dwpeople may 2008 complete magazine

Getting to know youFinding out what makes millions of DWP customers tick

A real eye-openerCommunity 5000 helps staff to see things differently

Roar of approvalThe trio who entered theLions’ Lair – and lived totell the tale!

Your DWP staff magazine

MAY 2008

Street wisePensions reform offersbetter deal for mums and carers

dwpeople

DWPeople_May_2008_edition1:DWPeople_January_2008_edition.qxd 01/05/2008 14:27

Right at theheart of ITAs one of DWP’s oldest and most important buildings closes,David Hall takes a nostalgic look back at a historic site

DWP’s site at Lytham St. Annes (LSA),which closed its doors last month, hasbeen at the heart of developing theDepartment’s IT systems for over 20 years.

Robert Millin, head of IT servicemanagement division, says: “So manyof our current IT systems weredesigned, tested and delivered fromLSA. In many ways the site was thebirthplace for DWP’s IT revolution.”

LSA has been a key IS/IT provider forthe Department, producing thesystems we all rely on daily to supportcustomers and staff, including theIncome Support Computer System(ISCS), Customer Management System(CMS) and the Job Seekers ApplicationSystem (JSAPS).

Robert is keen to point out that the work of the LSA site over the years in DWP terms shouldn’t be underestimated.

“LSA was perhaps not our mostimpressive looking officeaccommodation, but the immensework that went in to improve the IS/ITof DWP over the years is a testamentto the people who worked there.

“This work will continue regardless of locale but in many ways this truly is the end of an era in theDepartment’s history.”

All LSA staff are now safely housed atthe Peel Park site in nearby Blackpool.

Way before DWP arrived, the firstPremium Bonds draw happened atthe site in Lytham St. Annes on 1June 1957.

For over 40 years LSA continued tobe the home of the premium bonds draw and the famous ERNIEpredictor.

“On regular Tuesdays every monththe general public would descendupon the site to sit in the ERNIElounge,” says Larry Mccaffery of CITservice delivery.

“The wait for the numberannouncement was always anexciting moment!”

During the site’s heyday LSA alsoheld a glitzy Miss Premium Bondscontest each year, which lasted wellinto the 1970s.

Away from the glamour of ERNIE,the LSA site generated a feeling ofgenuine camaraderie amongst the900 DWP staff who worked therethrough the years.

Tom Lund from The Pension Servicesays: “There was a genuinecommunity feeling about the place, with a yearly sports day, anda regular newsletter. LSA will bemuch missed.”

A Premium Bond

While the LSA site may not havebeen the most aestheticallypleasing department building, itcan lay claim to witnessing agenuine slice of British history.

Left: Part of the DWPLytham St Annes site.

Robert Millin, head of IT servicemanagement, jokinglydescibed it as“perhaps not ourmost impressivelooking officeaccommodation!”

ERNIE in his heyday, circa 1956


Roar of approvalIntrepid trio survive the‘Lion’s Lair’

Contents

News in BriefNews from across the Department

Putting customers firstFinding out what makesmillions of people tick

For the causeMiriam Smith does her bit for charity

Taking a healthy leadA little help to kick-start a healthier lifestyle

A real eye-openerThe latest news fromCommunity 5000

RM with a viewDWPeople tackles this hot topic

QuiztimeWin a £15 voucher with our crossword

04

06

14Getting the EU partystartedMarking Europe Day27

DWPeople – Whilst every effort is made to ensure the reliability of advertisers, DWP cannot accept any liability. The acceptance of advertisements does notimply recommendation by DWP. The advertising for DWPeople is managed by Landmark Publishing Services, 2 Windmill Street, London W1T 2HX. Tel: 0207692 9292. All locations in DWP should receive enough copies of DWPeople to share around.

LettersStaff views including howto get a job as a skiver!

Busted!Meet the dodgy refereeand the market con-man

Lean shapes up DWPFind out how Lean ishaving an impact

10

09

12 26

22

18

Levelling the playing fieldPension reform forwomen and carers

Team of the monthWoolwich Jobcentre Plus is cream of the crop20

16

24

08


A NEW intranet site to help staffdeal with customers who havespecific communication barriers isnow available online.

The pages provide simple and easyaccess to current guidance andpractical information on helpingpeople with hearing impairments orspeech difficulties and thosecustomers whose first language isnot English.

This includes information andguidance on various topics such aswritten communications in alternativeformats and using interpreters.

The new site will continue to beupdated to give our customers a moreconsistent service.

To access the pages go to HRHomepage > Diversity and Equalityand select Customer Service.

4 | dwpeople | May 2008

News in Brief

MANY thanks to everyone who tookpart in the DWPeople readershipsurvey.

We received over 4,000 responsesand look forward to bringing youthe results in the next issue.

In the meantime, congratulations tothe winners of the prize draw

They are the lawTHE former Law, Governance andSpecial Policy Group (LGSPG) hasrelaunched as Legal Group.

A new intranet site gives staffclearer signposting to who they are and what they do.

The group works with ministers and colleagues, providing expertassistance and a wide range ofservices, including security and data protection, governance and legal services.

Legal Group also advise colleaguesthroughout DWP and provides an in-house legal service for theDepartment of Health.

Director general Richard HeatonCIPR have compiled candidates fortheir annual ‘Excellence Awards’ and the Department has achievedtwo major nominations. DWPinternal communications hassecured a place in the Planning,Research and Evaluation category,while Jobcentre Plus has made theshortlist for the Special Award foreNewsletter and Magazines.

Prizes will be presented later in theyear at the London Hilton on ParkLane Hotel.

PDCS appoints directors

For more information about what the new group can offer, visit the Legal Group intranet site (via the DWP intranet A-Z).

Removing the barriers

who each receive a £15 Marks andSpencer voucher – they are: LorraineBird, Liz Lindsay, George Adams,Morag Mackay and StephenLittlewood.

� Look out for the June issue to find out what the results are andwhat DWPeople will do about it.

DWPeople – the results are in

INCAPACITY Benefit customers in England, Wales and Scotland can now get even more help to find work.http://intralink/home/news/headlines/2008q2/20080428_on_the_right.asp

THE Pension, Disability and CarersService has appointed its directors. Find out more athttp://intralink/1/pdcs/about/DWP_T391652.asp

Goodbye RM password!

FIND out about upcoming changeswhich mean staff only need to log on once.http://intralink/home/news/headlines/2008q2/20080429_goodbye_rm.asp

Pathways to Work

Excellence at DWP


News in Brief

Do you have any news for inclusionin DWPeople? Email your [email protected]

Live and Direct

May 2008 | dwpeople | 5

The theme of the day will be different generations living andworking together and events will take place with schools and youthgroups, involving organisations likeAge Concern.

Mike O'Brien said: “Older People's Day will celebrate the hugecontribution older people make to our society and economy.”

