Work Capability Assessments (WCAs), and Questions for DWP.

The writer of this blog recently had to complete Work Capability Assessment (WCA) questionnaire (Ref. ESA50) on behalf of his autistic and learning-disabled son.

esa_50Quite a task – a 20-page form to be completed to a deadline set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). At least it can, in part, be viewed as a rehearsal for completion of the PIP application form! If you are ever faced with the task of filling in a WCA form and need assistance, you could try contacting us at Rescare for advice. My first tip would be download and use the editable PDF version of the form, rather than the ‘hard-copy’ booklet version sent to you by the DWP.

In the section asking about arrangements for a face-to-face interview, I specified that I would like any interview to be recorded. This struck me as a sensible request, since my son, like many others, is very suggestible.

But apparently not many make this request:. I noted this recent  exchange of written question and answer in the Commons  between the Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee and the Minister of State at the DWP.

Photo of Frank Field Frank Field Chair, Work and Pensions Committee

“To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pieces of recording equipment are available in each region of the UK for the purposes of recording work capability assessments.”

Photo of Priti Patel Priti Patel Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

“Centre for Health and Disability Assessments offer audio recordings to customers who request them in advance, or on the day, and recording machines are now available at every assessment centre. For every 10,000 Work Capability Assessments completed the Department receives an average of 66 requests for an audio recorded assessment.

There are currently 24 audio-recording machines in Scotland and the North East; 43 in North and Central England; 39 in Wales and the West, and; 22 in London and South England, totalling 128 for Great Britain.  (Source: Centre for Health Disability Assessments)”

66 out of 10,000! That seems a remarkably low proportion. If you, or the person you care for, has to attend an interview, remember that you can ask for the interview to be recorded, and bear in mind that some agents of the DWP will not be aware of how suggestible persons with autism or learning disabilities can be.

Note: on the same day, 18th May, Frank Field submitted a further 8 written questions to the DWP, all related to the Government’s current benefits reform programme, and its implementation. The questions and responses , as detailed in Hansard, make interesting reading and suggest a range of concerns. (Two issues raised are the delays in the rolling out of PIP, and the failure of carers to request carer’s assessments; issues cited in recent news and blog posts on the site)