jobcentre

Jobcentres make official referrals to food banks despite government denials

Jobcentres are using an official process for referring unemployed people to food banks - despite the government's denials that these facilities form part of the welfare state.

A freedom of information request by The Guardian has uncovered a six part flowchart called 'Food Bank Referral Service - High Level Process', an official Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) document that leaves Iain Duncan Smith with huge questions to answer.

Tags:

Unemployment

unemployed

jobcentre

food bank

government

Poverty

Shock new report - MPs admit jobcentre sanction targets and call for improvement

A shock new report by an influential committee of MPs has finally admitted that jobcentre staff are working to sanction targets, despite previous official denials.

UnemployedNet submitted a Freedom of Information request on this issue last year, and was assured by the head of Jobcentre Plus, Neil Couling, that targets were not being set.

Tags:

Cameron wrong on jobcentre referrals to foodbanks, says charity

David Cameron's claim that his government has supported food banks has been flatly denied by the head of The Trussell Trust.

The Trust is the biggest food bank provider in the UK, and Chris Mould, its chief executive, said he was “annoyed, puzzled and confused” by the Prime Minister's statement.

Mould said the government had "broken its agreement" with food banks, despite its claim that it had gone further than the previous Labour regime in referring people in need.

Tags:

New ‘Claimant Commitment’ toughens dole conditions again

Tags:

Jobcentres should not have a monopoly - IDS thinktank

Jobcentres are failing and private companies and charities should be paid to provide competition to them, a thinktank has said.

The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which was set up by current Work and Pensions Secretary Ian Duncan Smith, has pointed to a current system which sees 40% of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants who get a job signing on again within six months.

Tags:

Sanctions and low benefits lead to big rise in food bank use

More than half-a-million people in Britain are now regularly forced to use food bank handouts to survive.

A report by Church Action on Poverty and Oxfam, 'Walking the Breadline', shows that "some of the increase ... is caused by unemployment, increasing levels of underemployment, low and falling income, and rising food and fuel prices."

Tags:

Jobcentre sanctions targets – DWP admits mistakes

An internal report by the Department of Work and Pensions has found that unapproved targets for benefit sanctions have been implemented in a number of locations, potentially leading to the unreasonable removal of benefits from jobseekers.

Tags:

Jobseeker's online test not approved for use

The online personality test for jobseekers UnemployedNet reported on last week has come in for more criticism from those who invented it.

The test, titled 'My Strengths', is the brainchild of the Prime Minister's 'nudge unit', which aims to make changes in people's behaviour.

Tags:

Jobseekers made to sit dubious online test

Jobseekers are being made to undertake dubious online personality tests by their jobcentres, The Guardian is reporting.

Their advisors are threatening to remove benefits if they do not do so, even though the results of the tests are not always linked to inputs.

Tags:

Jobcentre staff to protest over universal credit

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents a number of staff in jobcentres, is to protest against the introduction of universal credit.

This new system, which combines a number of benefits into one monthly payment, managed online, has been introduced in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, today.

The PCS and staff at the Ashton-under-Lyne jobcentre are protesting at the government's 'demonising' of the unemployed and benefit claimants, believing it should prioritise job creation and support rather than universal credit.

Tags: