Guidance

Chapter 3: Referral process, initial engagement and starts

Updated 10 May 2023

Applies to England and Wales

High Level Must Dos

1. Providers must take part in a three-way Warm Handover with Participant and Work Coach to welcome them to provision, and agree date and location of initial meeting.

2. Provider receives referral from Jobcentre and acknowledges in PRaP within 2 working days.

3. Provider holds the initial meeting with the potential Participant within 15 working days of the referral.

4. Provider inputs start date, or outcome, to PRaP within 15 working days of the referral.

5. Provider commences working with the Participant, and completes the needs assessment and Action Plan within 20 working days of provision Start Date.

6. Providers must follow the procedures for handling MAPPA and Special Customer Records cases.

Data Protection Legislation and Data Sharing

You must ensure that you follow the requirements around Data Protection Legislation and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking into account your Contract Terms & Conditions.

In relation to the sharing of data, providers should also adhere to all requirements as laid out in Generic Provider Guidance Chapter 8 – Information Security.

Referral Process

This chapter sets out the end-to-end referral process that you will need to follow in order to start a Participant on the IPES provision. Some of the activities, for example, completing the Action Plan, will be covered in more detail in subsequent chapters of this Guidance.

Jobcentre Referral to Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) provision

Introduction

3.01 The Jobcentre Work Coach is responsible for determining a potential Participant’s eligibility and suitability for the Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) provision

Providers are not permitted to refer potential Participants directly to the IPES provision and should note that the final decision regarding whether a potential Participant is eligible or suitable for referral to the IPES provision will remain with the Jobcentre.

3.02 The majority of referrals will be made electronically via PRaP, except in a small number of cases where the Participant has been given Special Customer Record (SCR) status.

Signposting Organisations (SOs)

3.03 In order to make the IPES provision accessible to all eligible individuals, including those who are not regular customers of the Jobcentre, DWP approved Signposting Organisations will be able to signpost to the Jobcentre those individuals that they think will benefit from IPES.

Note: It has been agreed that Providers can be Signposting Organisations in their own Contract Package Area’s (CPAs), should they choose to. Providers should contact their Jobcentre Plus Local Partnership Manager within their CPA to discuss the process for registering, and to ensure that their own organisation is added to the approved list of Signposting Organisations.

3.04 Providers can market the IPES provision to these SOs, who will then be able to identify potential Participants for the IPES provision. The SO will establish eligibility and suitability (using the same eligibility and suitability criteria as used by DWP), then refer to the Jobcentre using template IPESSO1.

3.05 The Work Coach will be notified of the signposted referral (through an established Jobcentre process) and will contact the potential Participant to arrange an interview in order to confirm eligibility and suitability for IPES provision. Once confirmed, they will follow the process detailed below.

3.06 For further information on Signposting Organisations, please refer to Chapter 5 of this Guidance.

3.07 Further information for Signposting Organisations on how to signpost to the Jobcentre will be available through DWP Local Partnership Managers and / or local Jobcentre contacts.

Initial Engagement Activity

3.08 The Work Coach will assess the potential Participant, confirm their overall eligibility and suitability for the provision, and check that they agree to engage in this voluntary provision.

The Warm Handover Process

3.09 The Warm Handover meeting will enable the sharing of appropriate potential Participant information with you, the provider, to assist you in offering an individualised service to Participants.

3.10 The Work Coach will arrange the Warm Handover meeting, which will be held via a 3-way conference call between the potential Participant, Work Coach and your representative, where telephony and Jobcentre room availability allow. Otherwise, the standard telephony available to the Work Coach will be utilised.

Note: whilst this is a three-way conversation, there may be occasions when a third-party advocate, or translator, is also present on the call.

3.11 When the Work Coach has confirmed that the potential Participant is eligible and suitable, the potential Participant will attend the Jobcentre where the Work Coach will confirm that they still want to volunteer for IPES. At this point, the Work Coach will call you to undertake the Warm Handover meeting.

3.12 The Warm Handover meeting will:

• enable the Work Coach to introduce the potential Participant to you, the provider;
• enable the potential Participant to have an initial conversation with your representative, where you will engage with them and explain what to expect whilst on IPES, taking into account their disability, barriers to work, aspirations and skills, and;
• address any issues or concerns that the potential Participant may have, for example, accessibility issues or any additional support they may require.
• enable you to arrange the initial face-to-face meeting’

3.13 As best practice, the Work Coach should inform you of the date and time of the Warm Handover meeting (which has been agreed with the potential Participant), and of any support arrangements that may need to be put in place.

