It has been a few months in the pilot already…. have the Flexible New Deal flaws been found leaving Flexible New Deal dead in the water? or Is it just a few problems with Flexible New Deal that needs ironing out?
Within a month several Flexible New Deal complaints surfaced and many more are coming in week after week about providers not contacting the participants.

FND contracts are 5 years long, with the possibility of a two year extension, it’s unlikely to be scrapped…
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I had my interview for new deal this week, I have to go on a test for numeracy and literacy, then I have a two week 9am – 4pm thing in a local building with other people, where I basically do the things that I have been doing at home, apparently they will check my CV, “intense” job searching and other things. Sounds dressed up to me.I guess I will take my Mp3 player and a book since I have a collection of search engines and job agencies I check daily or every other day, cannot see this lasting me 7 hours and definitely won’t be socializing, any confirmation on this ?They tried to push incentives onto me to pass onto people who I apply to jobs for, I mean a free work trial and £1000 payment to the employer, I wouldn’t dare offer either, if they are seriously wanting to hire someone for the job I’m not going to offer them sweeteners in the form of these embarrassing JC bribes.I must say though the ND adviser was very nice, informative and all around good.
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The 2 week New Deal scheme is called Gateway 2 Work.
Not all of it will be job search and you have to stay there for the times specified. Failure to do so means a sanction. Grit your teeth and put up with the 2 weeks knowing that you are lucky its not the 13 week one!
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If the Tories win the election, they are not obliged to continue with the FND contracts, which were signed by a Labour government.And taking into account the state of public sector finances I can see the Tories, if they win the elcetion, drastically cutting back on FND and other similar programs even if they wished to continue with them..
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The whole system is in a mess.
Laws etc. still reference Social Security (although DSS hasn’t existed for ages)
Documents still make reference to the Employment Service (pre-Jobcentre Plus) this is what the ES prefix on documents mean.
Social Security Benefit legislation is a big mess of hundreds of laws which need rewriting. It is designed to be so confusing so defence to sanctions and to appeal to decision of not being entitled are more difficult.
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I keep getting phone calls with job details and get told to apply, the problem is the details are basically so limited. It’s normally the job role, wage, hours totals (sometimes not even the daily work hours) and the days along with email address (which is normally a recruitment agency wtf !). You have to go really far out to even find any information on the company be it location, background and duties. If I wanted this information I would use the jobpoint machines lol
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