Jobcentre Plus Interviews and Work-Focused Interviews

Jobcentre Plus Interviews and Work-Focused Interviews
To get certain benefits a person has to attend “work-focused interviews”.
Although they do not apply to Jobseeker’s Allowance which has its own rules
under which a person has to attend interviews as part of their Jobseeker’s
Agreement.

The purpose of the interview is to assist the claimant with their future
employment prospects. This will be through identifying any training and
educational needs, at the same time noting skills and abilities the claimant
may already have, which could enhance their future employment prospects.

Who is required to take part?
People aged 16 and over whom are under Pension Credit age, not in
remunerative work, and claiming one of the following benefits are required to
attend. This includes Lone Parents whose youngest child is over 6 months.
        Severe Disablement Allowance
        Employment and Support Allowance
        Incapacity Benefit
        Income Support

Those claiming just Bereavement Benefits or Carer’s Allowance are no longer
required to attend.

Note
This information is intended to be a guide and does not cover every
circumstance. It is possible that some of the information is over-simplified, or
may become inaccurate over time, for example because of changes to the
law. The rates shown are applicable from 11 April 2011 and Essex Benefits
Plus have made every effort to ensure that the information is correct at time
of publication.

Factsheet

In exceptional circumstances, mainly if a person is too ill to leave home, the
interview can be held at their home.

Taking part in the interview is a condition of claiming the benefit concerned,
and if a person fails to take part, their new claim will not be completed.

If someone is claiming more than one of the benefits listed above, they will
only have to attend one interview.

Claimants of Employment and Support Allowance will be expected to attend
an initial interview followed by 5 further interviews at monthly intervals.

Work- Focused Interviews for partners of claimants in receipt of above
benefits.

Partners of new claimants of the above benefits will also be required to attend
a Work-Focused Interview at the Jobcentre Plus office. These interviews will
be compulsory and will take place at the 26th week of the claim.

Couples

A couple also includes same-sex couples, i.e. those who have registered
their partnership as a civil partnership, and same-sex couples who have not
but who live together as civil partners.

Waivers and deferments

Interviews may be waived or deferred if an officer decides that the interview
would be inappropriate or of no assistance to the claimant. It is important that
advice is sought about whether an interview could be waived or deferred.

For example, those who have been recently bereaved should ask for the
interview to be deferred until a later date. Those who suffer from mental
health or learning difficulties should ask for the interview to be waived.

If an interview is deferred, the claimant should be informed when they will be
required to attend another Work-Focused Interview.

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Factsheet

Lone Parents

Since October 2010, lone parents with a youngest child aged 7 or over will no
longer be entitled to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone
parent. Instead those able to work may claim Jobseeker’s Allowance. They
will be expected to look for suitable work in return for personalised help and
support

Lone parents with a health problem or a disability may be able to claim
Employment and Support Allowance.

Lone parents who have other reasons for claiming Income Support, for
example if they have children for whom the middle or highest rate care
component of Disability Living Allowance is payable, or they claim Carer’s
Allowance, or are fostering will continue to be eligible to claim Income
Support.

A compulsory action plan will be completed for lone parents as part of their
Work Focused Interview. Other people will be asked to attend at different
times during their claim. This may be if there is a change of circumstances
which affects their claim.

What does taking part involve?

Taking part in the interview involves providing information and answers to the
following

 educational history and qualifications, including any vocational training
  undertaken
 any relevant skills the person has
 details of any paid or unpaid work being carried out
 details of any medical condition the person has which may put them at a
  disadvantage in getting a job
 details of any caring or childcare responsibilities the person may have

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Factsheet

What happens if someone fails to take part in an interview?
To avoid a penalty a person must show good cause (see below) within 5
working days of the date they are notified by the Department for Work and
Pensions (DWP) that they failed to attend the interview.

If a person fails to take part in an interview when making a new claim for one
of the specified benefits, they may be denied benefit altogether, and will be
treated as not having made a claim. In these circumstances, they will need to
make a new claim.

If a person is required to attend an interview after having had an interview
deferred and fails to take part, their benefit may be suspended.

When a person has been required to take part in an interview as a condition
of their continued entitlement to benefit and then fails to take part, their
benefit may be reduced by 20% of the Income Support applicable amount for
a single person.

The consequences above will not apply if, within 1 month, the claimant can
show facts that could not have been reasonably known at the time of the
requirement to attend and they can show they had good cause for their
failure to attend the interview.

Employment and Support Allowance rules allow for a sanction to be imposed
which is equivalent to 50% of the work-related activity component for the first
4 weeks and then 100% until the claimant complies. The sanction will only
apply to the work related component and not to the support component.

What is good cause?
Good cause for failure to take part may be one of the following reasons
 the person misunderstood the requirement due to a learning disability,
  literacy or language difficulty, or through misleading information from the
  employment officer
 the person was attending a medical/dental appointment, or was
  accompanying someone for whom they have caring responsibilities to
  such an appointment and it was not reasonable to rearrange the
  appointment
 the person had transport difficulties and there was no reasonable
  alternative

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Factsheet

 there were religious customs or practices which prevented attendance
 the person was attending a job interview with a view to securing
  employment
 the person was pursuing employment opportunities as a self-employed
  earner
 there was an accident, sudden illness, relapse of a chronic condition of the
  claimant or of their dependants
 the person was attending the funeral of a close relative
 the person’s disability made it impracticable to attend at the time fixed for
  the interview

Decisions regarding a person’s failure to take part in an interview may be
appealed to an appeal tribunal. Further advice should be sought if their
benefit has been denied, suspended or reduced as a result.
What is ‘State Pension age’?
This is the earliest age you can draw your State Retirement Pension.
Historically the State Pension age has been 60 for women and 65 for men.
However, from 6 April 2010 changes commenced to bring State Pension age
for women up to 65.

You can find out your State Pension age by entering your gender and date of
birth on the state pension age calculator at
http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/state-pension-age-calculator/home.asp

For more information on Pensions and retirement planning including future
proposals yet to be implemented go to
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/index.htm

The information contained in this document can be translated and/or made
available in alternative formats on request.

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