Evidencing Provider Job Outcome Claims

It has recently been brought to my attention that some of our contracted employment provision providers are using colleagues in Jobcentre Plus offices to provide them with the evidence they need to be able to claim job outcome performance and therefore payment from DWP.

This evidence usually involves Jobcentre Plus personnel checking customer records to confirm that the individual has signed-off and/or gone into work - in some cases we are aware that colleagues in Jobcentre Plus offices have also run the equivalent of an off-benefit check giving providers what they believe to be robust evidence to support their claim and proof that it will be processed without question.

In reality some of these claims subsequently fail the formal off-benefit check when submitted to DWP for payment, eg because of mismatches between the dates used in the informal check and those used at the formal claim stage.

The off-benefit check in itself does not confirm that an individual is in employment and, whilst we do accept this as a proxy for making payments, it is the responsibility of each provider to satisfy themselves that individuals have been in work for the required period of time (not off-benefit) when they make their claims to DWP.

Other than maintaining good working relationships with their providers, there is nothing to be gained from Jobcentre Plus performing this informal off-benefit check. Not only can it be counter-productive where claims subsequently fail the formal off-benefit check but it is also using valuable Jobcentre Plus resources.

With that in mind I would ask that providers look to their own internal systems and processes to gather the evidence needed to support their job outcome claims in the future.

Derek French