal Ombudsman
There is meant to be a Flexible New Deal Ombudsman (was recommended) – which doesn’t currently exist. We are launching a new blog today that exposes such concerns to Flexible New Deal participants who might not be aware of such recommendations for an independent body to overlook and regulate Flexible New Deal for both participants and providers. The blog aims to answer your questions – if you have a question to ask which isn’t on there please leave it in the comment to this blog article.
Link Summary
- Flexible New Deal: providers request passport, driving licence or birth certificate
- Flexible New Deal: ESL48JP Entitlement doubt guidance
- Where is the Flexible New Deal Ombudsman?
- Flexible New Deal Sanction Register
- Flexible New Deal: Who can award sanction doubts?
- Flexible New Deal subcontractors 'not readily available'
15 Responses to “Flexible New Deal Ombudsman: Where? New Blog launched”
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I have asked them about the flexible new deal ombudsman nobody know in JCP halesowen. SCARY
Yeah it doesn’t exist and I doubt it will even exist.
I have asked if their is someone other than dwp i can complain to an independent person as well and again no answer and that was of jcp manager as welll
Its unlikely that if there was ever going to be an Ombudsman for Flexible New Deal would it ever truely be an independent person. Likely to be a supervisor of an Decision Maker.
I will believe it when I see it. It may be like any number of other ‘Quangos,’ like OfGem for example, all talk and no teeth!
18 February Had a telephone call from the manager of halesowen DWP. One step up from the manager that I hav been speaking to. I was told you have got to do this that and the tuther to still get ya benefits. I asked about the Ombudsman. to which she stated their is one called the Independent Case Examiner (I.C.E) But from what i gleamed this person hasn’t got any powers to tell the dwpwhat to do just advise and the dwp is so stupid it probably ignores
Exactly – the ICE (as much good as an ice cube) is a worst solution to a problem than an Appeal Tribunal – thats saying something!
To make it completely clear; the Flexible New Deal Ombudsman is supposed to be a watchdog/ombudsman service overlooking Flexible New Deal primarily for the participants *and* also for mediation etc. of providers and sub-contractor disputes. This hasn’t materialised.
For the benefits of other blog viewers and contributors, the Independent Case Examinator isn’t this ombudsman service under a different name.
This is the person you moan to when for example if the Jobcentre Plus District Manager don’t resolve your Jobcentre Plus complaint – NOT about New Deal or Flexible New Deal courses, providers or any other related matters. If your Flexible New Deal/New Deal provider doesnt resolve your complaint apart from alerting Jobcentre plus (likely to be on their side regardless) theres no where to go… I.C.E wont accept private complaints.
It is the typical non-sense… the bloke is a lawyer with experience…. he is NOT a civil servant or involved with Government Agencies and has no ties with management of such, HOWEVER, the service is publicly funded (before you ask it could have been a charity remaining even more independent) and they appear to limit the number of complaints you can make without being banned. For example, I wouldn’t be eligible to use their service because of “safeguarding public funds” as I would be using too much of their time up – I generally see the idea behind it for fairness – but if it really is the last resort to resolve complaints with Jobcentre Plus it should be unlimited with emphasis on unique cases (i.e. your other cases wait in a queue to be fair).
Oh bloody hell your telling me FND I could intheory be banned for legitemately complaining about Fleible new Deal. So My question is if you have complained about your provider or lack of provider help does this mean they would ignore you and you could then get vexatious sanctions from the provider like so many others have said
Spot on! The problem at the end of the day is the trust and corruption in the system. Jobcentre Plus do not see New Deal providers and Flexible New Deal providers as third parties… they are “partners” (treated exactly like other Jobcentre Plus staff) which always will take presence over you the claimant (“customer”) even when the provider is out numbered. Even though technically they are partners – when it comes to sanctions the approach needs to be from an independent approach where the Decision Maker actually reads the entire appeal / reasons and make an fair decision (rather than allowing you a say/appeal to tick the box).
Also the sanction system is corrupt and unfair. If you left a job voluntary – gave your reasons as it being below National Minimum Wage – that would be “good cause”. If on the appeal form you also said (in addition) you were worst off than jobseekers allowance because travelling cost a big chunk of your daily pay (which I personally think is a fair reason in addition to being paid below NMW) you would NOT have “good cause”.
Jobcentre Plus will say a Decision Maker looks through the case and makes a decision – but on Flexible New Deal in particular this isn’t the case. Without seeing evidence an sanction is agreed (I assume it is by telephone but can’t prove it – I have copies from correspondence on New Deal… the BDC sorting address takes between 2-4 weeks from posting, being sorted, getting received at physical location and being processed – i.e. read and a decision made) which is the next Benefit Week! (On New Deal sanctions could be applied up to 3 months later) For fixed sanctions anyway, the “customer” isn’t given an opportunity for his or hers reasons and due to the bending of the rules the claimant receives no prior notification. I assume because Flexible New Deal providers have Employment Officer status that nothing is checked – and if they want to sanction someone it goes. After all, it isn’t rocket science to withhold payment from someone.
