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Loading ...Both Action 4 Employment and Working Links publicly release a statement on the Channel 4 News report broadcast on the 30th June 2009, dated 28/06/2009 (A4e) and 29/06/2009 (Working Links) up to 2 days before the public were aware of their fraudulent activities.
Observer and Channel 4
28/06/2009
A4e’s response to the article in the Observer and the Channel 4 news item.
The issues reported in the Observer article on 28th June and on the Channel 4 news item on 30th June relate to two incidents, in one A4e office in Hull. These occurred in late 2007 and autumn 2008, involving two individuals who worked in complete contravention to the company’s policies.
All the matters raised in the article are known to both A4e and the DWP and have been the subject of both an A4e investigation and a DWP led investigation.
The A4e investigation revealed that whilst candidates had real job opportunities, these jobs did not meet the funding criteria being less than 13 weeks and 16 hours a week in duration.
These investigations have resulted in the departure of both individuals from the company and the ceasing of all activity with the employment agency concerned.
It is disappointing that the actions of two individuals in one office have diverted attention away from the achievements of the thousands of colleagues in A4e who are passionate about supporting long term unemployed people back into work.
We welcome and support DWP’s current welfare reform proposals which will evidence claims for payment through government sourced data when people are no longer on benefit.
Response statement
Media Contact: Neill Young
Contact Telephone Number: 07970 603 751 (24 hours a day)
Email: neill.young@workinglinks.co.uk
Date: 29 June 2009Working Links’ response to Channel 4 News report regarding investigations into the welfare to work sector.
“Working Links is committed to ensuring that we operate government contracts to the highest standards and our purpose has always been and will continue to be helping people into work – they are at the heart of everything we do. Every year we support around 55,000 individuals on their journey from welfare into work, helping people from some of the most disadvantaged communities across Britain to turn their lives around.
“Our frontline teams operate within a strict Code of Conduct, which provides the framework necessary to comply with the rules in government contracts. This Code of Conduct is underpinned by robust processes and quality controls, including a Whistle Blowing policy and escalation procedure. In addition, our operations are regularly inspected by our Internal Audit teams as well as external teams from the Department for Work and Pensions and Ofsted.
“Despite these controls and inspections, we recognise that as in every organisation, there is a risk that people do not always stick to the rules. We take a proactive approach to monitoring compliance within our operations and we have a track record of ensuring any irregularities are immediately addressed and dealt with in an appropriate and transparent manner. Any lessons learned are incorporated across our business as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.”
