Monitoring of accuracy of homeless applications made over the telephone.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Dumfries and Galloway Council,

One question asked in a previous request was, " Are these monitored in any way to ensure the homeless officer has recorded details correctly". This request can be seen here:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h...

Dumfries and Galloway Council stated that, "Internal auditing of cases is carried out each month on a percentage of concluded cases. Monthly performance management and exception reporting aims to ensure the accuracy of data returns to The Scottish Government in respect of the HL1, HL2, HL3 and Prevent 1 quarterly data collections".

Please provide information as follows:

What does the audit trail comprise exactly?

Who undertakes this?

How is "the accuracy of data" determined given that the information in the application is not corroborated by the individual concerned?

Who submits the HL1, HL2,HL3 and Prevent1 returns to the Scottish Government and what information is contained in these?

What steps are taken to verify the details on the application as recorded by the homeless officer with the person who made the application on the telephone? Does someone contact the person whose application has been made, show them this and ask for confirmation it is an accurate account of what was said? Otherwise, how is the accuracy determined by an independent method?

Yours faithfully,

Richard Page

FOI, Dumfries and Galloway Council

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Dumfries and Galloway Council

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 23/08/2022 which we are dealing with in terms of the above legislation. We have given your request the unique reference 5374528 and we would appreciate it if you could quote this on all correspondence to us.

Under the terms of the legislation, we have an obligation to respond to your request within 20 working days from the day after your request was received. We will therefore aim to respond to your request by 20/09/2022.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact [email address].

Kind Regards

FOI Unit
Dumfries and Galloway Council

This email, from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and any files transmitted with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

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Dumfries and Galloway Council

Please find below the Council's response to your request 5374528 which was received on 23/08/2022.

Details of request: One question asked in a previous request was, " Are these monitored in any way to ensure the homeless officer has recorded details correctly". This request can be seen here:

https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...

Dumfries and Galloway Council stated that, "Internal auditing of cases is carried out each month on a percentage of concluded cases. Monthly performance management and exception reporting aims to ensure the accuracy of data returns to The Scottish Government in respect of the HL1, HL2, HL3 and Prevent 1 quarterly data collections".

Please provide information as follows:

What does the audit trail comprise exactly?

Who undertakes this?

How is "the accuracy of data" determined given that the information in the application is not corroborated by the individual concerned?

Who submits the HL1, HL2,HL3 and Prevent1 returns to the Scottish Government and what information is contained in these?

What steps are taken to verify the details on the application as recorded by the homeless officer with the person who made the application on the telephone? Does someone contact the person whose application has been made, show them this and ask for confirmation it is an accurate account of what was said? Otherwise, how is the accuracy determined by an independent method?

Response:

Housing Options & Homeless Service Supervisors aim to carry out internal case file audits on approximately 10% of concluded cases. The audit exercise involves reviewing the collection of information recorded in the homeless case management system to ensure compliance with internal operational procedures; statutory legislation and duties; and data accuracy in respect of our statutory returns to the Scottish Government for HL1, HL2, HL3 and Prevent1. We perform a range of data quality checks on a monthly basis in respect of our HL1, HL2, HL3 and Prevent1 data to ensure accuracy of data returns at the end of the quarter. These returns are submitted to the Scottish Government by our Homeless Compliance Supervisor.
In accordance with Section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, information on the government data collections can be found here:- https://www.gov.scot/collections/homeles...

It is standard procedure for information provided during telephone interviews to be verified by a Homeless Officer as part of their investigations. For example, this may include requesting proof of Address/ID and any evidence required in support of their homeless application. Applicants are advised and asked to acknowledge that it is an offence under Section 40 of the Housing Scotland Act 1987 Part II Homeless Persons as amended, for any person to obtain accommodation by making a statement that is false; knowingly withholding information or failing to notify of us of any relevant changes before a decision is made.

Please be aware that the Council holds the copyright, where applicable, for the information provided and it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or media without requiring specific permission. This is subject to the material not being used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be acknowledged as Dumfries and Galloway Council and the title of the document must be included when being reproduced as part of another publication or service.