3.14 The Work Coach may also contact you in advance of the Warm Handover to make you aware of any specific support requirements the potential Participant may have that should be considered when taking the call, for example, any challenging personal or social issues, translation or interpreting problems, or difficulties with comprehending the IPES offer. This may include pre-warning where there are MAPPA restrictions in place.

Warm Handover Action

3.15 You will be expected to have a dedicated resource, with full knowledge of the IPES offer, ready and available to take the call and to speak to the potential Participant in order to:

• actively promote the benefits of the programme
• reassure the potential Participant and provide practical information as to travel, meeting locations, etc. including offering the use of outreach if their journey is considered excessive – see para 3.44 below
• understand any accessibility issues they may have in order to arrange access or interpreters, and to ensure they are directed to the most suitable Key Worker
• gather sufficient personal information to arrange the initial face-to-face meeting, agreeing a date, time and location
• check that the potential Participant is not in any form of employment including zero-hour contracts. Further information where a potential Participant finds work or receives a job offer between referral and the Initial Meeting can be found at 3.64 below

Note: Providers should already have contact details for the referring work coach or DEA, provided when the Warm Handover was initially booked. Providers are asked to refrain from asking for those details to be repeated whilst the Participant is still present on the call as there may be safeguarding concerns for the JCP representative, where personal details and surnames are disclosed to the potential Participant. Where contact details need to be confirmed, action should be taken once the potential Participant has left the Warm Handover call.

3.16 Circumstances may occur where it is not possible for the potential Participant to engage with the Warm Handover meeting due to restrictions caused, for example, by their disability. These should be in exceptional circumstances only and the Jobcentre will still generate a referral to the IPES Provider using PRaP and documenting the reasons for this action. Where this occurs, providers must supply the potential Participant with the time, date and location for the first Initial Provider meeting, using the appropriate methods available.

3.17 The Policy intent for Warm Handovers is that they should be conducted over the phone as this is generally the quickest and most efficient method for all involved. However, there may be occasions when your representative, the Work Coach and the potential Participant are in the Jobcentre at the same time and due to the potential Participant’s disability, it may be more beneficial to undertake the Warm Handover face-to-face.

3.18 The use of face-to-face Warm Handovers is acceptable, provided:

• the Warm Handover takes place in the Jobcentre
• your representative, the potential Participant and the Work Coach agree that it is feasible, and
• there is appropriate space in the Jobcentre for the meeting

3.19 Face-to-face Warm Handovers should be treated as an exceptional circumstance to meet the needs of the individual only, and not become a usual occurrence.

Warm Handover Next steps

3.20 Once the Warm Handover meeting is complete, and if the potential Participant agrees to start IPES, the Work Coach will generate a referral to the IPES provision using PRaP.

3.21 During the period from the Warm Handover to the initial meeting, you must maintain contact with the potential Participant to ensure on-going engagement. This will allow any changes to the potential Participant’s circumstances to be taken into account, for example, where a potential Participant receives an offer of work, or has changes to their travel arrangements and/or support needs.

Acknowledging the Referral

3.22 You must acknowledge a referral on PRaP by accepting or rejecting the referral within 2 working days of receipt of the referral (the day of the receipt of the referral is deemed as day 1).

3.23 This will be a Customer Service Standard against which your performance will be measured.

Failure to acknowledge the referral will mean that you will be unable to subsequently accept a referral, or record a start date, and will impact on your ability to receive any resulting payments.

You must not start working with the potential Participant before the referral to IPES has been made and acknowledged in PRaP.

IPES Referral not received

3.24 If, following the Warm Handover with the potential Participant, you have not received the expected referral, and if DWP has not notified providers of any known technical issues affecting PRaP, then you must first check with the Jobcentre that the referral has been made. If the referral has not been made, this can then be rectified by the Jobcentre.

Potential Participant does not wish to continue with the referral to IPES

3.25 If, following the Warm Handover, the potential Participant advises their Work Coach that they do not wish to continue with the referral to IPES, then the Work Coach should advise you of this and the referral to IPES should not be made.