Last year’s celebrations were a greatsuccess and this year DWP hopes tobuild on that achievement with thehelp of staff to develop a biggerprogramme of activities.

MINISTER of State for Pensions Reform, Mike O’Brien, has announcednew plans for DWP’s Older People’sDay activities.

Older People’s Day is on 1 October and DWP is preparing for it bydeveloping a coordinated programmeof activities as part of its older peoplestrategy called ‘Full of Life.’

Mike O’Brien added: “We want staff to take part on 1 October and would like them to send in their ideas on how they would like to get involved.”

DIRECTGOV colleagues werewelcomed into the DWP fold at areception in London on 23 April.

Permanent Secretary Leigh Lewissaid: “It is always a pleasure towelcome new colleagues. Workingtogether I know that we can all makeDirectgov even more of a successthan it already is.”

The Government's flagship digitalservice moved to DWP on 1 April.

Directgov will continue to operate as anindependent cross-governmentbusiness, but will report to Joe Harley,CIT Director General and ChiefInformation Officer within DWP.

Age of enlightenment

PromotingEmploy abilityDWP is encouraging businesses torecruit disabled people and thosewith long-term health conditions.

The Employ ability campaigntargets small and medium-sizedemployers with a range ofcommunications. Employ abilityuses real-life stories of disabledpeople such as Neil Shepherd, a computer science graduate with Asperger Syndrome.

His employer was pleased to hirehim when his skills and attitudeshone through at the interview.

Find out more atwww.dwp.gov.uk/employability

Bringing together the widest range ofpublic service information and servicesin one place, Directgov will eventuallybecome the single point of access forpeople who want to accessgovernment services online.

For more information visitwww.direct.gov.uk

Staff can send ideas for local or national ways to promote and celebrate Older People’s Day to: [email protected]



Feature

Putting customers firstCatherine Chan reports on the DWP team that is getting to know thepeople we serve

OVER THE course of a year, DWP staff handle more than 300 millioncustomer contacts. With such a bigfigure it’s easy to forget that everynumber represents an individual, oftenasking the Department to help themduring the most difficult periods oftheir lives.

And whether they’re looking for work,finding out about pensions, claimingdisability benefits or sorting out theirchild maintenance – no two customersare the same.

The Department set up the CustomerInsight team to help understand itscustomers better. It’s much more thancrunching the numbers – it’s aboutgoing deeper and learning aboutcustomers’ priorities, behavioursand experiences.

Katherine Courtney heads up theteam which operates across the wholeof DWP. She says: “This is the first timethat the Department has set up aspecific team to find out more aboutthe people we serve. The CustomerInsight team works directly withcustomers, staff and delivery partnersto build up a picture of who ourcustomers are and how we can meettheir needs more appropriately.

“We’re going to use this informationto shape the way we deliver services.At the moment, the Departmentexpects customers to fit in with theway we do things – we’d like tochange this so our customers’ needscome first and we fit around them.”

One of the ways the Customer Insightteam is doing this is by looking at ourcustomers’ lifestyles, rather than seeing

them in the context of a particularservice or business. For example, thePension, Disability and Carers Servicewould previously have targeted peopleapproaching pension age with thesame generic information about statepensions – regardless of their personalcircumstances. Customer Insight usesa different approach by starting withthe needs, preferences and behavioursof this group and then designing moretailored products and services based on their findings.

The team is also focusing on DWP’srelationship with other governmentdepartments, and trying to createcloser working practices. DWP iscollaborating with HM Revenue andCustoms (HMRC) to look at commonproblems experienced by disabledcustomers and how these can be resolved.

Katherine adds: “We have alreadyreceived an enthusiastic response from staff, via both the intranet siteand at the conference held in March(see right). It’s clear that staff are going to play a really important role in our work – this is an opportunity to change the way we do things and help DWP to deliver the servicesthat our customers deserve.”

Find out moreabout Customer

Insight at:http://intralink/1/

corp/sites/customerinsight/index.asp

I don’t understandwhy I need to tell you all this

information again

Having a birthday isn’t a change of

circumstance – why all the rigmarole?

Why do I have to‘claim’ something

I’m entitled to?

“ ““ “

“ “


Feature


Staff views

How can DWP do things better? DWPeople asks two customers…

PETER Wilson injuredhis arm at work. For the last six years, he has been claimingDisability Living Allowance.

“I think it’s great that DWP is talking to itscustomers about how to improve things. “For me, the Department can improve bybeing more upfront about what people areentitled to. Unless you ask, you don’t alwaysget all the information you need – and mostmembers of the public don’t know all thetypes [of benefits] on offer.”

“I wanted to change careers but I didn’t know where to begin.Someone suggested that I speak to Jobcentre Plus so I gavethem a call.“Previously, I was a mobile hairdresser so I had lots of regularcustomers. I’ve also got two young children so working forsomeone else would be a big change for me and I would haveliked to have discussed this a bit more.“It’s great that DWP wants to make things better for customersand appreciates that we’ve all got different lifestyles.”

CATHERINE Morley wasworking as a mobilehairdresser but wanted acareer change to fit in withher family commitments.

THE Customer Insight conference brought together 130 members of stafffrom across the Department to hear more about the new team’s work.Here’s what four people thought of the event:

“The event has helped to confirmsome things I knew about CustomerInsight already and it’s been good to link it with my own experiences. For example, I have dealt with crisis loans and it would be helpfulif customers only had to give their details once. It was great tohear about the Tell Us Onceproject, which is going to help us achieve this.”

Karen TaylorBristol Jobcentre Plus

Beccy Russell DWP Business Strategy

“I’m particularly interested in the work we’re doing withCustomer Insight and the services that we offer throughthe Directgov website (known informally as the My DWPproject). The crucial thing about Customer Insight ismaking sure we deliver on what our customers tell us.”

Sam HuggonsPensions Client Group, London

“I wanted to know more about Customer Insight and to learn about how it impacts on the work I do.It’s been helpful to come here today and find out more about the plans for working with people nearing state pension age.”

Jamie MurraySheffield Jobcentre Plus

“I’m here to understand whatCustomer Insight is and howwe’re going to use the findings to improve services at JobcentrePlus. There’s always somescepticism among staff whenyou launch a new initiative andthis event is helping to reducethat. The bottom line is, we’re trying to make the customer’sexperience better.”

Delegates at the conference


Feature


RUNNING a sweaty 10km, taking abath of beans, auctioning yourself to the highest bidder or simply diggingdeep into the pockets – just some of the lengths kind-hearted folktraditionally go to in order to help out a charity they feel passionate about.

But Miriam Smith from the Disabilityand Carers Service in Lancashirewanted to go one step further (or6,800 miles further, to be precise) to do her bit.

