The Generic Provider Guidance – Chapter 5 (revised)

Background

With reference to the Generic Provider Guidance – Chapter 5 memo, serial number GPG 0001 issued on 13th June 2011. This memo caused confusion regarding wider customer consent and data protection issues.

The Department has therefore withdrawn this memo with immediate effect, and replaced it with this revised memo.

Update

As part of the payment validation process for job related outcomes, Providers are required to obtain customer consent to allow DWP to contact their employers. A customer consent form has been designed for this purpose and can be found at Annex 1 of Chapter 5 of the Generic Provider Guide.

This consent form has been designed to ensure that DWP is compliant with DPA requirements for the purpose of contacting employers and cannot be altered.

Providers are not required to have additional authority in place for collecting, processing and sharing customer information/data for the purposes of confirming customer’s employment details with employers.

The form at Annex 1 is solely for Providers to use to obtain consent on behalf of DWP for the Provider Payment Validation Team to undertake its validation of job related outcomes.

Next Steps

The Generic Provider Guidance will be updated in due course with the above information.

All enquiries on the subject of this memo should be emailed to: PMD.WORKPROGRAMMEENQUIRIES@DWP.GSI.GOV.UK.