What happens at a Work Focused Interview?

wombles_forever

Unfortunately AFAIK if you in the WRAG group of ESA you are now required to take part in the new Work Programme being run by the DWP's service providers.

Have a read of this thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3318308 and part of the details are shown in the link . As far as I can make out you have to attend but you do not have to take part in any job placement if you do not want to.

If I am wrong in thinking this then someone please correct me. I think that as this is all very new we will not have all details until it actually starts happening.

I am at the moment waiting for the outcome of my WCA (not holding out much hope unfortunately) so I sort of know how you feel. I am sure there will be more discussions on this point in the future as this all starts to take affect.

I know it's easy to say but please try not to worry to much as this may sound worse than it actually will be.

Muttleythefrog

Yeah agree with above... it's hard to tell how this (Work programme) is going to play out... it is new. I think it'll start when you have 3 months remaining before reassessment is scheduled?

mac223

Hi everyone. I have been reading through many posts about benefits and how worrying and confusing it all is. Have you heard of a website called Benefits and work? This site is so useful as it helps you fill in the forms question by question and tells you how the DWP TRIES TO CATCH YOU OUT! all us genuine claimants seem to get knocked back and yet I know people on high rate dla who are running about as normal. There are many free resources in this site but I really recommend joining and receiving so much help. Google benefits and work as I am not allowed to post link. And you will not be disappointed. Good luck and email me if u want to and let me know how you get on. I am at yahoo. And the co not the com and my first line of email is davta1945 and then the @ I was not allowed to post email or link. Good luck again

fjflynn

Although regulations state that ESA claimants in the work related group must only attend a maximum of 6 meetings no more often than one per month, I attended the first one last week only to be told that I would have to attend a 2 year course of interviews at a rate of 1 per week.
When I protested that I could not physically manage this, the advisor I spoke to told me that this was now what all ESA claimants would have to participate in.
I phoned the main ESA office to as if this was the law, as I could not find any mention of this anywhere and they refused to answer and said it was up to the jobcentre.
I have recieved a letter today regarding the first 'interview' and actually what they are trying to do is send me on a Work Programme course designed for people on long term jobseekers. Basically I will be expected to attend with a room full of other people for about 2 hours and apply for jobs etc, even though I am unfit for work, and have proved this at an appeal before an independant tribunal.
I just don't see how this can be legal. But a warning for everyone who is waiting to hear about Work Focused interviews.... don't simply expect it to be 6 monthly interviews that you can just 'get it over with'.
I made this mistake as I could not find any information to state otherwise, even on official Govt benefit sites... and now look what they are making me do.
I will be phoning up both the jobcenter and this private company where I am supposed to attend tomorrow to explain my situation and say that surely there must be some mistake?
The jobcentre advisor had no information about me at all and did not bother to find out about my circumstances or illness etc. When I explained that I would not be able to participate in this 'work activity' he dismissed it and said i had to no matter what was wrong with me.
The law says that they cannot make you participate in anything you are not capable of due to your health etc and that they can only make you do activity that you are willing to do, but this has been completely ignored in my case.
I thought this was important for me to post so that people can find this information online and be forewarned, as I could find no mention of this happening anywhere and it was a huge and traumatic shock to me.
Hope you are all as well as you can be. Stay Strong x

rogerblack

fjflynn wrote: »

Basically I will be expected to attend with a room full of other people for about 2 hours and apply for jobs etc, even though I am unfit for work, and have proved this at an appeal before an independant tribunal.

Not legally, you won't.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/m-15-11.pdf - page 3.
... 'The claimant cannot be required to
1. Apply for a job or undertake work
2. Undergo medical treatment'.

However.
The regulations about what else you must do are all basically couched in terms of 'reasonableness'.
While they can't make you apply for jobs, they could for example make you write letters as if you were applying jobs, or make calls to someone who is pretending to be an employer.

(If the above is held to be 'reasonable' taking into account your health condition.)

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ssacwork.htm

healthblessings100

omg my head is spinning, i cannot take all of this in. i wish there was an easy diagram or flow chart that showed the possible routes we can go in this rabbit warren of wrag stuff! i have already lost a further 6lbs in weight doing the questionnaire, it sounds like im best placed in the wrag and not to go for the support group because that will increase stress also as well as cutting my benefit down by half for who knows how long. PLEASE HELP! i am unable to work out if being in wrag is a good thing for someone who cannot get out of my own front door due to chronic pain, malnutrition (caused by medication) add to that anxiety, panic and fatigue doesnt make for a very employable person and i am not ready to go back into the garden never mind the job centre. so my questions are... will i be penalised for missing my interviews if i am too ill to get there, access is already a big issue-period. and are we all going to be struck off benefit anyway through parliment changes or what the hell is going on! being 4 years in the house in pain 24/7 hasnt kept me very current. PLEASE ANYONE.... maybe The only way i can understand this stuff is to have it in point form or something??????, PLEASE ADDRESS ME AS THO I AM 5 years old coz i cannot understand what everyone is saying many thanx and health blessings to you all x

rogerblack

If you are too ill to get there, and the DWP accept this, you will not be penalised for missing the interviews.

If you are in the support group, you get more money, and don't have to go to work-focussed interviews.

Adereterial

Simple guide to what happens when you're placed in the WRAG:

If you've been given a 3 or 6 month prognosis, you will be referred to the Work Programme immediately. This should be a programme of individually tailored support designed to bring you closer to the labour market. You won't be forced to apply for jobs or to work but will be required to participate in other tasks, where appropriate.

If you've been given a 12 month prognosis, you'll be asked to attend an information session about the Work Programme. You may be mandated to attend this. After this you can decide whether to join the Work Programme or continue with the Jobcentre Offer. The choice is yours, but doing neither is not an option.

Slightly different rules apply if you're a lone parent or potentially qualify for Work Choice or Residential courses - but the majority don't so these are the general rules.

gardenia101

Adereterial wrote: »

Simple guide to what happens when you're placed in the WRAG:

If you've been given a 12 month prognosis, you'll be asked to attend an information session about the Work Programme. You may be mandated to attend this. After this you can decide whether to join the Work Programme or continue with the Jobcentre Offer. The choice is yours, but doing neither is not an option.

Slightly different rules apply if you're a lone parent or potentially qualify for Work Choice or Residential courses - but the majority don't so these are the general rules.

Thanks for this - I'm in the WRAG (since 2010) & not had any kind of information about this as my advisor just says she hasn't a clue what the changes will be.

Can you point me to where you found this info please? I'm a lone parent & Work Choice has been mentioned but according to my advisor the info isn't available in large print :eek: so I haven't checked up on the details. I'm probably being bl**dy minded, but I'm having a "If DWP can't even be bothered to supply info in a form I can actually read (yet again) then I feel I can't be bothered to engage with them" week. Sure I'll calm down soon :rotfl:. Thanks.