Miriam says: “In March this year I had the privilege of travelling to the Philippines with a team of ninevolunteers to work with MinistriesWithout Borders Philippines Incorporated(MWBPI) for two weeks.”

Miriam and her team travelled to Cavite,a province just south of Manila, wherethe charity has an office, accommodationfor visitors, a maternity unit and a baby unit.

“There are no state benefits for peoplewho are out of work in the Philippines.Basically, if they don’t work they don’teat, so providing employment is a very important service,” says Miriam.

MWBPI provides employment for several midwives in their maternity unit and support for the vast majorityof Filipinos who can’t afford to pay formaternity care.

“There are normally two options:either delivery at home by theirhusband or unqualified neighbour, or go to the state-run hospital wherethey can share a bed with four otherwomen and stand in the corridor while in labour,” explains Miriam.

During her visit Miriam spent a lot oftime working with children who weresponsored through their early educationby MWBPI. This early start gives them abetter chance of succeeding once theybegin school at seven years of age.

She says: “We were delighted to meeta young lady called Josephine who had originally been sponsored byMWBPI and had just completed herteacher training. She was about tostart work in April and without thehelp of MWBPI she would probablynever have had an education at all.”

Miriam also spent many hours in thebaby unit looking after the 12abandoned babies ranging in age from ten days to two years.

“We worked alongside the Filipinoladies that MWBPI employs to take

care of the babies, playing with them,feeding them and just enjoying givingcuddles,” says Miriam.

During her second week, Miriamtravelled to the island of Mindorowhere another centre was underconstruction. This will provide a camp for youngsters from the Cavite slums to enjoy the pleasures of country life.

Miriam says: “Thanks to the generosityof my DCS colleagues in Preston and Blackpool I was able to donatemore than £500 to this project, anamount which will go a long way in the Philippines.

“The whole experience was veryrewarding and I hope to maintaincontact with the country and keepsome involvement with the manyprojects going on there.”

Working with children

Donating clothes tothe children

Laura Turvey hears how Miriam Smith went the extra mile for charity

Miriam feeding 10-dayold Dexter

For the cause


Dear DWPeople,

Feature


Lean activities shape up DWPDWP has been runningLean initiatives fornearly a year. CatherineChan meets some ofthose who have beeninvolved since day one

What is Lean?

� It’s about continuously improvingthe experience for customers andstaff, and getting frontline staffinvolved in this.

� Each initiative looks at a particularprocess or service. For example, in Newcastle, they are looking atthe handling of Jobseeker’sAllowance claims.

� Staff and customers makerecommendations on how theprocess or service can be improved.

FOR SOME staff – including Annie (see right) – the Lean concept is still a bit of a mystery. Here’s a quick guide to what they’re all about:

What’s good about it?

� Frontline staff are involved from the beginning. As the experts, staff are best placed to improveservices.

� Customers also get a say in howservices can be improved.

� Lean techniques are helping DWPto streamline its processes andimprove the customer experience.

� Lean is changing the culture ofhow the Department works.

Case study: Disability and Carers Service, Preston

THIS pathfinder project was alandmark for DWP, as it was thefirst time Lean techniques wereadopted in the Department. Theteam’s aim was to improve the wayCarer’s Allowance is delivered.

Anne Broom was one of the teaminvolved. “Lean is all about applyingcommon sense – getting rid of wasteand removing any steps that we don’t need or that don’t benefit thecustomer directly. You can’t arguewith that.”

Before they started using Leantechniques, a Carer’s Allowance claim would go through a processwith approximately 60 steps. Theteam looked at each of these todecide if they were necessary orhelpful for the customer – 35 stepswere seen as no longer needed. The team then tested the new 25step process to make sure it worksbefore putting it in place.

Anne says: “Putting Lean intopractice has not always been easy. But we are in it for the longhaul and it is definitely worthpersevering so we can reap thelonger term benefits.”

� Quality checks have been broughtin at key stages of the process somistakes don’t get passed on

� Claims are dealt with in date orderso customers are treated fairly

� Daily meetings are held to discussperformance and improvements

� The layout of the office has beenchanged so staff can viewinformation on whiteboards

� Staff have better links withJobcentre Plus and communicateusing more modern methods suchas email rather than fax.

Lessons learned

The Lean project is part of the DWP Change Programme, which ischanging the way the Departmentworks. For more information visithttp://intralink/1/corp/sites/changeprogramme/index.asp

Anne Broome (right)and part of the Leanproject team (above)

I’ve read a lot about Lean processes over the past few months

but, apart from having a vague understanding that it concerns

improving how we do things, I still have no idea what it actually

means in practice. Can anyone enlighten me please?

Annie Peacock, Littlehampton Jobcentre Plus



Feature

DWP triosurvive theLions’ Lair!

�CIVIL SERVICE LIVE EXCLUSIVE�

A CLEVER switch of titles did nothingto tame the judges in the Lions’ Lair.

The concept – borrowed from theBBC’s Dragons’ Den – was to scrutinisepeople with ground-breaking ideas forthe future of the Department.

DWP’s Philip John, Kathie Lindsey andJohn McGregor were selected fromhundreds of nominated candidates andput under the spotlight by the ‘Lions’,about their suggestions.

They were among an elite selection ofcandidates from departments across government.

The Lions included none other thanregular ‘Dragon’ and entrepreneur,Peter Jones. Other challenging judges included GovernmentCommunications Permanent Secretary, Howell James, and Ernst & Young’s head of government services, Robin Tye.

The venture was part of Civil ServiceLive – an event designed to encourageinnovation among civil servants. It tookplace over three days at the QEIIconference centre in Westminster andproved an excellent chance for variousdepartments to show how successfulnew ways of working have been.

John Pinching caught up with DWP’sthree innovators.

FLUSH OF INSPIRATIONKathie Lindsey

Job: Jobcentre Plus Admin Officer,Bristol

Idea: To put hippos (not literally) intoilets across the Department.

The eureka moment: “I used to beknown as the ‘brick lady’ because I hadan idea to put house bricks in cisternsto save water. I then heard about‘hippos’. They are heavy-duty plasticbags that are placed in the cistern andsave nearly 50 per cent of water perflush! This would be both cost-effectiveand environmentally friendly.

In the Lair: “The presentation went welland most of them gave the thumbs up.Peter Jones was quite rude about it.

He didn’t really understand why youcouldn’t just adjust the water flow. I have been invited to London topromote the idea to a minister, so I’mreally pleased.”

15 minutes of fame: The ‘Brick Lady’checks out her performance

Roar ofapproval


Feature


GETTING THE MESSAGEPhilip John

Job: Jobcentre Plus Admin SupportOfficer, Bristol

Idea: It’s simple – but aren’t the verybest ideas? This involves remindingpeople by text message that they havean appointment.

