Terms & Conditions

[andyc]

Now that VF is dead and gone, is there really any need, other than good practice, to continue with VF checklists on DIPS software?

[Anonymous]

Excellent question, we are currently debating this as well. Can we just make a note on our core system (in our case SX3) that we are happy with the evidence?

[karent]

of course you can!
why do you still feel the need to substantiate the evidence held on DIP? The evidence speaks for itself. You’re just duplicating work by ticking a list to say ‘yep – we’ve got that’……….& no doubt the ticklist is sitting right next to the evidence itself that you’ve just spent the time in confirming as being received – remove the tick in the box syndrome that was VF

[Anonymous]

We haven’t used VF checklists for a good while, except as a guide for new members of staff, until they feel comfortable about what they should be asking for. We found them useful at start when we adopted VF – but now, well see Karen’s post – our thoughts are identical 8)

[andyc]

Thanks for replies – my thoughts too but needed 2nd opinion.

[Anonymous]

After reading your post, it got me thinking as to why we are still using our DIP tick sheets. Please can someone point me in the direction of the documentation that say VF is no longer so that I can check all the things that we no longer need to be doing??

Thanks

Amy

[Anonymous]

Maxine Leyland’s letter in the revised Security Manual (June 2006) states as a bullet point that the manual was redesigned to reflect the abolition of VF

Academy users – we are hopefully bound for that this year. Why do you have the VF module switched on?

[karent]

we switched our VF module off in April……….

[Anonymous]

What prompted you to turn this off? What changes have you had to make regarding your other processess?

[p_moss]

I think you should look at the DWP Security Guidance. The ‘Background’ section explains that we are still expected to follow certain ‘VF’ and other procedures etc. In particular points 9 to 13 in the ‘Background’ section are worth looking at.

Point 12 hits the nail on the head… it’s guidance but we’ve got to follow it because we will be measured on performance against the guidance bla bla bla.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2006/hbct/security-manual.pdf

[Anonymous]

I think you will find this referred to the change in the removal of the “F” word, why who knows? But the new regime is hinting at the need not to “record” verification to such a high and time consumming standard.

[p_moss]

It is also a hint that we can’t do away with check lists and such – much as we’d like to.

[Anonymous]

Peter
We have interpreted it in exactly the opposite way to you, and I know if Karen from Tamworth reads this she will say so far more vehemently than me.
The document refers to the evidence that is acceptable according to best practise, but, unless I have missed it, does not refer to using checklists at all, and in both my opinion (and Karen’s) this just duplicates what we do already if we are collecting the evidence properly and to the correct standards. 8)
As Karen says – remove the tick box mentality and concentrate on the standards of evidence / work we produce. 😉

[karent]

we turned it off cos was meaningless & involved double accounting for information e.g on earnings for VF you had to type in the employer’s name etc – why? thats all held on DIP anyway. Ticklists – if your staff are all fully trained and competent, ticklists are an insulting waste of their time and your resources. I have never and will continue not to make my assessment staff do this. Instead comprehensive notes are done to explain what’s been done or changed on a claim – this is far more useful when queries come in about an an assessment than a list of ‘yep – got that’………

[p_moss]

A classic case of a DWP document and several interpretations?????

My point is really the irony of it being guidance whilst at the same time we are being told we will be measured against this so called guidance. I am wary that if we interpret it as a major liberation from the old VF straight-jacket, the DWP will beat us with a stick later when we are measured… in whatever form it takes. (There is still a tick sheet at appendix 12, but it’s the small one.)

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