Annex
WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS RAISED AT THE
WORK AND PENSIONS SELECT COMMITTEE HEARING 9 NOVEMBER 2005
Q26: Average waiting times for work-focused
interviews
Jobcentre Plus does not have a formal target
covering the average time between application and work-focused
interview. The business has an internal standard of four days.
Information is not collated nationally on local performance against
this standard. Based on a sample across 12 of our contact centres
covering 273 local service outlets, the average waiting time for
week commencing 31 October is 7.3 days. Over the previous four
weeks, the trend has been an improving one which has seen the
waiting time reduce from 8.5 days.
Qs 35 and 37: Lone parent employment programme
and staff training budgets
Staff Training
Jobcentre Plus has in place a comprehensive
programme of different types of training to help advisers and
equip them with the full range of knowledge and skills required
to support customers to find work. This includes technology based
learning, facilitated learning, Open Learning study, mentoring
and coaching and discussion groups to share good practice and
discuss and resolve common issues.
All advisers are required to complete a basic set
of learning opportunities called a "routeway". In total,
this equates to approximately 34 days learning.
The first part of the routeway covers induction and
information on Departmental policies. It also includes training
on basic customer service skills, and information on keeping safe.
The routeway then moves on to awareness of the Department's customers
and covers employment legislation.
Also contained in the routeway is approximately seven
days learning on the benefits administered by Jobcentre Plus,
thus giving the Personal Adviser basic knowledge of all the benefits.
A further 11 days learning concentrates on the role
of the Adviser, looking at the processes within Jobcentre Plus
and how to assist customers in finding jobs. There is also an
additional advanced skills package aimed solely at Personal Advisers.
Lone Parent Advisers receive an additional three
days learning. This consists of a two-day open learning package
which looks at the features and benefits of the New Deal for Lone
Parent initiative. It also covers points such as childcare issues
and in work support. The Advisers will also attend a one-day workshop
run jointly by Gingerbread, the National Council for One Parent
Families and Daycare Trust. This workshop focuses on the issues
experienced by Lone Parents.
There is no specific budget for Lone Parent learning
and development, it is integrated into the total Adviser learning
budget and delivered according to business requirements.
Employment Programme Budgets for Lone Parents
|
| Expenditure | 2003-04
| £20.5 million |
| Expenditure | 2004-05
| £24.5 million |
| Forecast outturn | 2005-06
| £29.4 million |
|
In addition to the above, Lone Parents are supported by other
provision, eg Adviser Discretion Funding, which is in addition
to the above figures.
|
| Core
| Change | Total
|
|
| 2004-05 | £13 million
| £11 million | £24 million
|
| 2005-06 | £10 million*
| £19 million | £29 million
|
|
In 2005-06, actual expenditure to the end of September was
approx £11.6 million. This means that £17.8 million
will fall in the latter half of the financial year. Whilst expenditure
in 2005-06 is loaded towards the latter half of the year, these
projections are considered robust. This suggests that expenditure
for this priority group has increased over the three-year period.
Q42: Size of Personal Adviser caseload
Personal Advisers (PAs) conduct on average 25 to 35 interviews
per week. Advisers conduct interviews of varying types and lengths,
work full or part time and have different levels of experience
so that expectations will differ on the number of interviews conducted
each day. The balance of their time is spent on adviser-related
activities such as interview preparation and post-interview action,
keeping their local labour market intelligence and advisory skills
up to date and liaising with providers, partners and employers.
JSA customers receive weekly caseload interviews from PAs
when they enter the New Deal Gateway (at 6 months for customers
aged 18-24 and at 18 months for customers aged 25 and over). Customers
not on New Deal are seen at 13 weeks, six months and 12 months
in addition to fortnightly jobsearch reviews.
Lone Parents are supported by PAs as part of the New Deal for
Lone Parents (NDLP); since the NDLP started (August 98) 635,000
customers have joined the programme.
Customers on Incapacity Benefit who need help are also offered
PA support, or may receive help through the New Deal for Disabled
People (NDDP) to help them progress their plans towards moving
into work.
Although Jobcentre Plus does not currently hold data on caseload
sizes, benchmarks are being developed for the 2006-07 operational
year. Only those customers who need Adviser support to move into
work will be supported by Advisers, with other customers who need
less support being helped by other staff. The proposals are:
|
| Customer Type | Caseload size
| Caseload Turnover |
|
| JSA | Optimum size of no more than 30-40
| 2 per week (off the register)
|
| IB | | 2 per week
|
| LP | | 2 per week
|
|
| Qs 46, 47, 48, 50 and 51:Customer Management System
|
See attached supplementary memorandum at Annex 2.
See attached CMS business case at Annex 3 and CMS Release 3 business
case at Annex 4.
Qs 55 to 58: CSA Interface
See Annex 5: CSA Table 2, note 3 for the source of the 81,000
cases figure quoted by Mr Mulholland.
Note 3 reads that: "New scheme uncleared figures include
cases transferred from Jobcentre Plus which are awaiting processing
and input to the main CS2 computer system (some 81,000 cases).
These figures may be subject to revision in future issues of these
tables."
Jobcentre Plus takes action on behalf of the Child Support Agency
(CSA) where a Jobcentre Plus customer or their partner makes a
claim for Income Support (IS) or Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) and
has a child who lives with them, and the child has a non-resident
parent. Where the Jobcentre Plus Customer Management System (CMS)
identifies potential CSA interest, Jobcentre Plus asks the CSA
to decide if further action is required.
If the CSA request further information to be collected, Jobcentre
Plus asks the customer (the parent with care of the child) the
appropriate CSA questions. This is either by completion of the
CS1 application form or over the telephone using CMS. In either
case, the information obtained from the customer is sent to the
CSA electronically. The level of information provided by the customer
varies case by case. Jobcentre Plus can only collect the information
the customer is able to provide although in practice as many staff
are experienced in this work, they can often help the customer.
However, due to the design of the CSA's new system CS2, it is
our understanding that all cases sent electronically to the CSA
are put into a task (task 156) because they need to include additional
information to consider the case complete, eg child reference
numbers. Jobcentre Plus advised the CSA that it does not hold
the information, eg child reference numbers, needed to consider
the case complete and would not be able to gather it, as it will
not usually be known by the parent with care who is the Jobcentre
Plus customer.
In summary, the evidence indicates the 81,000 cases are the CSA's
backlog.
| 