3.26 If the referral has already been made, the Work Coach should notify you that the Participant no longer wishes to participate on IPES. You should record the outcome on PRaP as Did Not Attend

3.27 If the referral has been made and is visible in PRAP, then you should report this to POST (PRaP Operational Support Team) and they can investigate and ensure a fix is deployed.

Starting on Provision

The Start Date

3.28 For IPES, the Start is the point at which the individual commences participation in the programme and will be the date that the Participant attends their Initial Meeting with you.

3.29 The Start Date is day one of the 456-day period where you start to work with the Participant.

3.30 You must hold the Initial Meeting with the Participant within 15 working days from the date the referral was made in PRaP.

3.31 You must also record the start date in PRaP, or the relevant “Did Not Start” or “Did Not Attend” outcomes, within 15 working days from the date the referral was made in PRaP.

This may be recorded retrospectively if you are entering the start date after the Initial Meeting was conducted. Evidence of the start date should be retained in the form of initial action planning activity.

3.32 The paragraphs above form a single Customer Service Standard against which your performance will be measured.

3.33 Further details on PRaP action can be found in Chapter 10 of this guidance and in the relevant PRaP user guidance that will be issued to you in a separate document.

Initial Meeting with the IPES Participant

Living with COVID

The expectation for IPES is that the Initial Meeting between the potential participant and Key Worker should be face-to-face. With Government COVID-19 restrictions now removed, this face-to-face activity should resume, with digital Meetings held only by exception.

Where meetings are held digitally, the reason for not holding the meeting face-to-face must be clearly recorded on the Participant records, in anticipation of Performance Compliance Officers (PCO) checks.

3.34 The initial meeting is where you continue to build the relationship with the Participant that started with the Warm Handover meeting. Caseload sizes must allow Key Workers sufficient time to properly deliver the services and appropriate level of support, to each Participant, as agreed in their Action Plan. This will allow the Key Worker to establish a relationship with the Participant built on trust, as well as allow them to understand the Participant’s aspirations and complex barriers, and identify and develop the Participant’s support network.

3.35 There is a requirement for the Participant to have a consistent Key Worker throughout their time on provision, including throughout the In-Work Support (IWS) phase (further information relating to IWS is detailed in Chapter 6 of this Provider Guidance).

3.36 The Initial Meeting should be held by the Participant’s dedicated Key Worker. However, if in exceptional circumstances this is not possible, then there must be a separate introductory meeting with the Key Worker, which should be face-to-face, with digital meetings held by exception.

3.37 At the initial meeting, you must check:

• the Participant’s ID
• that the Participant is not in any form of employment, including zero-hour contracts, and
• if the Participant is expecting a final payment from any previous employer, for example Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON)

Identity Checks

3.38 You should ensure that the ID and employment checks are recorded on the Participant’s record as they will be subject to DWP Audit and Performance Compliance Officers (PCO) checking.

3.39 You must also ensure that in all communications with Participants, both at the Initial Meeting and through the Participant’s journey, you are satisfied you are engaging with the correct person.

3.40 To do this, you may decide to ask them to state a combination of their personal information such as:

• full name
• address
• National Insurance number
• other information, such as details that were included within the original referral from the jobcentre
• details you hold in your records

3.41 Other means of identification, such as a passport, driving licence, or utility bill may be provided. These should be recorded as seen and the reference/serial number of these documents noted but copies do not need to be retained.

3.42 Other means of identification, for example, utility bills or Mobile phone bills could also be used as evidence and a copy kept for DWP Audit and PCO checking, where required.

Reminding Participant of the length of IPES provision

3.43 During the Initial Meeting, you should remind the Participant that their length of time on provision can consist of 15 months Pre-Work Support, and a minimum of 6 months In-Work Support, where appropriate. Participants should be reminded that IPES has been designed to be a long-term commitment to allow you, the provider, to provide the intensity of support needed to move the Participants into, or nearer to, employment, or self-employment.

3.44 If at this stage, and before signing the Action Plan, the Participant feels unable to make such a long-term commitment and changes their mind about starting IPES, you should record a Did Not Start (“DNS”) in PRaP

Participant Accessibility

3.45 You are required to deliver the IPES provision across the entire CPA via a range of engagement methods that may include but is not limited to fixed delivery premises and outreach services (on a permanent and/or temporary basis). To ensure that IPES is accessible to all Participants, all premises must be easily accessible to Participants, including those using public transport. Premises must meet all legal requirements and provide facilities commensurate with the requirements of the IPES Call-Off Specification, and be compliant with the Equality Act 2010.

