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dwp looking for feedback from rightsnet users
Hi -
We’ve been contacted by the UC communications team at the DWP who would welcome your feedback on the UC video they launched for claimants back in April 2014
A video ‘Introduction to Universal Credit’ was published on 07.04.14 to help explain Universal Credit to claimants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7GUu7Xa7Nw&feature=youtu.be.
This short film explains how Universal Credit works, including:• how it helps to make work pay
• the support claimants get
• what’s expected in return
The video was developed based on feedback from stakeholders and partners requesting content that explains Universal Credit simply and clearly, and we’d welcome your further feedback, particularly in respect of the messaging and infographics.
Key questions are:
• Would you use this video / link it to your website? If not, why not?
• As an ‘introduction to’ does it cover what you would expect it to cover? If not, what is missing?
• Is the messaging clear or is it too simplistic?
• Are the infographics clear? Do they work?
The DWP are happy for you to leave feedback here for them to pick up on …
Cheers - Shawn
Sorry…..It dindnt sell it, to me.
The blue walking figures, and blue line that morphs with the figures (it is a direction of travel that goes up then down, then circles round and round?) gave the impression of a lot of foootwork and endless trudging about.
It was a relief to reach the end, or was it the start?
LOL - got 5 seconds in. A blue line streaks across and then… “An error occurred, please try again later. Learn More.”
So, an excellent summary of the quality of the IT process 😊
Will try again at home and see what happens then.
I think it’s reasonably clear, overall. If someone asked me “I’ve only got 5 minutes, but what’s this universal credit thing about?”, I suppose I might show them this video as a starting point.
A few personal observations:
A lot of its intended audience would probably want some more concrete info, such as “Will I be better or worse off than I am now?”, and “Exactly when will this affect me?” (though I understand why this might not be possible)
If I were on PC, I’d be unsure what this means for me… except that my HB might be disappearing?
For anyone who can’t use the internet, the information given about the claims process is very discouraging, i.e., JCP can “tell you about local places where you can access the internet for free” .. and that’s about it. There should be a mention of “If you can’t use the internet, then ...”
I think there is too much emphasis on UC being a funnel into work/JCP. The film implies that every applicant will have to accept a full claimant commitment or risk their benefit being cut, etc etc, and only adds at the end “if you are unable to work, universal credit will support you”. This leaves you wondering: who will and won’t be accepted as “unable to work”, will they be exempt from the previous info on claimant commitments, and how exactly might they be “supported”?
Wonder how much they paid an ad agency for that?
Do the DWP seriously expect us to comment on its little cartoons and then, no doubt pay for a focus group to analyse the responses? Well analyse this…
Universal Credit was dreamed up by some ideologically driven, millionaire, dinosaur who sits in the mansion given to him by Daddy-in-law and has no understanding of the lives of ordinary people. Large parts of his own party think he is a bit of a halfwit; the rest of us would not give him anywhere near that much credit.
‘Expert work coaches at the jobcentre’? Don’t make me laugh. Underpaid clerical staff who are under huge pressure to sanction anyone for whatever reason they can dream up, or instructed to ‘frustrate’ people off benefit by setting them pointless, unachievable tasks. And sanctioning people diminishes their ability to get a job, not increases it, whatever spin some Goebbels at the DWP might try to put on it.
Making people wait 5,6, or7 weeks for their first payment is manna from heaven for the likes of Wonga and the other despicable low life who prey on the poor and desperate. It’s a recipe for trapping people in debt and causing anxiety, illness and suffering. Not that IDS or his ilk would ever know that, they would just sell the silver spoons that were crammed into their mouths at birth should they ever be short for their next round of champers.
Forcing people to spend 35 hours p/w applying for jobs that they are never going to get is just a waste of everyone’s time. I’ve been unemployed, I know that to get a job it is necessary to focus on the limited number of opportunities that come up for which I have the skills, experience and aptitude. Making me apply for jobs I have no interest in or qualifications for just detracts from my ability to get a job and makes it likely that I will be unemployed longer. Plus it’s an almighty pain in the neck, which is the real point of it all, to deter people from signing on in the first place.
