Jobcentre Plus Process Walkthrough S traightforward Case Supported by CMS R2

1. Jobcentre Plus Process WalkthroughStraightforward CaseSupported by CMS R2

2. Process Storyboard: New Claims meet Hana

3. Hana is 25 and has 2 young children. Her partner walked out on her very recently and she needs to claim benefit for the first time. Until last week, she was a full time beauty therapist and her partner’s family cared for the children. Hana goes to her local Citizens Advice Bureau for help. They advise her to phone Jobcentre Plus and give her the Contact Centre number.

4. Hana telephones the contact centrefrom home and is greeted by an interactive voice response system. She hears three options: • For employers wanting to fill jobs • For customers searching for vacancies • For making new claims Hana selects option 3 and is put through to Steve a First Contact Officer in the Contact Centre

5. OVERVIEW OF FCO ROLE Steve - the First Contact Officer’s role during the Inbound call is to: • Act as a first point of contact, • Redirect non-Jobcentre Plus customers as appropriate, • Advise customers of Jobcentre Plus work-focused services and • work-focused benefit conditionality, • Identify the most appropriate benefit(s) and CSA interest, • Identify 16/17 year old customers and take the appropriate action, • Identify if rapid reclaim is appropriate, • Gather labour market information to inform the Work Focused Interview and ensure that all IT and clerical customer records are created and updated as appropriate – e.g. LMS marker set and the reason for waiver/deferral is recorded.

6. CMS LMS Steveinterviews Hanausing CMS scripted questions. Steve: • confirms Hana’s reason for calling Jobcentre Plus • establishes Hana’s identity • records her personal, work and family information • decides a jobsearch is inappropriate at this stage • From the information Hana has provided CMS establishes that Hana is eligible to claim Income Support and there is CSA interest

7. Steve explains that Hana will be phoned back for a longer interview and arranges this for a convenient time later that day. He reminds her of the information she needs to have with her for this call All call backs must be done within 24 hours and for vulnerable customers, within 4 hours,eg recently bereaved or those under the threat of eviction

8. At the pre-arranged timeHanais called at home by Sandra, a colleague of Steve’s.Sandra is also a First Contact Officer

9. At the Outbound call First Contact Officer must: MUST DOs • actively promote the work-focused services of Jobcentre Plus • explain that a Work Focus Interview is a compulsory condition of benefit entitlement • explain the purpose of the Work Focused Interview • discuss any current job search activity • decide if Work Focused Interview should be appropriately waived/deferred • book a Work Focused Interview to take place within 4 working days of First Contact if not waived or deferred • identify gateway interventions • allocate a Personal Adviser able to deal with a customer’s particular needs - e.g. Lone Parent or IB customer • do a job search for all customers who are job-ready and undertake a submission if there is a suitable vacancy.

10. CMS LMS ABS Using CMS electronic scripts and clerical desk-aids Sandra interviews Hana and gathers full benefit and work-related information, including information required by the CSA and for HB/CTB and recording it on CMS. Using new diary functionality, Sandra books Hana an appointment with a Personal Adviser who specialises in lone parents at her local JCP Office. She gives Hana her appointment time and explains that she will see a member of the Customer Services Teambefore her PA interview.

11. CMS Using CMS prompts, Sandra confirms the evidence Hana must take to her interview to support her claim. Hana will also receive: • a list of evidence she is required to bring to her interview in her appointment letter; and • her customer statement to check and sign.

12. Documents Produced at Contact Centre ... • Sent to Customer: • customer statement • appointment letter • evidence list • covering letter • DWP questionnaire • LA questionnaire • Waived/deferred letter • Secondary benefits • covering letter and • claim pack • Sent to JCP Office: • Form CMS1 • JCP7 (for GI referrals) These are the standard documents. Other scenarios may require additional forms.

13. LMS At JCP Office…. • The PA Manager sees Hana’s appointment on LMS and liases with the FA Manager to book in FA and FAM interviews (for CSA Good Cause) before and after the PA slot • FA Admin receives first 2 pages of Hana’s form CMS1 by fax and passes to the relevant Financial Assessor, Oliver.

14. Two days later…

15. Hana arrives at her local JCP Office and is greeted at the entrance byAlisha,the Floorwalker.

16. Alisha is aFloorwalker. Her role is to: • Provide general advice to customers • Signpost customers to correct areas/person • Possibly manage reception staff • Ensure publicity displays/leaflets are current and available • Record and provide stats where appropriate • Handle simple enquiries, e.g. NTC

17. Alisha directs Hana (possibly via reception)over to Oliver for her FA interview

18. MUST DOs The role of the Financial Assessor is to: • explain that the benefit claim is dependent on satisfactory participation of a Work Focused Interview • thoroughly check - the benefit claims for content and completeness, - customer statement against benefit claims • raising and resolving queries with customers while they are present, updating CMS as required,and producing a revised statement,where necessary, for customer to sign • gather all evidence and verification to reduce opportunities for fraud and error • answer customers' queries about benefits so that these will not be carried forward into the Work Focused Interview • advise the customer of the status of their claim before they leave the office and tell them of any further evidence needed before the claim can be processed • alert PA if it appears that a Work Focused Interview might not be appropriate. • make the claim transferable to benefit processing