The eureka moment: “At jobcentres a great deal of time and money iswasted due to ‘fail to attends’*. I thought a simple text message, whichgives details of the date and time ofthe appointment, may make everyone’slife easier. We had a short trial thatproved very successful.”

In the Lair: “To be honest I don’t reallyknow much about the technology sothey told me to go out and do thenecessary research. I think they were allquite surprised that we weren’t doingthis kind of thing already. During mypresentation Jones told me that he

already knew what an SMS was and toget on with it!

“I'm confident that the idea will beused nationally.”

*A common Jobcentre Plus term usedto describe people who fail to attend.

Contract claws: Peter Jones (far right) reads the riot act –with the intention, presumably, of delivering it

MAKING UP THE NUMBERSJohn McGregor

Job: DWP Project Management,Newcastle

Idea: At last, a facility that works out benefit arrears with 100 per cent accuracy!

The eureka moment: “At work myperformance was suffering because ofa glitch in the system, which happenedwhen the programme was updated inthe 1990s. Consequently, many of thefigures were incorrect and had to beworked out manually, and that cantake ages. Initially, for my own benefit,I used my spare time to create a fail-safe system on Excel. When it workedmy manager decided that everyone inthe team should use it. Now I’m

hoping it will become a standardfacility across Jobcentre Plus.”

In the Lair: “It was filmed in exactly thesame warehouse they use on TV. Wewere all made to wait in a room beforefacing the Lions. Those that went first

never returned, so we couldn’t find outwhat to expect. I have to admit, facingthe Lions was pretty terrifying. PeterJones asked some difficult questionsbut, at the bar afterwards, he was acompletely different person.”

Philip Johnmakes his case

Sofa, so good: John (left)chats with an ideas champion


Taking ahealthylead As DWP launches a new wellbeing package for staff David Hall gets somelifestyle advice from the Department’s healthy team finalists

Top tip: “It’s the small things that make adifference – try and fit as many healthyinitiatives around work meetings and events.”

Top tip: “Talk to health advisers aboutgetting a check-up and finding theright exercise programme for you.”

Caseworker and union learning rep MargaretMcnicholas has organised a 12 week stepometerprogramme with the help of her local SportActivegroup. This helps colleagues set goals, monitorthe number of steps walked and increase activitylevels.

Margaret says: “We asked lifestyle advisers fromour local leisure centre to do blood pressurechecks and speak to individuals about improvingtheir lifestyle. Since then, some have joined thegym and others have started the stepometerprogramme.“

Debbie Mason is health leader for both her team and the local district, having helped set up a healthychampion in every office.

Debbie says: “There are 17 champions in total. We sharetips, health information and good news stories on ourwebsite.”

An accredited walker, Debbie recently introduced healthywalks into management meetings, organising routes withlocal groups in the area.

Stepping upBarnsley Child Support Agency

Small change,big differenceJobcentre Plus,Marches District

One stop health shop

DWP has launched a new package of fresh ideas to boost staff wellbeing and you can find them all inone place.

The new wellbeing portal has links with the Right Corecare helpline and support for managers and staffon healthy living. Staff will be able to look at wellbeing case studies and use Askwell – a new interactivehealth tool that has information, downloadable fact sheets and links to dozens of recognised health sites.

You can access the wellbeing portal via the DWP Employee Benefits site.




Feature

Healthiest team!

Top tip: “Make it fun. If traditional exercise isn’t for you, look into other activities. We even tried pole-dancing classes!”

Top tip: “Talk to your workplacehealth co-ordinator and colleaguesabout healthy initiatives in yourarea.”

Top tip: “By supporting each other to achieve your goals you can shape a healthier and happierteam.”

This team were judged by DWP staff as being the best exampleof a healthy team in the Department.

Wendy Cronin says: “We believe a good working environmentis key to wellbeing and our ongoing initiatives includesupporting each other to lose weight, eat healthier andtake regular exercise.”

Wellbeing is an ongoing concern atMakerfield thanks to team member JanetLiversidge's Support Team.

Janet says: “We run pilates classes atlunchtimes, have a weekly fruit bowlscheme, and a regular ‘plodders’ group,led by trained walkers.

“We’re also looking at healthy lifestyleissues, including arranging alcoholawareness sessions.”

Networking is the key, explains LynneAtkinson from the shared serviceswellbeing at work team.

Lynne and her colleagues havedeveloped a network of wellbeingchampions, encouraging staff to makehealthy choices in food and lifestyle.

“The network ensures each location has access to healthy living events andvisits from nutritional experts who cansupply advice, support and basic healthchecks.”

Local heroesLivingston Jobcentre Plus

A winning combinationNewcastle Appeals Team, The Pension Service

We are the championsShared Services

Personal adviser Lorna Paul is involved with the HealthyWorking Lives scheme.

Lorna says: “This scheme is available in any Scottishworkplace. We regularly meet colleagues from West Lothiancouncil, Inland Revenue and the NHS to plan joint events andkeep healthy issues on the agenda.

“Through the scheme, I got in touch with our local leisurecentre to organise some ‘taster’ sessions for team members to try out different activities. It’s been a real hit!”

A healthy mix Makerfield Benefit DeliveryCentre

Top tip: “Arrange lunchtimewalking sessions with the co-operation of your local authority.”


A real eye-openerA WARM fuzzy glow has surroundedDWP as its staff continue to show theircaring sides and give something back tothe communities they work in.

The Department introduced Community5000 last year to give staff the chanceto spend a day with voluntary andcommunity organisations, and since thenstaff nationwide have been jumping atthe opportunity to get involved.

By taking part in Community 5000,staff not only provide help andsupport to organisations that workwith DWP’s customers, they also getthe opportunity to experiencecustomers’ lives first-hand.

Project manager Sally Shields says:

“Community 5000 is an opportunity to get to know our customers asindividuals and find out more abouttheir lives and the difficulties they face.

“Staff can learn new skills in a modernand practical way. At the same time,customers get to put a face to DWP,and see the dedication and commitmentof our staff outside of the normalworking environment.”

So far, more than 1,500 staff at everylevel across the Department have takenpart in the programme. A further 700are planned to take part over the nexttwo months. The placements haveincluded lending a helping hand athospices, working with the homelessand taking part in environmental

projects with disabled people. Andbetween April and July a total of 34 DWP staff will be taking part in a series of events taking place withAction for Blind People.

The national charity works with blindand partially sighted people to helpthem transform their lives. Each yearthey support more than 24,000 peopleand work to inspire change and createopportunities for blind and partiallysighted people so that they are treatedequally to sighted people.

Since April, two DWP staff membershave visited Action for Blind People in Manchester each week to learnabout the organisation’s valuable work first-hand.


