Jobcentre Plus for People of Working Age

Jobcentre Plus for people of working age

Customer Charter

Introduction

1. This Charter tells you about the level of service you can expect from our Jobcentre Plus offices. It also tells you what to do if things go wrong and what we expect from you.

1. Before writing this Charter we asked our customers and staff what they wanted to see in it. You said you wanted:

• to be dealt with quickly and efficiently, including by phone

• easy access to information for everyone

• friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff

• a pleasant office environment.

1. We have taken notice of what you want when setting up Jobcentre Plus. We want to give the best service we can to everyone who needs our help.

1. We welcome your views on how we can improve further. If you would like to contact us you can do so through your local Jobcentre Plus office.

1. You can also write to me at XXXX.

Leigh Lewis

1. Contacting us

For your nearest Jobcentre Plus office look for the Jobcentre Plus display advert in the business numbers section of the phone book.

Our service

7.Jobcentre Plus is a service to:

• help people get work or to improve their chances of getting work

• pay people the right benefit quickly and accurately when they are not working.

1. We aim to actively help people to be more independent, through work for those who can, and support for those who cannot. We will be realistic about people’s job options, but will encourage anyone to work if they can.

1. We have targets to meet for our service to customers:

• DN – Douglas Edwards to provide details

Our responsibilities to you

1. We will:

• be helpful, friendly and treat you with respect

• treat you as an individual by offering you the service you need

• behave professionally

• keep what you say to us confidential

• take responsibility when dealing with you

• provide a safe, welcoming and pleasant environment in our offices.

Your responsibilities to us

1. We expect you to:

• treat us with respect. We will not tolerate harassment, threats or assaults

• be on time for appointments

• answer as soon as possible if we ask you for more information

• give us complete and accurate information

• tell us about changes in circumstances for you and anyone you are claiming for

• behave in a considerate and polite way to other customers.

Responsibilities we share

1. We can all help by respecting each other and being patient, so that everyone gets the help they need. If you behave in an inconsiderate way or have in the past, we may not offer you some of our services. For example, you may not be able to have interviews in private rooms and we may not visit you.

Giving you information

1. Our offices will:

• give information and advice on:

-work

-benefits

-other opportunities, such as training

• provide a full range of leaflets and other information about services you can get

• tell you about job vacancies, including jobs from some employment agencies in other parts of Europe

• give information about benefits and other financial helpyou can get

• provide phone lines to help you contact other organisations, such as the Pensions Service and Child Support Agency

DQ – is this correct?

• arrange for help to fill in Jobcentre Plus forms.

Information on the internet

1. You can also get information about Jobcentre Plus from our website. The address is address.

1. You can also get details of job vacancies at

Your benefit payment

1. If you are unable to work we:

• aim to pay you the right amount of benefit on time

• let you know what benefit you will get and when, or what happens next.

1. If you want to appeal against a decision on your claim, contact the office dealing with your claim.

1. Targets for dealing with benefits claims quickly and accurately are:

• DN – Douglas Edwards to supply details.

Answering phone calls

1. Jobcentre Plus Telephone Contact Centres are open from 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday. Calls are charged at local rate.

1. Call Centres and helplines are open at various times. See the list on page x of this Charter.

DQ – What terminology should be used?Need to make sure the customer knows the difference between Call Centre and Contact Centre

1. When you phone us or use a textphone, we will answer your call within:

• 10 seconds if you ring a Jobcentre Plus Call Centre

• 20 seconds if you ring a Jobcentre Plus office or Contact Centre.

1. Jobcentre Plus staff will always answer the phone with a standard greeting and their name. If you need to contact them again, they will give you their direct dial number. If you are dealing with a Call Centre they will tell you what number to ring.

If you do not speak English

1. You can use your own interpreter or if you wish we can arrange an interpreting service over the phone straight away.

If you have a speech or hearing problem

1. You can use textphone to contact us.

Visiting our offices

1. When you visit our offices:

• our staff will always wear a name badge and greet you in a friendly and business like way

• if you need an interview with a Personal Adviser we will arrange it within 4 working days of the date you contacted us

• if you have an appointment we aim to see you on time

• if you do not have an appointment we will see you within ten minutes

• if you need another appointment we aim for it to be on the same day or as soon as possible

• If you ask for your interview to be private, we will use a private interview room if we can.

When you write to us

26.When you contact us by letter, fax or email, we will:

• reply fully within 10 working days of the date we receive it *

• let you know we have received it within 2 working days if you have made a comment, suggestion or complaint.

1. If we cannot deal with your letter fully within 10 working days of receiving it, we will tell you:

• the reason and if there is anything you need to do

• how long it will be before we give you a full answer.

When we write to you

1. All letters from our offices will:

• be typed and in clear, plain language

• be in the best format for you if you tell us what this is. For example braille, audio cassette or large print

• tell you clearly if there is anything you need to do

• give you contact details, including:

-name

-switchboard and direct line phone numbers

-email and website addresses

-textphone and fax numbers

We will give you the number of a Call Centre, if there is one that can help.

1. We can write to you in a different language, if you ask. DN – this needs to be confirmed

*We will reply to MPs’ letters within 15 working days.

We provide an accessible service for your needs

Treating you fairly

1. We will serve all our customers fairly and to the same high standards, regardless of colour, race, gender, nationality, disability, religion, age, political beliefs or sexual orientation. DN – ES and BA Diversity Teams have been contacted for a steer on this.

Visiting you at home

1. If we visit you at home we will always show you our identification card and give our name.

If you have a disability

1. If you have a disability which makes it more difficult for you to use our service, we will discuss the best way to help you.

If you have a hearing problem

1. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or other suitable communicator to help you. We aim to arrange this within one working day. The interview will be as soon as possible.

If you do not speak English

1. You can use your own interpreter or if you would prefer, we can arrange an interpreter. We aim to arrange this within one working day. The interview will be as soon as possible.

Using our leaflets

35.If you ask, you can get leaflets in:

a range of languages

alternative formats, including braille, audio cassette and large print.

If you have a complaint

1. If something goes wrong we need to know so that we can put it right. There is a national complaints procedure which is easy to use.

1. If you complain, we:

• aim to reply to your complaint within 7 working days

• let you know within 2 working days that we have received your complaint and are dealing with it

• use the complaint to improve our service.

1. If we cannot deal fully with your complaint within 7 working days of receiving it, we will tell you why. We will tell you if there is anything you need to do and when you can expect a full reply.

1. You can get more information from leaflet XXXXTitle. You can get the leaflet from any Jobcentre Plus office.

We will regularly ask what people think of our service

1. We talk and listen to our customers all the time and act on what you tell us.

1. We will:

• ask our customers and organisations that represent them how they think we are doing

• ask what is important and use the information when we plan improvements to our service.

DN – The frequency of surveys has to be formally decided by Performance Management Strand Board/CE.

Our targets and performance

1. You can find out if we are meeting our targets each year in our Annual Report. Each office will display information about its own performance.

More about the Charter

1. This Charter was published in October 2001 and will be reviewed in 2003. It is also available in large print, braille, on audio cassette and in following other languages:

• Arabic
• Bengali
• Chinese
• Gujarati
• Punjabi
• Somali
• Urdu
• Vietnamese.

1. You can get these from any Jobcentre Plus office.

1. Useful contacts

Textphone0800 24 33 55

Textphone 0191 201 0194

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