Universal Credit agents have been accused of being encouraged to take their claimants off the phone call as soon as possible by using a “deflection script”, as was claimed by a former case manager.
A former employee at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Bayard Tarpley stated that the employee at work responsible for attending phones were advised by the senior officials to take the claimants off call and to their online account even if directing the solution was possible on call.
A report was published by the Public accounts Committee which claimed that the Universal Credit is causing difficulties for the claimants which were termed as “unacceptable hardships.”
MPs accused the DWP to be turning a “turning a deaf ear” to their claims and concerns, describing the department as adrift from the problems of people of the real world it is formed to support.
While speaking to Sky News, Mr. Bayard Tarpley said considering the front line position he was not very confident of Universal Credit meeting the goal which they were founded to perform, of helping people based on their circumstances and making them better off.
He further added that these changes were to make things easier for the agents instead of making the life of the claimants better. He also said that they were advised to get off the call as soon as possible to get things through and he did not find many changes which were there to support the claimants.
He told that they were given the “deflection script”, which was a piece of paper comprising of the guidelines to be followed when someone calls and even though the problems could be solved via the phone call, they were still advised to do it online and hang up the call.
However, DWP has responded to the claims stating the there is no such thing call “description script.”
Source: News.sky, Bigissue