To go back and answer your question… If the Flexible New Deal Ombudsman did exist they could ignore you and blacklist you (I think the Flexible New Deal Ombudsman (if will ever exist) would be a Decision Maker at the BDC with Supervisory status… therefore you would be prone to more sanction decisions against you. This is what I have found out about Jobcentre Plus – not had a problem until I upset one of their partners (New Deal provider YMCA Training) by making a complaint (which on induction they advised/encouraged) who came running crying to Jobcentre Plus… since then everything has been wrong. When YMCA Training forwarded my confidential complaints I sent them over to Jobcentre Plus I ironically received a sanction the following Benefit Week… coincidence I think not! First time I was “exited” was for “Gross Misconduct” – yet no sanction – and had to do “balance of time”…)
I am so worried about Flexible New Deal – I think 90% of all participants on Flexible New Deal will atleast receive one sanction (2 week fixed).
bEEN TOLD THAT TWO PEOPLE CN BE COMPLAINED TO.
Anne Abraham parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman. she needs you to be refered by my mp
AND john hamlon can investigate the problems people are having be warned this is ICE
Not being libel against Anne – sure she does a great job – but whos idea was it to appoint a single person where corruption is very easy to implement?
Afer a long talk with tony hickman of dwp halesowen. I was informed that ICE is far from toothless. It does have the ability to award compensation,and recomend and in numerous cases remove a member of staff from their jobs even demote people
Thanks for the research of this information.
Appeal Tribunals also have the ability to recommend or suggest an outcome but leaves it up to DWP etc. whether or not to go along with it.
Do they have the legal ability to go long with the recommendations?
This sounds rather like the Social Security Advisory Committee (?) who recommended an ombudsman etc. and big elements of the welfare reform including exempting people from sanctions who have voluntary extended their Flexible New Deal scheme duration (from 12 months to 18 months). They refused to take on the SSAC’s recommendations. Rather a pointless process.
No this manager stated that he used to work for csa before transfering over to the disability side. He said that they awarded compensation and even demoted peopleor had them moved. he said and i quote “They ARE FAR FROM TOOTHLESS”
The FND1 booklet clearly states that the provider is positive, and helpful, discusses what i need to find work, and treat people fairly. i was also under the impression they were there to offer us good quality vacancies which were sustainable, and stop the revolving door syndrome of being unemployed.
I was sent to peopleserve in may, because i have had a chronic illness sicca syndrome for 17 years, i am finding it hard to get employment, and i had high hopes that they would help me, I feel know i am in the pits of despair, since i joined in May i have felt no benefit of being there what so ever, from day one they have depressed me and bullied me, slandered me, labelled me a liar that im not really ill, and if you try to voice your opinion about what you would like to do, the hours you would like to work your threatened to have your money withdrawn and left destitute.
So far they have offered me nothing which i am qualified for or have the relevent skills. they have set an action plan up, but it has not been discussed with me, and i have no idea what it contains.
I have chosen to try and get into retail as i have been unemployed a while, they are willing to train you, but Peopleserve have said in their opinion ( which i dont think a lot of) that i would be more suitable to social care. On monday evening i was taken by ambulance to staffordshire hospital after collapsing with chest pains, diagnosed as having skeletal muscle pain part of the sicca syndrome, at the present time i am waiting to see if it is short term or long term condition, if it is the latter it will impede my chances of getting employment.
At the present time i have had to go and see my consultants, about getting medical letters to actually prove their is something wrong with me, and yet again today i got bullied by peopleserve because their is a backlog at the hospital with their admin and patients letters, so i am having to wait, but peopleserve view this as my fault and im not trying. I feel insulted at the way i have been treated.
i have been told my programme is 52 weeks, I cannot see me enduring this unless things change or i will be back on incapacity benefit with stress and depression.
The vacancy they have given me today, which they say i have to apply for, but she hasnt given me the details for, so how can i apply, is 6-18 hours far under the 25-30 hours i need to survive with a life off benefit.
and i would not be able to get a tax credit if its under 16 hours, i tried to explain this to peopleserve, and i got told “it would be seen as i was sabotaging an interview” and my money would be sanctioned”.
this seems to be their favourite phrase.
I have reported this to ******* jobcentre who have apologised for how i am being treated, and i have an appointment with them tomorrow, as peopleserve keep putting the blame for their inadequacy at the jobcentres door, and their referral techniques, and i feel its up to me to try and find the truth out.
And know peopleserve have told me i have to apply for 10 vacancies a week, I don’t have a car and their are not 10 vacancies out their which i am qualified to apply for. Am i suppose to apply for brain surgeon in some deluded hope i might actually get it?
The job centre told me two weeks ago, that their are limited vacancies to apply for, which i agree with, but to peopleserve its like they are on a different planet, If the government want to save money, I would sack peopleserve, this idea could be monitored more effectively through the jobcentre, at a fraction of the cost.
we may be unemployed and desperate to get back to work, but we should also be treated fairly not like something that has crawled out of the gutter. oh and for anyone reading this i would work for nothing im not one of the work shy.