3.46 Providers will be required to ensure that if Participants have to travel to meetings at the Provider’s premises, they can do so by public transport and such travel will take no longer than 90 minutes in each direction, by a route and means appropriate to their circumstances. Where a Participant’s health condition limits their ability to travel, the Provider is expected to make appropriate arrangements to meet the Participant, for example at outreach locations.

Travel Costs

3.47 You are responsible for funding the Participant’s travel costs to attend IPES provision, including all disability-related travel costs.

3.48 For further information on travel expenses, and childcare/ caring responsibilities, please refer to Chapter 5 of this guidance.

Needs Assessment

3.49 At the Initial Meeting with a Participant, you must commence a detailed needs assessment for each Participant to establish their requirements and identify any barriers to employment or to accessing support services.

3.50 This assessment will help to inform the activities to be detailed in the Action Plan and should determine elements such as work-related independence skills (for example, mobility and required use of assistive technology).

3.51 More detailed information on Needs Assessment can be found in Chapter 4, of this guidance.

The IPES Action Plan

3.52 At the same Initial Meeting, you must start an IPES Action Plan. A first draft of the Action Plan must be created and signed by the Participant and the Provider on the day of the Initial Meeting. This Action Plan will be developed over the next 20 working days after the Initial Meeting and will be based on the Participant’s needs assessment.

3.53 It is accepted that full completion of the Action Plan is not likely to happen at the Initial Meeting due to the complexity of the Participant’s disabilities and barriers to employment.

3.54 As a minimum, at the Initial Meeting, you should agree with the Participant the following:

• the date and time of the next meeting, or contact
• the location of the next meeting
• the Participant’s preferred method of communication
• any action to take in preparation for the next meeting, for example, a list of the Participants’ support network or other action to be agreed
• any further adjustments or support required, and
• an offer of weekly support

3.55 You must ensure that the Action Plan started has been signed and dated by both the Participant, and you as the Provider, and issue them with a copy of the Action Plan. A copy must also be retained by you, as it forms part of the evidence of a Start on provision.

Any Action Plan which does not contain both the Participant’s signature and the Provider’s signature will not be valid for DWP audit/ PCO checks.

Living with COVID

Collecting IPES signatures

With Government Covid-19 restrictions ended, the easements allowed as part of the Covid-19 support for providers which included the annotation, “due to COVID-19”, should no longer be used and the participant should sign documents appropriately.

IPES is not prescriptive about how those required signatures are collected. However, provision has been made which allows Providers the option to use one (or more) robust digital alternatives to obtain and store a Participant’s signature as part of the evidence of activities undertaken, where a face-to-face appointment is not possible or where the collection of a wet signature is not practicable, for example, at an Outreach location.

Where Digital processes are used, as set out in the letter from DWP on 13 July 2022, Providers must ensure that these processes are suitably robust and will allow the storing of Participant signatures as evidence of any key activities. Signatures will continue to be monitored as part of the Performance Compliance Officers Assurance Checking Regime.

Providers must provide a solution to be applied in the event of the digital alternative not being available at a particular moment in time, and where a wet signature cannot be obtained.

3.56 A fully agreed Action Plan must be in place within 20 workings days of the start date. This will be a Customer Service Standard against which you will be measured.

3.57 Further information on action planning requirements can be found at Chapter 4 of this guidance.

Induction pack

3.58 At the Initial Meeting, you should ensure that you issue the Participant with an Induction pack, which should be signed for by the Participant.

3.59 This should include as a minimum:

• health and safety instructions
• your complaints procedure
• your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) *
• information on travel and expenses (including a signed declaration to show that this has been offered)
• information on other expenses, including child care
• map(s)
• location and contact details
• general expectations around behaviour and attendance
• any other information relevant to the Participant

3.60 You must keep the Action Plan, its revision history and all other relevant documentation stored safely and securely, and in line with Data Protection and GDPR principles.

PRaP Action and Recording the Correct outcome.

3.61 IPES provision has been designed on the principle that Participants are deemed to have started the programme on attending their Initial Meeting. There are therefore limited reasons why a Participant may not start IPES.

For all the scenarios detailed below, evidence must be collected to demonstrate why the Participant has not started IPES. The evidence must be made available to DWP on DWP’s request.

