flexible new deal - rules??? can they do this

donnajunkie

oldmotherreilly wrote: »

Vader, a couple of years ago I might have agreed with you that many people who were long term unemployed chose to be so, but with the current economic/employment situation I am now not of that opinion. There are now plenty of people who are genuinely desperately seeking work but due to a lack of jobs are unable to find one. Evidence of this can be found, at least in my local area, in our local newspapers where the jobs advertised has gone down from four pages to about four job adverts a week. Unskilled jobs in my area receive hundreds of applications for one job. However, JCP courses are mandatory and I am afraid that if people wish to continue to receive benefits from the state, it is a case of making the best of what is on offer.

i remember having a bad period out of work during the so called boom times. when i went on new deal then they said they were considered successful. i asked what the success rate was. they said 25%. i find that laughable personally. its scary to think what the success rate is now for these courses.

Mr_Falling_Star

codwidow wrote: »

How long does it take from the initial meeting in the Jobcentre to actually starting on the New Deal programme ?

You would normally get a phone call from your FND company after about a fortnight at most. You would be seen face to face within a month easily

Mr_Falling_Star

dookar wrote: »

Anyone know if non-claimants have to do fnd?

If you are not signing on, and by that I mean physically going into a Jobcentre every fortnight, then you will not need to do FND

donnajunkie

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

While you are with a Flexible new deal provider there is a mandatory four week work placement that everyone has to do.

And in answer to the other posters queries the gap between claims has to be 26 weeks if you want to start from square one

i know about the work placements i was just left wondering why you directed the comment about it sorting the men from the boys at me, are they somehow tougher than they used to be? i've done a 6 month work placement in the past on the old new deal so i doubt a 4 week placement will be that bad in comparison.

dookar

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

If you are not signing on, and by that I mean physically going into a Jobcentre every fortnight, then you will not need to do FND

um, anyone know if non-claimants need to do fnd?

codwidow

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

I think the idea of the work placement is to get people back into the groove of working again, getting up early, getting the bus etc etc so they don't end up psychologically welfare dependent

Its only four weeks so its not that big a deal

I agree, I do have to get up to get my family really and take my child to school anyway and then look after my other child who isnt old enough to go to school for a good while.

I wouldnt be psychologically welfare dependent as I dont get any money.
Four weeks is a big deal really when you dont have any childcare unless they dont mind me bringing my child along to the work placement and my other child too if the placement happens to fall in the school holidays.

I do have to physically go in to sign for my credits as if I get JSA, except I dont

donnajunkie

codwidow wrote: »

Does this apply to people who have small kids who are being referred to Flexible New Deal ? I dont have any childcare if I am going to be forced to go on a four week work placement

i believe they give help with childcare.

codwidow

donnajunkie wrote: »

i believe they give help with childcare.

Do you have any further info on this at all please

donnajunkie

codwidow wrote: »

How long does it take from the initial meeting in the Jobcentre to actually starting on the New Deal programme ?

it depends were you are at the moment. i will assume you are over 25. if it is an area still with the old new deal then you get refered onto it after 18 months. i have known people to be refered earlier. if flexible new deal is were you are then after 6 months you see an advisor once a month and at 12 months you go on the 12 month course.
the old new deal is full time the flexible new deal is mostly part time.

trevormax

To answer a few questions before I give any opinions.

1. If you are on stage 3 JSA (6 months to 12 months), you only need to sign off for 1 month to be put back on to stage 1.
2. If you are on stage 4 JSA (over a year) then you need to sign off for 6 months to be put back to stage 1.
3.Once you have finished doing these FND course for a year, you go back to the start (of stage 3 and FND, not stage 1) so the only way to stop doing these courses is to sign off.
4. Work placement are not mandatory if you take a different work based option such as future jobs fund or work based training. The work placements are usually made mandatory for people who don't want to do any of the other things.


Codwidow, If you are claiming child benefit then your stamp is paid automatically. If you are only on JSA to get stamp paid and you claim CB, then you do not need to claim JSA. However, if you also get housing benefit or council tax benefit, then I think you might have to stay on JSA to qualify for them. If you do get HB and CTB then keep that fact in mind when you say things like "I only get stamp paid why should I have to do it" because you are also getting HB and CTB.

Now as for my opinions. . .

These courses are not designed to help all people, just help as many people as possible. They are very useful to some and not useful at all for others. What I have found though is for the course to be useful, you as the claimant have to do your part. If you just go down once a week and go through the motions just to be able to claim then yes the course will not be useful to you.

You need to use your adviser, make a good plan and bug the crap out of your adviser to make sure they stick to it. If it is decided you would be better off getting some training such as CSCS or SIA then try to get on that course. Also try to practice interview techniques, create several types of CV (work based, skills based, achievement based), practice written applications, go on an English course #(so I iz not talkin like I iz a chav when I iz interview'n an stuff), go on an IT course, a skills build course, a work trial, do anything and everything they offer to you because if you don't you will be sat in that room for the rest of your life.

I am not a fan of making things mandatory because in some cases, honest hard working people who have just fallen on hard times will get stuck in the system and be made to feel like they are not trying or are thought of as lazy scrounging dole jockeys when they are not. However, a portion of people on JSA have no intention of looking for work and they have had things far too easy up until now. This FND will be a good kick up the backside for those people when they find that they finally have to do somehting for their pocket money.

Edit - forgot to say, it's going to be a major shock to the system for lone parents come October when the age of the youngest child is dropped to 7. JCP's are gonna be flooded with lone parents being moved from the lone parent benefits (IMO cushy as you do VERY little to qualify) to JSA. And I might be wrong but I think they will go directly to stage 3 JSA too instead of starting at stage 1.

Edit 2 - Also, if you think this FND is bad, just wait till all of JCP is privatised.