For my sins, I sit on the Readers Panel for the Independent Review Service Journal. They have asked me to write a short piece about claiming crisis loans by phone, identifying any issues from a claimant/welfare rights perspective. My experience with these issues is limited - so does anyone have any experiences they wish to share?

The IRS are interested in :-
-The experiences that customers of the Social Fund have in terms of crisis loans by phone
-What works well?
-What doesn't work well?
-What needs to change?

Any and all responses would be welcome

Hope not too late to reply, and also hope someone can help with thoughts on legality of insisting on phone applications.

It seems to me that the DWP has hit on the perfect way to 'control' (ie limit) the number of CL applications. In the old days, they used to have to go through the hassle of refusing forms at the counter, arguing with us about it, then giving in. Now they just have too few phone lines for the number of applications, and bingo; a nice controllable flow of claims. For the claimants, of course, it means hours, sometimes days, of constant ringing to make a claim. There is no queueing system, and if you go to the office they send you away and tell you to ring. I never thought a phone system could be worse than DBU!

This leads me to a question about whether they can insist on phone applications at all. Sorry if this is old hat, but I've been out of the loop for a while.

The C+P regs 1987(4)(1) say that every claim for benefit, apart from IS and JSA, must be made in writing on an approved form, or in such other manner, being in writing, that the SoS accepts. Have there been any amendments to this, or are there any other regs that would enable them to insist on phone applications?

Cheers.

Thanks for the response. My article's been written up and sent off, but many have provided information of similar circumstances to those you describe. I will copy out your comments to take along to the 'editorial' as well.

As for insisting on phone applications, looks to me like the legislation was altered so that claims did not have to be made in writing, not to insist that they were not:http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2002/20022323.htm

Looks like local office policy to me. I'll mention this to the meeting as well.

Thanks again

Hi Lesley,

SF Guide; Part 3 'Crisis Loans' para.s 4066 to 4071 cover 'Applications made over the telephone'.

Para. 4068 states "Remember this service is intended for customers who make their intitial contact to the office by telephone: customers who are already in the office must never be told to go home and telephone"

the SF Guide is on-line at
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/socialfundguide/sfguide/content.asp

In practice people are being turned away though. Also claimants are reporting long delays if/when they get thriough on the phone line.

Cheers guys. I can feel a mission coming on...