The last time my company advertised for a new member of staff we received 350 plus CVs in response, despite it being made clear that CVs were not accepted. Why? because the Jobcentre tells people they have to apply for every job that comes up and is fixated with its crappy Universal Jobmatch, which is a haven for scammers, identity thieves and people just having a laugh. Complete waste of our time, waste of the claimants time but all normal in Jobcentreplus land because “it’s the rules”. And heaven help you if you don’t play by these rules, no matter how pointless and counterproductive they are.
Universal Credit is an attack on disabled people, carers, the poor and unfortunate and anyone unlucky enough to get ill or lose their job. It’s underpinned by a vicious and vindictive sanctions regime that dehumanises people and creates a culture of fear and loathing that has no place in our 21st century society. And, surprise, surprise, what happens when people get harangued off Jobseekers? They can’t cope, go on the sick, then get parked on assessment rate ESA for months on end because a vampire, multi-national bunch of disability deniers is more interested in its own profit margins than the suffering of the vulnerable.
That’s what I think of your Universal Credit DWP. As for your silly cartoon? I don’t give a monkeys.
Billy, that was wonderful mate- truly wonderful. The applause may even be audible despite the geographical distance between us. I can add nothing.
Incidentally, we had exactly the same experience as your organisation when we advertised for an admin post a little while back (we were flooded with CVs- and we specifically stated we didn’t accept CVs- not to mention ‘hopeless’ applications). It took us hours to shortlist especially as we felt duty-bound to respond, either by letter or email, to everyone who had applied just so they had some evidence to prove to the JC that they’d applied (and been rejected). A good percentage of the applicants were either clients of ours at the time or have been since.
I think that is about the best summing-up of UC I have ever come across! Couldn’t agree more.
Feedback for DWP:- Stop wasting taxpayer’s money paying multi-national, money-pit companies to “deliver” new flagship reforms, and concentrate instead on improving training and decision making.
We need a benefit system which isn’t all stick and no carrot, and which treats people fairly and with respect.
Unless we achieve full employment we will always have people who need to claim benefits. In a truly civilised society (which I believe is what we all want to see), such people should be looked after and not vilified and harassed.
• Would you use this video / link it to your website? If not, why not?
Might see if a link could be put up on the GMWRAG web site but, to be honest, I’m not sure what the purpose of that would be other than to comment on the ridiculousness that this exists.
There are no circumstances in which I would use such a product. It is marketing. Now, to some extent it could be argued that marketing has a role in benefit take-up but I would say that’s a weak to non-existent argument. There’s no evidence I’m aware of that it works at all. Then again, there doesn’t need to be. DWP are now almost completely politicised and have gained a well-deserved reputation for what might be euphemistically described as creative use of statistics. They’re not really interested in my view whether it works as much as whether it’s received enthusiastically as a “good thing” by “key stakeholders” and supports the increasingly popular idea of corporate branding of benefits. Employers will love this sort of thing because they recognise is at as a “product” their own branders would use. Ergo, it is good. Er, no, it really isn’t.
Low take-up can be challenged by directed, targeted work using existing data and very specific, accurate information challenging the myths people believe that support why they don’t claim.
Marketing/advertising can only be targeted by location and I look forward to the first person sanctioned for wasting their time watching this rather than using Universal Jobmatch. Where might this be located and what might it use that would support the same aim as take-up? If it were to be truthful then it could only say that some people would be better off in work etc.
Long way of saying, no, I wouldn’t use and don’t think it serves any useful purpose.
• As an ‘introduction to’ does it cover what you would expect it to cover? If not, what is missing?
I have no expectations of what it would cover and I don’t see that its audience is anything other than the people who produced it. It markets the DWP to employers and government rather than UC to claimants
• Is the messaging clear or is it too simplistic?
I think you could probably guess my answer to this.
• Are the infographics clear? Do they work?
Very much in the “it doesn’t actually matter” category.
• Would you use this video / link it to your website? If not, why not?
No. Because it is puffery, not information.
• As an ‘introduction to’ does it cover what you would expect it to cover? If not, what is missing?
