Jobcentre Plus: Advisory Services

Julia Goldsworthy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of advice given by Jobcentre Plus that was provided (a) face-to-face, (b) by letter, (c) online and (d) by telephone in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 26 November 2007:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what estimate has been made of the proportion of advice given by Jobcentre Plus that was provided face to face, by letter, online and by telephone in the last period for which figures are available. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

I have not made an estimate of the proportion of advice provided by Jobcentre Plus face to face, by letter, online or by telephone. This information is not routinely collected and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Julia Goldsworthy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department takes to monitor how Jobcentre Plus personal advisers spend their working time; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of diary support officers on the amount of time that personal advisers at Jobcentre Plus are able to spend with clients.

Caroline Flint
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 26 November 2007:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the steps being taken to monitor how Jobcentre Plus personal advisers spend their working time and what assessment has been made of the effect of diary support officers on the amount of time that personal advisers at Jobcentre Plus are able to spend with clients. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus monitors the use of personal advisers working time with an internal tool— the Adviser Achievement Tool.

The Adviser Achievement Tool sets national benchmark levels on the number of interviews expected and activities that should take place in these interviews. Advisers who do not meet the minimum standards must agree an Adviser Improvement Plan with their manager. The plan records appropriate, specific, timebound actions the adviser will take, with support from their manager, to improve their performance.

In September 2006 Jobcentre Plus put in place a new Advisory Services Model to support Personal Advisers, which introduced the Diary Administrative Support Officer job role.

A review of the new Advisory Services Model concluded that its introduction has led to better support for Personal Advisers and freed up time to spend with customers. As an example, Personal Advisers’ telephones are now routinely transferred to Diary Administrative Support officers during interviews to minimise interruptions.

The clearest indication that the new Advisory Services model is working can be seen in the increased Advisory productivity rates. End of year performance to 2006/07 indicated an increase from 28 to 30 interviews per week per adviser.

I hope this is helpful.

Julia Goldsworthy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus personal advisers to enable them to meet the demands of clients with unusual or distinct needs.

Caroline Flint
The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Leslie Strathie, dated 26 November 2007:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what training is provided to Jobcentre Plus personal advisers to enable them to meet the demands of clients with unusual or distinct needs. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

Jobcentre Plus has a comprehensive programme of blended learning designed to equip advisers with the full range of knowledge and skills required to support all customers. Our training package provides the adviser with the key knowledge and skills to interview customers and enable them to work effectively with specific customer groups, for example, lone parents, and people who are sick or have a disability.

In addition, those advisers who work with disabled customers receive additional training to equip them with the necessary skills to support the most disadvantaged, disabled customers move towards sustained employment.

I hope this is helpful.