Please note: For clarity, should a Participant fail to attend the Initial Meeting with you, the Provider, then the outcome must be recorded as a Did Not Attend (“DNA”). If the Participant attends the Initial Meeting but does not start for any of the reasons detailed below, then the outcome must be recorded as a Did Not Start (“DNS”). Please refer to the tables at Annex 3.1 and Annex 3.2 for relevant PRaP action.

Potential scenarios

Participant notifies the Provider that they are unable to attend the Initial Meeting

3.62 Should a Participant contact you to say that they are unable to attend the Initial Meeting, for example, due to a hospital appointment, or where this is identified through on-going engagement with the Participant (as set out in paragraph 3.21), you should make arrangements to reschedule the meeting in line with CSS2 (Providers to hold the Initial Meeting within 15 days of the referral being made).

3.63 Should a Participant refuse to attend the initial meeting, you must address their concerns regarding attendance on IPES provision. For example, IPES Participants may experience concerns around travel, concerns about meeting new people, or travelling to new environments, and you should make every attempt to address these concerns. Where possible, you should encourage the Participant to attend the scheduled meeting to discuss their concerns face-to-face or reschedule if that is more convenient. If the Participant still refuses to attend, or if you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact them and to address their concerns, you must record a referral outcome of Did Not Attend ‘DNA’ in PRaP

3.64 Should the Participant refuse to reschedule their Initial Meeting, and if you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact them and to address their concerns, you must record a referral outcome of Did Not Attend ‘DNA’ in PRaP.

Participant reports that they are unable to commence IPES provision (for example due to starting work/receiving a job offer/hospitalisation)

3.65 Where between referral and start, the Participant reports that they are unable to commence IPES provision due to starting work, receiving a job offer, being hospitalised or where there is a deterioration in health, then they should not commence on IPES provision. In these situations, you should consider taking the following appropriate action.

3.66 If, between Referral and the Initial Meeting, a Participant informs you that they have received a job offer or started work, or are going into hospital imminently, you should refer the Participant back to the Jobcentre and record a Did Not Attend (“DNA”) in PRaP.

3.67 If a Participant attends the initial meeting but advises you that they are due to start work or have received a job offer or are going into hospital imminently, you should record a Did Not Start (“DNS”) in PRaP.

3.68 If, after recording a start date, a Participant informs you that they have received a job offer or have started work or are going into hospital imminently, you must notify the IPES Policy team with the circumstances and attach a completed PRaP14. You should do this by emailing the inbox [email protected].

3.69 On receipt of your email and completed PRaP14, the IPES Policy team will consider the circumstances and then advise you of the outcome of their investigations. If the circumstances are accepted, IPES Policy team will send the completed PRaP14 to DWP POST to be actioned.

Participant fails to attend the initial meeting

3.70 If the Participant fails to attend the Initial Meeting you must make multiple attempts to contact them. If you are unable to contact the Participant you must record a ‘Did Not Attend’ in PRaP, which should be input to PRaP within 15 working days of the date the referral was made, in line with CSS2.

Hospitalisation

3.71 If the Participant expects to be hospitalised for a short period, they may still require IPES provision and providers should still engage with the Participant and rearrange their Initial Meeting for an appropriate future date.

3.72 If the Participant is likely to be hospitalised for the duration of the IPES programme, PRaP action will need to be undertaken to record the outcome, dependent on whether or not they attend the Initial Meeting, and as per the required actions at 3.65 - 3.67 above.

PRaP action after 60 days

3.73 After 60 calendar days of the referral from the Jobcentre, the Participant’s record will automatically show as a Did Not Attend in PRaP, unless you have, prior to the 60th day, input the Participant’s start date or the relevant outcome Did Not Attend (DNA)/Did Not Start (DNS). If this occurs the individual will not be a Participant on the Programme unless subsequently the Jobcentre makes a new referral for that Participant which results in a start. Any Participant not recorded as a Start within 60 calendar days should be referred back to the Jobcentre.

Participant referred in error

3.74 Where you identify that a referral may have been made in error, for example, where the Participant is already on WHP provision, you must notify the IPES Policy team with the circumstances, by emailing the inbox: [email protected]. The Policy team will investigate and advise you of the required action to take.

Re-Referrals

3.75 In exceptional cases, the Participant can be considered for Re-Referral, subject to the Work Coach’s re-assessment on whether a Re-Referral is the most suitable option for the Participant at that time. Participants who have been unable to complete their IPES provision may be re-referred back to IPES in the future. For example, this may be appropriate where a Participant’s journey is disrupted due to a long hospital stay and they have not been able to participate for the full provision duration.