It’s a TV advert for a product, not an introduction. Nearly everything is missing. The product is exceedingly vaguely defined, and is ineffably distant.
• Is the messaging clear or is it too simplistic?
It is way too simplistic - to the point of being patronising and insulting to the intelligence. It also reflects the relentless ‘good news’ culture of the DWP.
• Are the infographics clear? Do they work?
See above. Janet and John do Universal Credit.
As an example of oversimplification – one is blandly told that child care help is available. But not that one must report child care costs every month online, and that money will be refused if the costs are reported late.
There is an over-emphasis on work – very little recognition that some people are too ill to work. No recognition at all that someone who cannot work will receive less than under any current system.
What is the ‘expert help’ that is available to seek work? All we have seen is sanctions, often harshly and unreasonably applied.
It is faintly implied but not satisfactorily stated that working people will be sanctioned on UC. I don’t think they know this yet. I suspect they will not be best pleased.
There is an over-emphasis on computers, and a bland assumption that everyone and anyone can claim online.
Given the slow roll-out of UC, is this little piece even faintly relevant to most claimants? Will it not cause confusion? The ‘relax-we’ll-contact-you’ message does not help – ‘WHEN will UC be relevant to me?’ is the question. Silence follows.
My feedback?
Sorry, I live in the countryside I am entirely dependant on 2g internet at home; my limited budget & bandwidth allowance does not permit me to watch much video.
I’m lucky enough to work but have no audio on my work PC so can’t watch it.
Can you supply it on VHS?
Yours, digitally excluded.
[ Edited: 24 Jul 2014 at 11:53 am by Dan_Manville ].
We need a “like” button!
.
We need a “like” button!
Only if operates over limited bandwidth in rural areas :)
•
See above. Janet and John do Universal Credit.
LOL!! Just had a ‘coffee-splutter’ moment.
Why on earth would the DWP want our feedback?
Why on earth would the DWP want our feedback?
There’s a massive and currently insurmountable gap between the reality of being on benefits and the “marketing/branding” of same. It’s basically that we live in a world of trickledown economics where local authorities are run as slimmed down businesses for profit; reducing income inequalities is off the agenda and “prosperity through growth” is in. Only jobs bring prosperity and if you’re doing lots of that then nothing else matters. Not services, not benefits, not anything.
DWP is now populated with an army of politically influenced appointments who have been brought in from outside with their private sector skills and its full steam ahead on the privatisation of benefits and tax in the same way the NHS has already been privatised (who owns YOUR GP). If you’re privatising a product then you need profile and feedback. Thus, here they are…
Appreciate that Mike but my question was more rhetorical than real. They don’t give a monkeys what we think one way or the other. They’ll just cherrypick any feedback to spin the policy.
Why on earth would the DWP want our feedback?
Imagine one of those cherished moments, when you’ve been on hold listening to the piped classical muzak over and over again, and then it pauses and your heart skips a beat and you think that your call is being put through to a real live human being, only for your stomach to sink as you realise it’s actually an automated cold robotic voice saying “We do appreciate your call and we’re sorry for keeping you on hold, one of our operators will be able to help you shortly, thank you for your patience, we do value your custom” before the muzak kicks back in again.
That.
Appreciate that Mike but my question was more rhetorical than real. They don’t give a monkeys what we think one way or the other. They’ll just cherrypick any feedback to spin the policy.
I have this image of Billy now desperately emailing Shawn with a request to let him belatedly edit his post to remove “manna from heaven”. You just know they’ll use it :)
Picture this.
Senior civil servant: “Well minister, we’ve analyzed the feedback and even our old adversaries the advice sector has described Universal Credit as manna from heaven. Well done sir”!
Minister: “Who gives a toss what they think. Stop faffing around with all this consultation malarkey, get with the programme and get the thing done”.
Senior civil servant: “Yes minister”.
[ Edited: 25 Jul 2014 at 10:04 am by nevip ]Why on earth would the DWP want our feedback?
So they can tick that particular box. It’s not as if they have to actually take any notice of it, is it?
