DWP Central Freedom of
Information Team
Caxton House
6-12 Tothil Street
London
SW1H 9NA
Lewis Tal iferro
freedom-of-information-
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
xxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx
DWP Website
Our Ref: FOI2023/07461
10 February 2023
Dear Lewis Tal iferro,
Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FoI) request received on 29 January. You wrote:
“Please can calrifaction be given. if clients are put on schemes who have mappa status is
al information now just given over the phone ? as to not be a security risk to mappa
clients. as mappa j referrals include home address which puts them at risk.
as seems to be conflicting information.
generic guidence
87. Jobcentre Plus wil notify you of any restrictions you need to be aware of and where
appropriate they may share the MAPPA J / referral forms with you, these wil be sent via
secure post.
Restart guidence
2.63. As soon as practical y possible after the referral has been made, but before the
initial Face to Face meeting, the local Job Centre Plus MAPPA SPOC wil contact the
Provider MAPPA SPOC by telephone and disclose any restrictions that might be in place
for the participant.
MAPPA J forms wil no longer be posted out in line with security advice.
work health programme
Actions
The nominated officer from Jobcentre Plus wil contact your nominated officer to give
contact details and any restrictions that may be imposed on the Participant. ( is this given
over the phone or posted ?)”
DWP Response
It may be helpful if we explain the role of the FoI Act. It provides a legal right of access to
recorded information held by a public authority like the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP), subject to certain exemptions that may apply. The Act does not oblige a public
authority to create new information to answer questions; nor does it require a public authority
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to give an opinion or explanation, generate answers to questions, or create or obtain
information it does not hold.
If you ask a question, rather than requesting recorded information, we wil provide you with
the recorded information that best answers the question. Once we have provided the
recorded information, we have met our obligations under the Act; interpreting the information
provided is up to you.
However, you may find the fol owing explanation useful. We have provided this outside our
obligations under the FoI Act.
Where a claimant with Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) restrictions
has been referred to the Restart Scheme, the work coach wil inform the Jobcentre Plus
(JCP) MAPPA Single Point of Contact (MAPPA SPoC).
The JCP MAPPA SPoC wil contact the provider SPoC by telephone, prior to the participants
initial assessment appointment, to discuss the claimant's restrictions. Fol owing this
discussion, the JCP MAPPA SPoC wil then decide if it is appropriate to post the MAPPA J
form directly to the provider using secure / tracked Royal Mail delivery. To explain, the
nominated officer in JCP wil be notified by the offender manager / police officer on the
referral form MAPPA J, of the restrictions placed upon the claimant.
For the Work and Health Programme (WHP), in circumstances where a claimant with
MAPPA restrictions has been referred, the DWP nominated officer wil contact the provider’s
nominated officer, by telephone, to discuss any restrictions that should be in place for each
MAPPA referral. If appropriate, they may decide to forward the provider a copy of the MAPPA
J form which wil detail the restrictions.
Risks or restrictions wil be different for every MAPPA case. The MAPPA J form and any
other clerical documents for each claim must be held securely, with restricted access. If a
MAPPA J is sent to the provider this wil be via secure / tracked Royal Mail delivery.
As we outlined in our previous response of 26 January 2023 (FOI2023/00884), the sections
in the Restart Scheme and WHP provider guidance covering MAPPA are stil under review.
Once this review is completed, the published guidance wil be updated with any changes.
Section 22 of the FoI Act exempts this information from disclosure as it is intended for future
publication as any changes made to either guidance wil be published on gov.uk.
Any exemption under Section 22 requires DWP to weigh up the public interest for and
against disclosure. There is a public interest in information being released as soon as
possible. However, there is a strong public interest in permitting public authorities, such as
DWP, to publish information in a manner and form and at a time of their own choosing. It is a
part of the effective conduct of public affairs that the general publication of information is a
conveniently planned and managed activity within the reasonable control of public authorities.
Therefore, in this instance, DWP has a reasonable entitlement to make its own arrangements
to publish information.
Yours sincerely,
DWP Central Freedom of Information Team
Department for Work and Pensions
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Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act
If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailing
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx or by writing to: DWP Central FoI Team, Caxton
House, 6-12 Tothil Street, London, SW1H 9NA.
Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the
Information Commissioner’s Office for a decision. General y, the Commissioner cannot make
a decision unless you have exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information
Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House,
Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Website: ICO FOI and EIR complaints or telephone 0303 123 1113.
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