Feature

Laura Turvey hears how staff have been getting stuck in to help DWP achieve its Community 5000 goal

Simspecs help David and Lucy to see things from a new perspective


Benefit delivery expert Lucy Bowles and finance decision support officerDavid Hindley recently attended one of these events to get a betterunderstanding of what life is like for DWP’s customers.

Lucy volunteered to take part in the event after seeing the opportunityadvertised on the intranet’s RegionalNews pages.

“It was a really good opportunity to get involved in a volunteeringproject in an area that I have limitedknowledge of,” explained Lucy. “I have a benefits background and havenot worked within the CustomerService Directorate so I was lookingforward to gaining hands-onexperience of how customer serviceskills are applied to an area thatrequires a more personal approach.

“I wanted to find out how we can help people that find it harder to getthe support they need to find training and jobs suitable to their abilities and skills.”

David added: “I was already aware ofsome of Action for Blind People’s workas they are one of our European SocialFund (ESF) employment programmeproviders, so I was really lookingforward to understanding more.”

During the jam-packed day the pairvisited a customer on a home visit,tested out the latest assistivetechnologies, took part in visualawareness training and helped out on the national helpline.

Lucy said: “We visited Joyce, a partiallysighted older lady who has just beenkitted out with assistive technologies to help her use her laptop and surf the net.

“She was using a magnifying glass to read the screen before Action forBlind People stepped in to help herout. She’s still getting to grips with the kit but she can navigate through the web a lot easier already.”

The afternoon’s visual awarenesstraining session gave Lucy and David the chance to see things from a different perspective. Equipped with simspecs, whichsimulate a range of visual impairments,the pair got a snap shot of what lifecan be like for partially sighted people.

Donna Waring, action co-ordinator for Action for Blind People, ran thesession. Donna has been blind sincebirth and gave the pair lots of helpfuladvice, tips and lessons learned fromher experiences.

In one shocking example Donnahighlighted the need for awareness oflife from a blind person’s perspective.She explained: “A car stopped besideone of my blind friends and, trying tobe helpful, the driver told my friendthat she was clear to cross the road. Asmy friend began to cross, a car camefrom the other direction and ran herover – the driver had not looked both waysand his engine had actually maskedthe sound of the other car coming.

“Incidents like this could be avoided by simply understanding blindpeople better.”

David said: “It was a really interestingsession and I learned a lot. Even thesmall things that I take for granted on a daily basis can actually be a real obstacle for someone with a visual impairment.

“I realise now how important it is to do simple things like announcingyour arrival and departure from a room and tucking in your chair when you leave the table.

“The event has given me a newoutlook on life.”

Getting to grips with braille

Lucy and David get to grips with the new kit

Donna demonstrates the full kit

Jack the guide dog maintains a watchful eye

Helpline training with Cathy

Lucy takes on the helpline

Find out more about Community5000: http://intralink/1/corp/sites/employeebenefits/volunteers/index.asp

Find out more about Action forBlind People: http://www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk/



Feature

WHEN it comes to state pensions,millions of women across the UK arelosing out. For many, having childrenor caring for relatives come first – andsaving for retirement is just not apriority. But putting pensions on thebackburner is not an option either, asmore people live longer and want toenjoy a good quality of life in theirlater years.

DWP plans to make the system fairerfor future pensioners, with womenand carers getting better entitlements.

Head of state pensions Evelyn Arnoldsays: “Women are more likely thanmen to have family commitments suchas looking after children or caring forelderly relatives. This means theirworking patterns are more likely to bedisrupted and they may not be able tosave as much as they’d like forretirement.

“At the moment, women normallyneed to make National Insurancecontributions or be credited for 39qualifying years to get a full basic statepension. Only 35 per cent of womenreaching state pension age todaymanage to do this. The Pensions Act2007 is reducing the number ofqualifying years to 30 for both menand women – we predict that around75 per cent of women reaching statepension age in 2010 will do so with afull basic state pension.

“That’s more women entitled to moremoney, and fewer spending theirretirement in financial hardship.”

Many women are also carers and, forthe first time, this important role willbe properly reflected in their statepensions. New weekly NationalInsurance credits are being introducedfor people getting child benefit forchildren aged under 12. This changemeans government is contributing tothe pension pot rather than deductingfrom the total number of qualifyingyears. A new credit will also beavailable for carers who spend at least20 hours a week caring for a severelydisabled person.

Evelyn adds: “The Pensions Act alsomeans the state pension age will

Levelling the playing fieldCatherine Chan reports on the changes that willgive future pensionerssecurity in retirement

For more informationabout pension reform,visit: http://intralink/1/pension/client/reform/

dwp_m328577.asp

gradually increase to 68 for both menand women by 2046. In all, the planswill mean things are fairer for everyoneand give people and opportunity toprepare for their retirement.”


Feature


The Pensions Bill – what’s in it for women and carers?ANYONE reaching state pension age on or after 6 April 2010 willonly need 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributionsto qualify for a full basic state pension. By 2025, more than 90 per cent of women will get the full entitlement.

Thanks to new measures, between 3.5 and 4 million womenshould be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension schemeto help them save for retirement. For many women, this will be the first time they do so.

Carers – including parents and those who look after the severelydisabled people – will receive weekly National Insurance credits. This recognises and rewards the role of caring in society.

DWP to the rescue!

THE Department has been helpingthousands of people to get theirpension finances back on track.

The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) helps members of collapsedoccupational pension schemes. InDecember 2007, the Governmentannounced that 140,000 people who lost their pensions wouldreceive help from FAS. Memberswere told they could expect toreceive 90 per cent of their accruedpension from the scheme’s normalretirement age. This news waswarmly welcomed by those whothought their pension plans were in tatters.

Since then, the Department – whichadministers FAS – has vowed tooffer more support to those whoare too ill to work. PensionsMinister Mike O’Brien announcedthat individuals in poor health couldget help from FAS five years beforetheir scheme’s normal retirementage. There are also plans to speedup payments to those affected.

ANNA Smith’s husband contributed to his workplace pension scheme for32 years. In 1997 – one year before he was due to retire – the schemewas wound up. Mr Smith died in 2005 and never received a penny; his widow should have received funds too but was left empty-handed.

Pension scheme members now receive help from the Financial AssistanceScheme. FAS is responsible for collecting information on former membersand assessing how much they should be receiving – a tricky task as someof the records have gone missing.

Anna contacted the FAS unit and was told about the difficulties in tracingthe records. Fortunately she had kept papers relating to her late husband’spension and was able to hand over copies. Further checks were needed to make sure the papers were legally sound and matched the informationthat FAS staff had found.

She is now receiving £3,369.60 a year from FAS and arrears worth morethan £10,000. It was a real result for Anna, who generously gave some of her back-payment away to charity.

* Names have been changed to protect the customer’s identity.

