Work Choice Data Collection Exercise

Dear WORKSTEP Provider

Over May and June last year WORKSTEP providers supplied DWP with information related to delivery of the WORKSTEP programme. Your assistance was very much appreciated and the information you sent was extremely helpful. It enabled the project to better understand the employment and financial liabilities arising from WORKSTEP provision. It also ensured prospective bidders were properly informed, enabling realistic bids.

Before DWP awards contracts at the end of April we need to refresh and enhance this data.

DWP is therefore seeking to update and build upon the information already gathered by conducting a further data exercise with WORKSTEP providers. We understand that these exercises can be time consuming. However, we also know that you will be keen to do all that is possible to make sure that your participants and employees are not negatively affected by the transition to Work Choice. We hope that you will be reassured to know that the information we will request is the minimum necessary for this purpose. The data we receive will only be passed to the new Work Choice Prime Providers once contracts have been signed. Prime Providers will be, therefore, contractually obliged to treat this data as confidential and to store it securely and in line with DWP protocols.

You will be aware that DWP is funding the additional activities that you will need to deliver in order to help ensure an effective transition to Work Choice for your customers. Please note that your return of completed questionnaires is one of the activities that will generate payment.

DWP will be requesting data from all current WORKSTEP providers in March 2010. The content and approach of the data collection will be similar to last year’s but with some important differences; we will be asking for some additional customer information which will be of a more personal nature. Because of this, the method of collection will be slightly different.

Due to the increased level of personal information required, it will be necessary for all WORKSTEP providers (with certain exceptions) to encrypt the data before sending it to DWP. This encryption must be done using Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) software, which can be purchased and downloaded from www.pgp.com. DWP has allocated £100 of the transitional activities funding for each WORKSTEP provider in respect of the cost of this encryption software. Please see ANNEX A for further information about sending the data to DWP.

A follow-up communication will be emailed to you and posted on the Notice to Providers website and the WORKSTEP extranet shortly which will detail what we will be asking you to provide along with the forms you will need to fill in and further guidance. In the meantime, please ensure you are equipped for the upcoming data collection exercise as detailed in this communication.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and assistance.

If you have any questions about this exercise, or wish to discuss it in more detail please contact us at specialist.disabilityprovision@dwp.gsi.gov.uk