St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council Follow up Inspection

October 2002

Highlighted parts of this report are omitted from the published version as they may assist fraudsters, contain confidential information or unnecessarily identify individuals.

Contents

• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Getting it right
• Keeping it right
• Putting it right
• Making sure the strategy works
• Findings
• Introduction
• Getting it right
• Benefits service accessibility and awareness
• Claim form
• Verification work
• Rent Officer referrals
• Accuracy of data inputting for assessments
• Checking assessment quality
• Speed of processing
• Payments On Account
• Liaison with BA
• Liaison with ES
• Keeping it right
• Work backlogs
• Renewal claims
• Changes of circumstances
• Decision notices
• Risk assessing claims
• Benefit periods
• Targeted checks
• Dealing with landlords
• Liaison with housing department
• Internal security and controls
• Payment and accounting methods
• Training and guidance
• Liaison with BA on changes of circumstances
• Liaison with ES on changes of circumstances
• Putting it right
• Fraud
• Operating procedures
• Fraud referrals
• Quality of investigations
• Sanctions
• Managing fraud investigations
• Proactive work
• Overpayments
• Identification and deciding recoverability
• Classification
• Recovering overpayments
• Debt management
• Making sure the strategy works
• Corporate management
• Benefits management
• Strategic approach to fraud and error
• Performance monitoring and assurance
• Internal Audit
• External Audit
• Appendix A: Methodology
• Set-up
• Inspection
• Inspection method
• Reporting
• Appendix B: Claim form
• Abbreviations