Case study: a real result

Find out more about the Financial Assistance Scheme at www.dwp.gov.uk/fas



Feature

RM witha view

John Pinching selects some of your RM questions

SINCE asking staff for their views on RM,DWPeople has been inundated with questionsabout the system.

Several staff enquiries have been chosen andsenior managers answer the questions below:

Whenever I read about RM it usually

concerns how it improves the way DWP

spends money. The majority of times,

however, it requires three different people

in three different places to complete

routine tasks. Has the Department any

idea of the impact RM has on staff time?

John Culkin

Communications

Leeds

TIME OUT

Recently we had to book a block of sixtraining courses on RM and had to doeach one individually, which was not onlyannoying but time consuming. Is there any way RM could be set up to book ablock of training sessions? Sandra ShackJobcentre PlusLiverpool

SLOW TRAIN

The majority of transactions within RMrequire an individual to instigate thetransaction and an individual with thecorrect authority to authorise. Providingthese are completed correctly, and in atimely manner, the transaction should be processed without the need for more intervention.

We recognise however that sometransactions are more complex thanothers, and as part of the RM review arelooking at the more complex transactionsto identify improvements.

We are aware of the desire to block-booktraining courses on RM and have beeninvestigating the possibilities for doing this.

Unfortunately, delivering this change wouldmean significant customisation, which wouldhave wider impacts on the standard runningof the system. We have considered whetherthe overall impact of making this change issignificant enough to outweigh the cost andsystem impact of doing so and concluded atthis stage that we will not commission thischange. We do, however, continue to keepthese types of questions under review as partof the RM improvements.

Q.

A.

Q.

A.

Teresa Kelly, head of Employee Services Bev Peary, senior HR business partner


Feature


RM do not contact me via telephone oremail, when I raise a service request, sowhy are my personal contact detailsrequested in the first place?

Mary HarrisonPension CentreBirmingham

PHONEY

You can spend all day trying to gain

access to RM, while only getting the

message; ‘Thank you for using Resource

Management. Unfortunately the system

is currently busy. Please try again later.’

Why is access so limited?

Mrs T Leese (and about 20 others)

BDC MA Team Leader

Wrexham

WE GET THE MESSAGE

At present all service request responses areelectronic, enabling you to track their progressonline. We recognise the problem that youdescribe, in that the option to request analternative method of response is indicatedon the service request, but not available. A Lean review of the current process has been instigated in order to make improvements to the process for handling queries.

The taxable nature of expenses is not changedby the introduction of RM, and the calculation isthe same as in the previous system. Family careexpenses are classed as gross/taxable earnings andtherefore will increase your taxable pay accordingly.The RM payslip merely reflects the actual positionin a more visible way and picks up this informationautomatically from i-expenses.

Staff encounter the ‘RM busy’ screen when overall usage is very high. Thismay be as a result of extremely high levels of users logged into the system(for example on on-line pay slip day), or when necessary routines are beingrun within RM (e.g. payroll runs or financial reports). We recognise thatwhen reduced access is invoked it can be very frustrating for users, and there are a number of initiatives currently underway to improve the overallperformance of RM, as you will have seen in Leigh Lewis's improvements to RM update. These include looking at better ways of running these keyroutines, including where possible, limiting them to run overnight.

In the mean time, the ‘RM busy’ screen does ensure that the system keepsrunning with the users logged in at that time, and reduces the risk of thesystem overloading and no one at all being able to log in. As we address and improve the performance of RM we will all see this screen less often.

As part of the ongoing review to improve RM we are currentlyconsidering options for improving the look and feel of RM.

THEM AND U.S.

Can anyone please explain why we have

to use American terminology in RM –

couldn’t we use the Queen’s English?

John Barnett

DWP HR Directorate

Employee Policy Centre of Expertise

Oracle is an Americanproduct and a consciousdecision was made to usethe standard terminologyto reduce initial andongoing costs.

RM looks a very dated package – more‘80s than 21st Century.

Keith WaltonJobcentre Plus StrategyLondon

TIME MACHINE

A. A.

A.

A.

I took part in a development exercise last year,

which involved regular trips to Ramsgate.

I claimed childcare expenses through RM but

was surprised to see a "family deduction" on

my payslip. Although I was not actually losing

money, the reimbursement looked like income.

Therefore HMRC would work out my tax

credits on the basis of more income than I'd

actually received, resulting in a reduced award.

Is this yet another ‘attack’ on lone parents?

Emma Cumberbatch

Jobcentre Plus

Ashford

FAMILY MISFORTUNES

A.Q.

Q.

Q.

Q.

Q.

Look out for more information about RM on Headline News

Teresa Kelly, head of Employee Services

Teresa Kelly, head ofEmployee Services

Teresa Kelly, head of Employee Services

Sandra Robinson, Employee Services Director

Bev Peary, senior HR business partner



TEAM OFTHE MONTH

Achieving the best

Laura Turvey hears how the Woolwich Diary AdminSupport Officers have helped their district come out on top

THROUGHOUT history some of the most popular, powerful andinfluential people have onlysucceeded because the people in the background have made it possible for them to do so.

Take Madonna, where would she be without her team of fitnessinstructors, vocal coaches, make-upartists and hairdressers? Or BillClinton – whose wife Hillary hasgone from supporting her husband

as US president to actually becominga presidential candidate herself.

For the staff at Woolwich JobcentrePlus it is exactly the same story.

The team of eight Diary AdminSupport Officers (DASO) are thebackbone of the office – providingvital support and assistance so that the Jobcentre’s Lone Parent and Specialist Incapacity BenefitAdvisers can deliver an excellent

service to their customers.

The team’s hard work has helpedthe South London district achievethe top rating nationally for itsIncapacity Benefit interventiondelivery target.

Pat Williams, Lone Parent BookingTeam DASO, said: “We work closelywith advisers and customers toensure our advisers conduct as many interviews as possible and

Team of theMonth

The DASO team (from left to right): Jaqui McAteer-Dean, Sandra Hibbert, Fola Ajala, Chris Stone, Pat Williams and Eileen Cassettare


Vox pops

“We work well within ourteam as we all have a greatlaugh. The balance betweenwork and play is the key toour success.”


“We all have smiles on our faces and enjoy the work, while delivering aprofessional service to ourcustomers and meeting ourteam targets.”

Jacqueline McAteer-DeanDiary Admin Support Officer

Baljit SealDiary Admin Support Officer

customers have access to all theinformation they need to help them return to work.”

The team works closely withcustomers to make sure individualneeds and extenuating circumstancesare dealt with to get the bestpossible outcome for the customer.

Team member Sandra Hibbert said:“I recently helped a customer whowas claiming Income Support andhad been diagnosed with cancer.

“She was worried that she could not afford to pay for the regularfares to the hospital for treatmentout of her benefits. I explained thatshe should visit the hospital financedepartment with proof of herbenefit and she would have herfares reimbursed.

