Possibe take over by Atos

Not so long ago I read on a site that Atos will be taking over the administration of the DWP but I haven't been able to find it again which is no surprise. Howe3ver I have forund something which perhaps goes somewy to proving that what I said maybe right. Read below.

DWP briefing


Department for Work & Pensions Group



To: Branch Secretaries, Additional Branch Contact, Regional Secretaries, GEC

2 November 2012

DWP/BB/139/12

Update on the Future of the Social Fund

PCS has been pressing DWP management to announce their proposals for the staff whose current role will end when major changes to the Social Fund come into force in April 2013. These changes include the abolition of Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans.

Large Numbers of staff affected

Currently there are 3,500 permanent staff working on all areas of the Social Fund across DWP. Of these, 700 staff will be required to continue working on Social Fund on those areas that are not being abolished next April. Also several hundred further staff will be required from next April to process Short Term Advances, which replace Crisis Loans alignment payments. This means that there is likely to be at least 2,000 staff whose current role will end next April with, at present, little firm proposals for how they are to be redeployed.

Terry Moran, the Head of DWP Operations has promised that there will be work for staff no longer delivering Social Fund after April 2013. However DWP has been extremely slow in producing firm plans as to how these staff will be redeployed. This is obviously unsettling and worrying for the staff involved.

Benefit Centre Announcement

Management recently announced that they are to reduce the numbers of Benefit Centres that deliver Social Fund from ten to seven. The seven sites selected will be the ones that will

Deliver the elements of Social Fund that will not be abolished next April:These sites are:-
• Inverness
• Belle Vale
• Milton Keynes
• Chesterfield
• Perry Barr
• Balham
• Wembley

This has placed Social Fund staff at the Sunderland, Newcastle and Basildon Benefit Centres in a difficult and uncertain position as these sites have not been selected. Management made this announcement without consulting or giving prior notice to PCS, despite an earlier management commitment to fully consult on the Social Fund changes.

Managements have said that there would be a significant reduction in the workload with the loss of aspects of non regulated social fund work from March 2013 and Local Authorities (LAs) taking over delivery of some aspects of the new Local welfare provision. However it is unclear how this announcement fits with the forecast reduction in Social Fund workloads. Management have also announced their intention to move Incapacity Benefit Reassessment (IBR) appeals work into the Belle Vale site, with training to start from 5 November.

Full details needed

PCS has been very concerned that this known change had not been subject to early consultation and planning. PCS were expecting full and open consultation with details of how sites and staff would be selected to deliver regulated Social Fund and what work would be available for those staff displaced as a result of change of delivery policy. We will continue to press for a full and over-arching plan to be announced covering all staff working on Social Fund.

Piecemeal announcements like this, that only address one part of the Social Fund position rather than the complete picture, beg more questions than answers. No indication is given as to how many staff will be involved on Social Fund in the seven sites selected , let alone what work will be available for all the other staff currently delivering Social fund across DWP.

PCS is seeking an urgent explanation from DWP management and will update members as soon as possible.


Charles Law
Industrial Officer

Jim Holmes
Group Assistant Secretary

Maybe this is something to do with it ?

Benefits admin is to be devolved to Wales

THE funding, administration and management of benefits within Wales will be devolved to the Welsh Government from April.

Changes in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 mean that certain elements of the Social Fund scheme, currently run by the Department for Work and Pensions, will be abolished and replaced by a new local provider.

This contract has been awarded to Northgate Public Services, who will deliver the Welsh Social Fund for two years.

Funding for the programme is estimated to be around £10 million per year for two years. The Welsh Social Fund will be entirely grant based and will look to address the wider needs of applicants, particularly those who are vulnerable and financially excluded.
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/10058222.Benefits_admin_is_to_be_devolved_to_Wales/