Here is some feedback on UC from Peter Fitzhenry of Golden Gates Housing Trust on Claimant Commitments, Sanctions and working with the Job Centre Plus. I did a quick search on his name in the Forum and this doesn’t seem to have been mentioned yet, tho it was in the Indy on 18 May at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/benefit-reforms-one-year-on-universal-credit-is-not-working-9391283.html
It includes this:
Payments have been so haphazard that 92 per cent of those on Golden Gate’s books using the new benefit are in rent arrears, and two have been evicted since moving on to it. A further 13 are on suspended possession orders or notices seeking possession. Typically, around half of housing association tenants on housing benefit are in rent arrears, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). “The problem seems to be that the scheme is running but they’re making it up as they go along”, said Mr Fitzhenry.
For more than half of its universal credit tenants, the housing trust has asked for the rent payments to now go directly to the trust. But this has not curbed the spiralling arrears. “Of the direct payments we do get from DWP, about half of the amounts are wrong,” Mr Fitzhenry explained. “It’s always too little.” Payments also go missing altogether. “Our first payments [from DWP] that were supposed to go to us were sent to the DVLA. We still don’t know why, that’s just what they told us. The computer system collapses if your payment day is a Saturday or a bank holiday, and then everything has to be rebuilt on a Monday and the money ends up going direct to the client. It’s a computer error.”
“Claimant Commitments, Sanctions and working with the Job Centre Plus” was Peter Fitzhenry’s talk to the Welfare reform impact club (WRIC) on Monday 14 July 2014 in Warrington, Manchester. He may be coming to speak to a NAWRA conference in the near future…
Here is some feedback on UC from Peter Fitzhenry of Golden Gates Housing Trust
They should link to that in their little infomercial… “What you can expect”
Like many comments above the main problem is that so many people do not have internet access and are not going to see this. Investing in basic info for local radio would possibly be better. At the moment there are regular ads for Tax Credit renewal, and there have been ads for changes to in-work pensions. Local radio is listened to a lot (at least here in Scotland, from my experience), and is available to most people. Also agree needs to be a bit more relevant to local areas and have expected timescale.
If you want a visual piece then it would have to be available on DVD or TV ad to ensure it could be played/seen.
But in DWP-land, anyone who claims they have no access to internet is just an awkward shirker who doesn’t want to co-operate, and by extension is responsible for, and fully deserves their own deprivation.
The complete lack of information about how the benefit affects or supports those with disabilities is extremely disappointing.
The only point of the video which mentions this is a brief comment that ‘if you’re unable to work, then UC will support you’ with our blue friend leaning up against a wall. Not exactly the most universal image for those that are unable to work due to disabilities, leaning against a wall somewhere…
Support him how? Support with extra help when working or support them to manage their disabilities?
If the video can find a few seconds for information about childcare costs, I’d like to see a few seconds dedicated for the support available for the disabled as well.
Cheers
-David
Well analyse this…
the potential responses from here on made me laugh.
“The man in the blue suit” cleverly references “The man in the white suit”
Its about a utopian, supposed time saving invention, hated by everybody. That never worked in the first place.
Ealing comedy at its best.
Brilliant.
I wasn’t impressed with this the first time I watched it, and it’s even less impressive the second time. It’s too far removed from reality. As somebody else has said, it’s marketing, not information of any use to anybody who has to claim UC.
All that welfare “reform” is doing for my office is increasing our work load, because we have to keep appealing unlawful and unreasonable sanctions on ESA claimants who were too sick to get to an appointment. And on occasion, arguing with the the jobcentre over unworkable and sometimes unlawful claimant commitments.
I noticed there is a File on Four programme still available on the BBC iplayer from 2009 which examines how jobcentres are underresourced and staff undertrained, so they can’t effectively help people get work. Nothing has improved in that respect. Though I’ve always thought the job centre’s real role was to police claimants, not help them into gainful employment.
It would seem that Martin Bright of the Creative Society charity would agree with you, Carol. Article printed in today’s Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/29/unemployed-jobcentre-failed-young-people
What a wonderful idea, I can’t see what the fuss is all about
If I don’t feel well, I just have to tell them and I will still get paid
They will even pay all the childcare costs if I do get a Job. I think I will have more kids.