“She was delighted and reallygrateful for the help.”

The unique make up of the DASOteam with four full-time, three part-time officers and one term-timeofficer creates an additionalchallenge of managing time andworkloads around the team’s varyingschedules.

“We discuss our workloads and

arrange them to suit each other,”adds Pat. “Our team is able tochange job roles as and whenrequired and work closely with each other to make sure wemaintain a high level of service to our customers.”

The team’s flexible workingarrangements helps the DASOs toachieve an effective work-life balance.

Incapacity Benefit DASO, ChrisStone, said: “Working part-timeallows me to find the time to fulfilmy commitments of looking aftermy granddaughter one-and-a-halfdays a week and giving support tomy elderly relatives.”

The team is now adapting tosignificant changes to theconditions for benefit across both of its customer groups.

Team leader Fola Ajala said: “We’ve already been through a huge learning curve and taken on different challenges that havebeen thrown our way.

“These changes to the conditions of benefit are generating an extraworkload – but we see this as achallenge which we look forward to conquering.”

Are you the next Team of the Month?

DWPeople wants to hear from those teams that havedemonstrated at least one of the key DWP values:

• Achieving the best • Respecting people• Making a difference • Looking outwards

In no more than 300 words tell us:• Who is in your team, what you all do, why you should beconsidered and which of the DWP values your team havedemonstrated.

Send your entries by email to: [email protected]



Department making a commitment to the use of plain English?

It is a really positiveinitiative butunfortunately thisseems to have fallen by the waysideas, almost daily, I receive emails with attachments carrying new buzzphrases, overcrowded PowerPoint slides and messages lost in a complexity of ‘corporate speak’.

Recently I’ve read about‘touchstones’, ‘Action Learning

What do you think? Send your letters on any subject to: [email protected]

You’re a skiver

I WAS recently helping set up a new claim for a customer for Jobseekers Allowance.

She stated that she waslooking for a job as a saddle preparer.

I thought to myself ‘I wonder if there’s a Standard OccupationClassification (SOC) code for such a job?’

After lookingthrough the SOC codes I found one for a saddler – ‘closeenough’, I told myself.

I then did a search in her area just in case there were any positions available.To my surprise a job did come up…but it was for a skiver.

Mind your own business

THE article ‘Our business in showbusiness’ in April’s DWPeople covereda section on UB40 – the Birmingham-based reggae group.

The article claimed that ‘the band is named after the form they had to fill in to claim their benefits, and it even appeared as the cover art on their first album – the ironically titled Signing Off.’

The claim form for unemploymentbenefit was UB461, UB40 (nowES40) was the form used to

end a claim – hence the name of the album.

Sorry to be so pedantic, but littleinaccuracies can be really irritating.

Sue HuntMillom Jobcentre Plus

Plain English please

DOES anyone remember the

What an excellent job I thought! How easy can that be?!

The only requirementwas… experience needed!

Turns out a skiver is actually somebodywho uses a machine to trim leather incase you wondered – shame.

Dean CoghlanTorquay Jobcentre Plus

STAR LETTER

Sets’ and ‘courageousconversations’, none of which has anyimmediate meaning.

This is not whatcommunication is about.

So come on, please, if you want us all to get your message –

keep it clear, keep it simple, and maybe the use of that big ‘Delete’ key will become less of an irresistible temptation.

Geoff HaynesPensions Transformation ProgrammeNewcastle-upon-Tyne

To my surprise a jobdid come up but it was for a skiver

“ “

Wins £15 M&S

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Classifieds




Busted!

DWP staff can report benefit fraud using the PPQ form on the desktop M

LOVE THEM or loathe them, footballreferees are usually there to ensure fair play. But that’s not the case forChris Stockwell – he gets a red card for cheating the benefits system.

The 52-year-old from Kidwelly, WestWales, was caught out after DWPlaunched an investigation with theWest Wales Football Association.

Fraud investigators were able to catchStockwell after cross-checking hisrefereeing details against benefitrecords. These showed he wasclaiming for Incapacity Benefit,

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) andIncome Support.

According to his DLA form, Stockwellsuffered a spinal injury. He claimed itwould take him 15 minutes to walk 10 metres and that he needed crutchesor a wheelchair to get around. He wasawarded the higher rate of the mobilitycomponent and the middle rate of thecare component.

Investigators secretly filmed Stockwellofficiating at a match and he wasinterviewed under caution on 31 May2007. He was subsequently sentenced

at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court to 150 hours’ unpaid work and a 12 month Supervision Requirement.He was also ordered to pay £75 costs.

DWP lead investigator Mike Donovansays: “We approached the West WalesFA and asked to work with them tolook at the issue of benefit fraudamong their referees and assistants.

“Stockwell’s case was the first to go to court but we are planning legalproceedings in three other cases. Thiswas a new way of working for us andit has definitely yielded results.”

There’s no fair play here, as the man in black is caught cheating

Sentoff!

Red carded: secret video footage of referee Chris Stockwell in action



Busted!

Members of the public can report suspicions on the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440

MARKET TRADERS aren’t usuallyknown for their glamour – Del Boy and Rodney got around in a clapped-out Robin Reliant and the EastEnderscast seem to permanently live in thegreasy spoon.

But one trader – Gordon Cullen, fromWest Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside – wasbusy bucking the trend. His first-classlifestyle included luxury holidays inThailand, a swanky 4x4 car, and time-shares in Florida and Las Vegas.

A joint investigation between DWP and Trading Standards found thatCullen was committing crime to fundhis extravagant lifestyle. Investigatorswent undercover at Greenfield Market,Flintshire, and discovered he wasmaking and selling counterfeit DVDsand CDs on his market stall. Cullenwas also fraudulently claiming benefitson the side – a total of £66,827 in

Income Support, Housing Benefit andCouncil Tax Benefit.

DWP investigators used their legalpowers to look into Cullen’s financialaffairs and found large amounts ofmoney were going in and out of hisbank account. A raid at Cullen’s homein October 2006 uncovered moreevidence – computer equipment forcopying DVDs, fake discs and cash.

Cullen, who was in Thailand at thetime of the house raid, was arrested as he stepped off his first-class flight at Heathrow airport.

During his police interview Cullenadmitted selling discs but said he was doing it for someone else. He said the stall at Greenfield marketbelonged to his son and the time-shares were paid for by extendedfamily members.

When questioned about his finances,Cullen claimed the cash at his homewas from a successful trip to Las Vegas;the money going into his bank accountwas from friends to fund “lad’s trips”to the Far East.

The police didn’t buy Cullen’s excusesand he was charged at Wrexham police station. After a trial at MoldCrown Court, he was sentenced to 16 months for benefit fraud offencesand 32 months for offences relating to intellectual copyright.

As well as his jail sentence, Cullen was also ordered to pay £130,000compensation within six months orface an additional three years in prison.

