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you cant upload documents anymore

Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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Joined: 18 June 2010

Bristol service centre is now refusing to allow claimants to upload documents to their account. This had not previously been an issue.

Apparently following an internal email from the SIL (service improvement lead (sic)) team dated 25/1/19 this facility was withdrawn for all documents except CVs and childcare costs. The only option to supply docs is to make an appointment at the Jobcentre or via the freepost address. Apparently this new guidance / policy is due to workload management issues.

Are others experiencing the same issue with other service centres?

[ Edited: 27 Mar 2019 at 12:16 pm by shawn mach ]
Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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Total Posts: 1659

Joined: 18 June 2010

Peter Turville - 25 March 2019 02:30 PM

Bristol service centre is now refusing to allow claimants to upload documents to their account. This had not previously been an issue.

Apparently following an internal email from the SIL (service improvement lead (sic)) team dated 25/1/19 this facility was withdrawn for all documents except CVs and childcare costs. The only option to supply docs is to make an appointment at the Jobcentre or via the freepost address. Apparently this new guidance / policy is due to workload management issues.

Are others experiencing the same issue with other service centres?

DWP Response

“It is not a change in policy, it should have always been the case.

Due to security/data protection reasons, the only documents the customers should be uploading are their CV’s & childcare costs.

Anything else will either need to be posted or bought into the Jobcentre.”

So why isn’t there a data protection issue with uploading CV’s and childcare cost? More of Operation Obstruct’?

 

Jeremy Barker
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Citizens Advice North Lincolnshire

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This looks like the well-known “Data protection doesn’t allow it.” argument that is often misused to try to justify not doing something that is perfectly acceptable under data protection law (whether the old DPA or GDPR)..

pamr
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Benefits & Financial Assessments, Gateshead Council

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Following a National discussion on Corporate Appointee issues earlier this month, DWP are granting a special exemption to allow bank account records and other supporting documents via email. It should include anything really that you need to send them.
It does not include ID verification but you can do this over the phone.
So not ideal in that you might want to upload them, but allows you to electronically send stuff over and keep the evidence you have done so. Contact your JC+ partnership manager for the email to use.

Mr Finch
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Benefits adviser - Isle of Wight CAB

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Disgraceful. If this is a breach of data protection, then so is having an online-managed benefit.

Mike Hughes
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

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Interesting exception in as much as GMWRAG were told that the issue was not so much about DPA/GDPR but more to do with attempts to steal claimant details by non-claimants.

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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pamr - 27 March 2019 02:03 PM

Following a National discussion on Corporate Appointee issues earlier this month, DWP are granting a special exemption to allow bank account records and other supporting documents via email. It should include anything really that you need to send them.
It does not include ID verification but you can do this over the phone.
So not ideal in that you might want to upload them, but allows you to electronically send stuff over and keep the evidence you have done so. Contact your JC+ partnership manager for the email to use.

Welcome aboard Pam :)