19. To make the customers claim transferable Oliver will Prior to the Interview: • Preview the case using CMS, form CMS1, FA desk-aid, and FCO desk-aids and CES as appropriate* At the interview: • Perform an identity check • Ensure customers understand and comply with conditions attached to benefit claim • Check statement/ claim forms for completeness** • Advise on secondary benefit claims • Record details of verification provided on CMS, taking copies where appropriate • Inform customer of evidence still outstanding and issue form JCP5 • Make and issue defective claim decision if appropriate • Deal with receipt of valuables • Identify and where appropriate refer for Gateway interventions

20. CMS Oliverconducts a 3-way interview using CMS.Oliver: • Checks Hana’s identity • Confirms her customer statement and records it as completed on CMS • Checks and copies the evidence verification to support Hana’s claim and records it on CMS • Explains how she will be paid

21. Unfortunately Hana has forgotten her P45 and wage slips. • Oliver explains that she will need to send the evidence to him before her claim can be processed. • Oliver provides Hana with a pre-paid S.A.E. to send her documents in.

22. Oliver gives Hana a contact number for any benefit related enquiries

23. At the end of the interview, Oliver introduces Hana to Will for her Personal Adviser interview.

24. Willis aPersonal Adviser. His role is to: • Conduct work focused interviews for Jobcentre Plus customers • Conduct New Deal interviews (optional for most PAs) • Identify, and help customers to overcome, any barriers to employment, referring them to training or support where appropriate

25. MUST DOs To Deliver the Work-Focused Service the Personal Adviser must: • Be trained to deal with customer’s circumstances (e.g. incapacity) • Consider if a waiver/deferral is appropriate • Conduct the WFI at a convenient location if customer cannot get to office • Explain the purpose of the WFI and the requirement to participate • Discuss current job search activity • Undertake job search for those ready for work and make a submission if a suitable vacancy is found • Focus on an IB customer’s residual capacity, not incapacity and be prepared to challenge assumptions • Have a meaningful and substantive discussion about work options and prospects based on an assessment of skills, experience, qualifications, barriers and responsibilities

26. MUST DOs Continued: • Actively promote in-work benefits and Tax Credits and other advantages of work for customer and family • Carry out better off calculations, using known figures or hypothetical examples • Actively promote and encourage customers to take up New Deals and other help to prepare for work and refer to specialist provision – debt counselling, etc • Encourage customers to develop a Customer Action Plan or Jobseekers Agreement, setting out steps to prepare for work • Tell customer about mandatory trigger interviews and set workflows or reminders on LMS • Offer continuing contact with customer and encourage further voluntary meetings to discuss work options • Record conditionality details in CMS • Advise FA whether customer has participated in WFI

27. CMS LMS During the Work Focused Interview,Will: • Asks Hana about her work goals, skills and experience • Explains what NDLP can offer her • Updates LMS with appropriate markers • Conducts a better-off calculation and explains how New Tax Credits can help • Offers Hana ongoing support through caseloading • Will then updates LMS with work-focussed information.

28. Hanaleaves the office with a clear idea of: • What information she must send to the Financial Assessor • Who to contact for both work or benefit-related queries • Where to go for help finding work • What kind of help is available

29. Behind the scenes….

30. To make the customers claim transferable Oliver will as a Financial Assessor: After the interview: • Set up and manage BF run – cases awaiting verification • Record verification on CMS when received • Complete EBC action as appropriate • Select appropriate transfer action • Clerical transfer of ‘defective’ claims when time limit is reached • Carry out rework following CMS Checker action

31. Once Hana’s missing verification arrives in the post, Oliver: • Inputs details of the verification to CMS • Decides that the claim is now transferable to ISCS • Triggers automatic transfer on CMS • Passes all paperwork to the FA admin team

32. This is Sukh, he is a member of the FA Admin Team which-- • views ‘manage transfer for messages, warnings and errors’ screen daily • notes which cases have transferred partially or not at all • produces (full or partial) input docs, error or warning message reports and form CMS1 • collates all forms previously noted with DWP questionnaire into a bundle • Sends clerical transfer bundle to relevant processing section • Output documentation for LA ieCMS1LA and LA questionnaire are sent to relevant LA • Actions overdue transfer acknowledgment slips • Sets cases for deletion

33. At the Jobcentre Plus Site… • FA admin gather all of Hana’s paperwork together • They ensure the CMS Checker has the opportunity to select the case for the VAT2000 evidence check • The transfer of Hana’s information to ISCS is successful • FA Admin send the input documents (1 short document for IS/ CS and a full input document for HB/ CTB) and the forms CMS1 and CMS2 to the appropriate processing sections • The customer statement and evidence copies are sent for local storage

34. At the Benefit Processing Site…. • Jenny, a Benefit Processor, receives Hana’s input document , form CMS1 and DWP questionnaire

35. At the Benefit Processing Site…. • In Hana’s case there has been a full transfer of information from CMS to legacy • Using the input document, Jenny determines that no additional DMA or conditionality action is required on Hana’s case • Jenny inputs the necessary “LO” decision into legacy to instigate payment

36. At the Job Centre Plus site…. • The confirmation slip is returned to FA Admin who acknowledges receipt and sets date for the deletion of the CMS record