3.76 Re-Referrals will not be made automatically but considered on a ‘case by case’ basis with due consideration for the Participant and their circumstances. Work Coaches will consider all other available provision before making the decision to re-refer the Participant back to IPES provision. If a Participant has been in work whilst on provision it is likely that other provision would be more suitable for their needs as they are closer to the labour market.

3.77 All the following criteria must also be met

• participant still meets the eligibility /suitability criteria
• an employment or self-employment outcome payment must not have been paid or due from previous participation on IPES
• 638 calendar days must have lapsed since the Participant previously started IPES provision (639 calendar days for Participants working night shifts)
• participant has not been re-referred previously

3.78 Where the Work Coach has assessed that a Re-Referral to the IPES provision is the most suitable option for the Participant, and that the criteria detailed above have been met, the Work Coach will make the Re-Referral on PRaP and you will need to acknowledge the Re-Referral as detailed above.

3.79 IPES provision for Participants who have been re-referred will restart from day one.

Participant contact

3.80 For IPES, Participants must be offered weekly face-to-face contact plus any additional contact as required. As a minimum, face-to-face meetings must take place every four weeks throughout the full time on the programme, however, you are expected to maintain the intensity of support required, with more frequent interventions available when required by individual Participants. This level of contact should be maintained as the Participant transitions into work. Evidence checks to ensure that providers are adhering to delivery models set out in their contract will be performed regularly by DWP staff including (PCOs).

3.81 All activity undertaken with the Participant must be recorded on the Participant’s Action Plan. This includes all contact between the Provider and the Participant, and all of the Provider’s attempts to contact the Participant.

As IPES is an individualised provision, you will need to agree with the Participant the level and type of contact (in line with the minimum number of face-to-face meetings) that is most appropriate to them, and this should be recorded on the Action Plan.

Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and Special Customer Records Cases

3.82. The MAPPA are the statutory arrangements for managing sexual, violent, and certain other offenders in the community in Scotland, England and Wales.

3.83. MAPPA is not a statutory body but a mechanism through which agencies can better discharge their statutory responsibilities and protect the public in a co-ordinated manner.

3.84. MAPPA cases who have not been given SCR status will be referred through PRaP.

3.85. Please refer to Chapter 2 ‘Delivering DWP Provision’ in DWP Generic Provider Guidance for general information on the procedure for MAPPA and SCR cases.

Referrals made to IPES provision but with no MAPPA notification from JCP

3.86. In exceptional circumstances, you may receive a participant who has had MAPPA restrictions applied but where there has been no contact from the JCP MAPPA Single point of contact (SPoC) to advise of those restrictions.

3.87. If at the initial meeting, the participant discloses that they have a restriction, or where you identify through discussions that MAPPA restrictions may apply, you will need to liaise with your nominated officer. You should stop the meeting and advise the participant that the meeting will need to re-booked.

3.88. You should immediately contact your nominated officer and ask them to contact the JCP MAPPA SPoC to discuss any restrictions.

3.89. If the JCP MAPPA SPoC is unaware of the restrictions, they may be required to contact the Responsible Authority (RA) for the MAPPA J template.

3.90. If within the 15 days following the referral, your nominated Officer receives the notification from the JCP MAPPA SPoC, you should re-book the initial meeting and start the Participant on the programme

3.91. If within the 15 days following the referral, your nominated officer does not receive a phone call from the JCP MAPPA SPoC to discuss the MAPPA restrictions, you should record a DNA outcome in PRaP and notify the work coach of the reasons why this action has been taken.

3.92. Once the discussion with the RA has taken place and the MAPPA J template has been received by JCP, they will re-refer the Participant to the programme.

3.93. Please note you should utilise the full 15 days prior to inputting a DNA into PRaP.

Restrictions applied after they have started on the programme

3.94. In exceptional circumstances, there may be occasions where a Participant notifies you of restrictions that have been applied after they started on the programme.

3.95. In this situation you should contact your nominated officer and DWP Performance Manager to advise of the circumstances. You should then take the most appropriate steps to ensure that you, and your work colleagues, are able to deliver the programme within the Participant’s restrictions.

3.96. If the Jobcentre Plus MAPPA SPoC is unaware of the restrictions, they will contact the RA for information on the restrictions.

