DWP work to be outsourced to business and charities

[Chrysalis]

Not sure if the BBC have picked this up yet, but in the welfare reforms white paper they have sneaked in that they are going to outsource welfare to work for ill and disabled people to private firms, who will get paid per interview and get paid bonuses for getting people to work. Although this may sound great the likely outcome is they will be sending people mentally and physically incapable of working to interviews when many business have already stated they wouldnt employ a incapable person.

A profit motivated company will now decide on claimants cases and have the power to cut their benefits.

Their is also plans to hand equal powers to charities who will then likely be punishing people they are their to help.

This is presumably how they are going to manage to sack a 3rd of the DWP workforce.

All these staff unlike public sector workers will not be accountable for the decisions they make and will likely be solely motivated by profits.

[Mal]

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/aboutus/welfarereform/

[BBKing]

Chrysalis, as you presumably guessed (I've seen you write knowledgably on this before), this is because of the 'success' of things like LiMA, which is a total disaster. Blair's crew have a rooted aversion to looking at the results of previous decisions before expanding them.

Thanks for the heads-up though, I'll nick this and blog it later...

[lauzjp]

hell, if it all helps me find and keep a job in this gawd-forsaken town, then I don't mind all the hoo-hah of welfare reform.

[Hugh]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Their is also plans to hand equal powers to charities who will then likely be punishing people they are their to help.

mmmmm- punishing - must be a new definition of "charity" that I hadn't come across before

And before it kicks off, my wife works for the DWP (Disability Benefits Centre), and advises outside organisations who help disabled people, what benefits are available and the criteria on which these are paid, so I don't want these changes to go ahead (as she is the breadwinner at the mo, due to me being made redundant, sob, sob, weep, boohoo, ah well, off to the pub, then).