Failing more than one obligation at the same time

If a client fails more than one obligation or activity at the same time and does not have a good and sufficient reason for one or more of the failures, the failures are counted as one failure.

However, the client will need to recomply with all the failures before the sanction can be lifted.

Note Money Management is the only non-financial sanction that can be imposed when a client has failed more than one obligation at the same time at grade 1. A client must resolve all of these failures during the 4-week Money Management period in order to recomply.

For grade 1 and 2 failures, if the client successfully disputes one of the failures, the sanction imposed will remain until they recomply with any remaining failures initiated at the same time.

This policy only applies to the first and second time a client fails their obligations in a 24 month period, or 12-month period if the client has youth activity obligations.

For grade 3 failures, a client will need to complete one six-week approved activity or programme of activities (if they wish to recomply).

The obligations or activities that the client has not complied with can be over a recent period (eg within the last 5 days) or they may not have been complied with all on the same day. However, the client can only be required to recomply with failures that are initiated on the same day.

As soon as MSD is aware that a client has failed their obligations without a good and sufficient reason, MSD must initiate an obligations failure – it cannot be delayed.