Carers UK Forum

Chris From The Gulag wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 05, 2019 10:26 am

JOINT problems which require JOINT solutions.

The whole system is not geared for that ?

It should be though, I once went for a job to work in a job centre many years ago (interview took place in a HMRC building may I note) I was going in at management level so it was quite a tough maths and English test (i failed the maths) so I know the staff are intelligent and its not them to blaim...so it tells me its their systems.

Out of everyone I have known thats dealt with any government departments wether that be the CSA, Tax credits or any other department.... everyone I know has reported a f*ck up......no matter what department it is.

Give you an example DWP once made an error where they put in the system my father in law had 2 x state pensions.... You can only have 1 as far as I am aware.... So of course his money was stopped until we done a subject access request to find that was the issue..... How they can say he had 2 is crazy as its them that issue the state pension and as I say its one per person......if it wasnt for our family being strong an old man wouldn't have had any money at all to eat.

What they need to realise is if their staff struggle to understand the rules..... Just think how the applicant feels

But that's me now going off topic...... I think/hope that if your honest with them when you do go to such caution meetings and if you have received an over payment wether that be their fault, our fault or a mix of both (which I believe is our case) at the end of the day its only fair its paid back as its money you shouldn't have got. I do not believe that folk should have to pay any administration charges for an error..... Given they make enough errors of their own like humans sometimes do. Its better for all that a mutual agreement is in place that is beneficial to both parties without putting people in to hard ship.

As I say I do not believe this is the fault of DWPs frontline staff.....infact everyone I have spoken to have genuinely been very helpful.

I do think though that no matter what you apply for is over complicated for both staff and applicants and thats what they need to work on. Errors will always happen on both sides as we are all only human....but something has to be done to make the situation less complicated for both staff and applicants moving forward

My closest friend used to work for DWP, very well qualified. She even worked for the dreaded CSA for a few years!! The problem with the system is simple, it was obsolete and American when they started, yes, started to use it. The system doesn't even cover all eventualities.

My summary was that if they couldn't work it properly, they waited for a complaint. Then a senior member of staff like my friend would deal with it properly. She was utterly fed up for years, finally took early retirement. Actually she'd applied several times previously but they wouldn't let her go.

The staff are doing their best with something that was never fit for purpose. The closure of local offices was also a disaster. When my son was living in Dorset and we had problems I sent a special delivery to one the address on the letter in Poole. In actual fact, it wasn't dealt with there at all, but in Chippenham!

Progress???

@ bowlingbun

Typical of UK agencies everything on the cheap that just makes a mess worse.

This was the reason I said to the wife stay calm & just be honest with them without giving them a hard time. The thing is I still have my interview confirmation details stating my DWP interview took place in a HMRC office anyway (we declared our CA to other government depts including tax credits so if they became arsy I would have happily provided evidence that their systems etc are linked to tax credits etc.. hence why they discovered our over payment....probably wouldn't have to given our online government gateway accounts prove this anyway and fact they are trying to employ the Universal Credit system across the board proves they are all 1 anyway but just different departments/umbrella.

I personally wish I could do something to help people thats been in my circumstances but I also wish I could do something to help DWP staff also. Maybe I should renew my Cisco qualifications and if im ever fit to work again in the future apply for job in their IT dept.

Moving forward any application we do for any government agency will now be done through either a support worker or CAB..... as I don't wish this type of stress on anyone.

As stated I just wish I was fit enough and could do something to help both parties out...... Especially Carers

Edit: apologies for any bad grammar or spelling but very drowsy with morphine