The sentencing judge said: “Thiswas a sophisticated and organisedcrime to fund an indulgent andextravagant lifestyle.”

Wheeler-dealer ends up in prison for benefit fraud and copyright crimes

Fake that!

Cullen was arrestedas he stepped off aplane from Thailand

Cullen allegedlyowned a time-share

in Las Vegas...

Investigators foundlarge piles of cash at Cullen’s home

...and another one in Florida, theSunshine State



Quiz time

Quickcrossword

Across

6. Florida7. Kinks9. Scrum10. Fly-leaf12. Mary Poppins14. Eva Longoria18. Sabbath19. Homer21. Rogue22. RonaldoAcross

7. Paul Eddington’s character in ‘YesMinister’ (6)

8. Figure of speech involving acomparison (6)

10. Art _______, a style of decorationand architecture of the early 20thCentury (7)

11. Jim, the original presenter of game-show ‘Bullseye’ (5)

12. Alfred Hitchcock movie about theperfect murder (4)

13. Comedian who had a best-sellingbook called ‘My Booky Wook’ (5)

17. Horse-drawn carriage (5)18. Largest active volcano in Europe (4)22. Tennis legend who announced her

engagement to golfer GregNorman in 2007 (5)

23. City of south-east Rhode Island (7)24. Actor who played Mike Baldwin in

‘Coronation Street’ (6)25. Elongated pastry filled with cream

and iced with chocolate (6)

Down1. Slang expression for black eyes (7)2. Strong cider (7)3. Apostle who was a Galilean

fisherman (5)4. Theory about the cosmic explosion

that marked the origin of theuniverse (3,4)

5. Landscape pictures (5)6. Manager of Sunderland FC (5)9. Tropical cyclone (9)

14. Kidnapped prisoner (7)15. Upholstered sofa without arms or a

back (7)16. Early TV series which featured a

cross-eyed lion called Clarence anda chimp called Judy (7)

19. Famous horse-race whose winnersinclude Authorized, Sir Percy andShergar (5)

20. Author of ‘The Chronicles OfNarnia’ (5)

21. ‘You Only Live ______’, a JamesBond movie (5)

Win a £15 voucher

As usual we were inundated withentries to the crossword in April’sedition of DWPeople.

The winner of the £15 Marks &Spencer voucher was Yasser Razzaqfrom Dudley Child Support Agency.

The correct answers were:Across: 6. Pelican 7. Monty 9.Benny10. Poodles 12. Opportunity14. Fishmongers 18. Meldrew 19. Hooks 21. James 22. Rubella

Down: 1.Helen 2. Kidnap 3. Dan4. London 5. Streets 8. Cottage11. Coyotes 13. Liberal 15. Hedges16. Rhodes 17. Skill 20. Hub

We’ll give a £15 Marks & Spencervoucher for the first correct entrydrawn from the hat. Each monthwe’ll print the answers from theprevious month and the name of the winner.

So don’t delay, fill in your details andanswer the question below to be inwith a chance of winning. Send yourcompleted crossword markedDWPeople Crossword Competition.Using internal mail to:Laura TurveyRoom 650, London, Caxton HouseOr standard post to:Laura Turvey Room 650, Caxton House 6 -12 Tothill Street London SW1H 9NA Competition closes on 31 May.

Which was your favourite feature in this issue?______________________________________________________________

Name:........................................................Full address: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................


CORKS popped, sauerkraut andescargot were served by the plateful,harps were played and national jigswere danced – just a taster of some of the celebrations that took placeacross Europe on 9 May, as the wholecontinent took time out to celebrateEurope Day.

Keen to join in with the Europeanfestivities DWP proudly flew theEuropean Union flag in Sheffield andLondon as it welcomed the roll-out of a series of new European SocialFund (ESF) projects.

ESF works with DWP to support the Government’s employment and training priorities.

The fund has developed a programmewhich focuses on helping disadvantagedpeople to gain jobs and skills. Overseven years the fund will boost thesupport currently available throughDWP’s employment programmes suchas New Deal and Pathways to Work.

Acting head of ESF Division, KenLambert, says: “A series of newprojects will be starting in June 2008,and with the help of £2 billion ESFfunding, we expect that around200,000 people will be helped intoemployment and 330,000 will gainnew qualifications.”

Over the last four years Jobcentre Plus staff in the North-West have been working with ESF on a range

of projects. In 2004 the regionwas granted £42 million totake the ESF agenda forwardand since then more than26,000 people have benefitedfrom these projects with 7,652 of these finding employmentor a qualification.

One of the region’s mainprojects was FixersIntermediate Labour MarketOpportunity (Fixers ILM) run by the Social Partnership in Runcorn.

Jobcentre Plus ESF manager PeterJamieson has been involved in theproject from the start. He says: “We targeted long-term unemployedpeople, of 12 months or more, who faced multiple barriers to workincluding former substance misusers, ex-offenders and lone parents.”

The project gave customers sixmonths paid employment in thehealth and social care sector.

During the programme customerscould also attend a relevant workplacement and complete a range of industry-specific qualifications like an NVQ level 2 Drug Awarenessand NVQ Level 3 Health and SocialCare, plus a wide range of shortcertificated courses.

Peter says: “It’s been reallysuccessful. Everyone who attendedthe project achieved some level

of qualification and of those whofound work, all are still employed.

“Some of the cases that stand out forme include a customer who had beenon Incapacity Benefit for 12 years butstarted work after just five weeks on theproject and has been in continuousemployment since March 2007.

“And another who was employed bySocial Partnership as a support worker,and after completing their NVQ level 3became an adviser for the company.”

The work taking place in the North-West region adds to the supportalready available. It helps staff provide different or more intensivesupport to customers who face greater barriers to work, as well ashelping those who may not comeforward to the existing support.

Peter adds: “ESF is adding real value to our work, helping us to reach morecustomers than we would otherwisebe able to reach.”

DWPeople hears how the European Social Fund celebrated Europe Day byhelping DWP customers into jobs

Get the EU party started


Feature


DWPeople wants to know what staff get up to in

their spare time.

The Department is full to bursting with staff who have unsung talents,

interesting hobbies and extraordinary skills and DWPeople wants to give

staff their moment in the spotlight to tell their out-of-hours stories.

Managing editor Virginia Robins says: “In recent feedback you told us that you want to read

more staff stories in DWPeople. We’re eager to do as you asked, but we need your help.

Whatever your interest, be it creative writing, sports star, budding filmmaker,

charity fundraiser or DJ – we want to hear about it.”

Send your out-of-hours stories together with any photos of

yourself in action to: [email protected].

Look out for new staff out-of-hours stories in next month’s

DWPeople and on Headline News.

Out of hours


dwpeople may 2008 complete magazine

Documents