3.97. Please Note: It is recommended that a light touch approach should be undertaken with the Participant until you receive official notification of the restrictions.

3.98. If within 28 days of your nominated officer escalating the issue with the JCP MAPPA SPoC, you have not received information on the restrictions, you should consider if it is appropriate to continue working with the Participant.

3.99. If you consider it is appropriate to continue to work with the Participant, you should continue to offer a light touch approach until you are notified of the restrictions.

3.100. If you are no longer able to offer the light touch approach after 28 days, you must notify the IPES Policy team with the circumstances and attach a completed PRaP14. You should do this by emailing the inbox [email protected].

3.101 On receipt of your email and completed PRaP14, the IPES Policy team will consider the circumstances and then advise you of the outcome of their investigations. If the circumstances are accepted, IPES Policy team will send the completed PRaP14 to DWP POST to be actioned.

Annex 3.1: PRaP Action and Recording the Correct outcome

Reason Participant fails to start IPES	Action to take/PRaP action
Where, at the Initial Meeting, and before signing the Action Plan, the Participant feels unable to fully commit to 15 months Pre-Work Support, and a minimum of 6 months In-Work Support, where appropriate.	If the Participant feels unable to make the long-term commitment and changes their mind about starting IPES, you should record a Did Not Start (“DNS”) in PRaP
Where the Participant notifies you that they are unable to attend, or refuses to attend, and if you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact them and to address their concerns, or where the Participant refuses to reschedule their Initial Meeting.	If the Participant advises they are unable to attend, or refuses to attend, despite you attempting to address their concerns regarding attendance on IPES provision, or if you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact them, you must take action to record a referral outcome of Did Not Attend / ‘DNA’ in PRaP.
Where between referral and start, the Participant reports that they are unable to commence IPES provision due to: ● starting work ● receiving a job offer ● being hospitalised or where there is a deterioration in their health	If the Participant informs you between referral and programme start, refer the Participant back to the Jobcentre and record a ‘Did Not Attend’ /DNA in PRaP. If the Participant attends the Initial Meeting but advises you that they are due to start work or have received a job offer or are going into hospital imminently, you should record a ‘Did Not Start’ /DNS in PRaP. If the Participant informs you after you have recorded a start date, you must notify the IPES Policy team with the circumstances, and using the inbox [email protected]. The Policy team will investigate and advise you of the required action to take.
Where the Participant fails to attend the Initial Meeting	If the Participant fails to attend the Initial Meeting, and you have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact them, you must take action to record a referral outcome of Did Not Attend / ‘DNA’ in PRaP
Where the individual is referred in error, for example, where the Participant is already on WHP provision or where there is a duplicate referral	In these cases, you must notify the IPES Policy team with the circumstances, by emailing the inbox [email protected]. The IPES Policy team will investigate and advise you of the required action to take.

Annex 3.2: Provider PRAP action

For use in conjunction with Chapter 3: PRaP Action and Recording the Correct Outcome

Requesting cancelation of the referral

If the Provider has acknowledged the referral but has not claimed a Start on PRaP, they have the option to request that the referral be cancelled.

Once they have selected ‘Request Cancellation’ button the provider can select a rejection reason below:

• no contact
• did not attend interview /DNA
• did not start/ DNS

PRaP IPES Leaver codes

Providers must only use the following codes when a Participant ends their time on IPES.

Note: If an incorrect code is used which results in an incorrect Outcome payment being made, providers will be required to repay any subsequent overpayments.

Code number	Leaver reason	Notes	Ends RTE Interest Y/N
39	Completed Provision	For use where: ● the participant disengages during the period of IWS, where this is outside the Pre-Work Support period, as set out in Ch6, para 6.40 ● the provider determines that no further IWS is required, as set out Ch8, para 8.03	N
43	Customer Deceased	Required where a Participant is classed as an Early Completer	Y
45	End of Allotted Time	Automated Code	N
46	Exceptional circumstance	This code should be used in the following circumstances 1. as advised by the IPES Policy Team, and in line with Ch3, paras 3.68 & 3.74, where a Start date has been recorded and the Participant is found to be ineligible for IPES. 2. As at Ch8, para 8.08: - The Participant moves out of England and/or Wales, and is classed as an early completer - The Participant has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and chooses to leave IPES provision 3. As advised by the IPES Policy Team for any other exceptional circumstance.	Y