If you require any further clarification, please contact us. However, if you are not satisfied with the way in which your request has been dealt with, you can request us to carry out an internal review of the decision by emailing [email address] or writing to us within 40 working days of receiving this response.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the review, you have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision. Appeals to the Commissioner can be made online at www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal or in writing to: The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9DS.

Kind Regards

FOI Unit
Dumfries and Galloway Council

This email, from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and any files transmitted with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you are not the intended recipient of this email (and any attachment) please inform the sender by return email and destroy all copies. If you are not the intended recipient or responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, disclosure, review, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this email is strictly prohibited. Please be aware that communication by internet email is not secure as messages can be intercepted and read by someone else. Dumfries and Galloway Council do not accept liability for any loss or damage which may result from this email or any files attached. It is your responsibility to scan this email and any attachments for computer viruses or other defects.

Any email including its content may be monitored and used by the Council for reasons of security and form monitoring internal compliance with the policy on staff use. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used.

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Dear Dumfries and Galloway Council,

I acknowledge receipt of your response dated 5 September 2022.

From the contents of this it is clear the so called audit of the accuracy of homeless applications taken over the telephone is a complete sham. Is is likely that the supervisors who undertake the "audit" will find fault with anything they look at? After all, they are examining these applications which were made in their own department. There is neither independence, nor impartiality in this process. For an audit to be undertaken it has to be carried out by someone, or some people, who are independent and outwith the process they are examining. How can they say for certain that the content of the applications made by telephone is accurate without asking the people who made the applications? The so called "audit is a total fraud and not worth the paper it is written on.

It is known for a fact that telephone applications made for homeless purposes are fraudulent and biased. This situation needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Yours faithfully,

Richard Page

FOI, Dumfries and Galloway Council

Thank you for your email. This is an automated response to advise that
Dumfries and Galloway Council has received your email.

Your request will be dealt with promptly. The statutory timescales for
responses are as follows:

 
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 20 working days
Environmental Information Regulations 2004 20 working days
Internal Reviews 20 working days
 
If we require clarification of your request we will contact you as soon as
possible.
 
If your enquiry concerns any other matter, your email will be passed to
the  
relevant section for appropriate action to be taken.
 
Kind regards,
Information Governance Team
This email, from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and any files transmitted
with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual
or entity to whom they are addressed.

If you are not the intended recipient of this email (and any attachment)
please inform the sender by return email and destroy all copies. If you
are not the intended recipient or responsible for delivering it to the
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, disclosure,
review, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this email is
strictly prohibited. Please be aware that communication by internet email
is not secure as messages can be intercepted and read by someone else.
Dumfries and Galloway Council do not accept liability for any loss or
damage which may result from this email or any files attached. It is your
responsibility to scan this email and any attachments for computer viruses
or other defects.

Any email including its content may be monitored and used by the Council
for reasons of security and form monitoring internal compliance with the
policy on staff use. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be
used.

Any email message sent or received by the Council may require to be
disclosed by the Council under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002. For further information and to view the
Council’s privacy statement please go to https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/privacy

FOI, Dumfries and Galloway Council

OFFICIAL

Dear Mr Page,

We acknowledge receipt of your email dated 23 September 2022 and can confirm that this has been passed through to the Service for their information and consideration.

As this is not a request for information held by the Council this is not being treated as a valid request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2022.

Kind regards,

Information Governance Team
Dumfries and Galloway Council

Disclaimer:
This email, from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and any files transmitted with it, is confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. 

If you are not the intended recipient of this email (and any attachment) please inform the sender by return email and destroy all copies.  If you are not the intended recipient or responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, disclosure, review, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this email is strictly prohibited.  Please be aware that communication by internet email is not secure as messages can be intercepted and read by someone else.  Dumfries and Galloway Council do not accept liability for any loss or damage which may result from this email or any files attached. It is your responsibility to scan this email and any attachments for computer viruses or other defects.

Any email including its content may be monitored and used by the Council for reasons of security and form monitoring internal compliance with the policy on staff use.  Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used.

Any email message sent or received by the Council may require to be disclosed by the Council under the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. You can view the Council's privacy statement at www.dumgal.gov.uk/privacy for further information.

OFFICIAL

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