Transcript Document

INFORM
Contents:
Work Programme
Welfare Reform in the South West
Update 2
– October 2010
Get Britain Working
21st Century Welfare
Incapacity Benefit Reassessment
Welcome to the second edition of INFORM.
The Government’s recent Spending Review announcements confirmed that the Work
Programme will go ahead from next year, offering our customers more tailored support .
DWP will continue with the work to support the Government’s Welfare Reforms ambition,
which includes the IB/IS Reassessment project and to deliver the new recently announced
Universal Credit.
There is lots of further work to do regarding the Universal Credit proposals ,but work is
External Relations
Manager’s
Message
already underwayRegional
on the development
and introduction
of the
Get Britain Working initiatives
(including the Work Programme ) and the IB/IS Reassessment project. Within just a few
days of the launch of Work Clubs we have already received confirmed commitments from
over 30 organisations in the region and are hoping for more partners & employers to get
involved in these new initiatives.
We will continue to keep you updated as and when this work progresses.
Phil Harrison
South West Regional External Relations Manager
Part of the Department
for Work and Pensions
The Work Programme
What progress has been made on introducing the Work Programme ?
The Government has confirmed in the recent Spending Review that the Work Programme will go ahead from next year.
It will support a wide range of unemployed customers – from Jobseekers Allowance recipients who have been out
of work for some time, to customers who may have previously been receiving incapacity benefits for many years.
The Work Programme will be delivered through contracted provision with suppliers who will design the support they intend
to deliver and will be paid on the basis of the job outcomes they achieve.
The target for the start of implementation is April 2011, with national coverage by June 2011.
A list of South West organisations who have bid to become part of the Framework for the Provision of Employment
Related Support Services has now been published.
Bidders
Only organisations who are accepted on to the Framework will be invited to tender for Work Programme contracts .
What is the timetable for procurement
of the Work Programme ?
The Framework for the Provision of Employment
Related Support Services will be in place in
November 2011.
DWP will be issuing an Invitation to Tender for the
Work Programme to the framework suppliers in
December 2010.
The Work Programme will be implemented
nationally by Summer 2011.
What is the eligibility criteria for the Work Programme?
Eligibility for the Work Programme has not yet been finalised.
The specification for the Work Programme will not be prescriptive,
thereby leaving maximum flexibility for the bidders to develop innovative
tenders which meet the needs of specific localities.
Bidders will be encouraged to work closely with key partners to fully
understand the local picture and the existing provision so they can
develop good quality proposals.
Any queries from providers regarding the
Work Programme should contact :
[email protected]
Progress towards Get Britain Working
Although the Work Programme will provide a central core of support, on it’s own it is not enough. To Get Britain Working
we also need to harness a wide range of talent, ideas and good practice. This requires help of business the public and
voluntary sector and local deliverers of services. With this help we are working to enhance the Jobcentre Plus personalised
support that remains the heart of our commitment to help newer customers in to work. Therefore to complement the Work
Programme a range of additional support is in the process of being developed and introduced:
Work TogetherLaunched 4/10/10
Work Experience
Expected Spring 2011
Work Clubs –
Launched 4/10/10
Work for Yourself
Expected Spring 2011
This will enable every
individual, and particularly
the unemployed, to have
greater opportunities to take
up volunteering whilst they
are looking for work. The
key focus will be to activate
all benefit recipients (JSA,
IS & ESA) by encouraging
and promoting the take up
of volunteering opportunities
in their local communities.
DWP and JCP colleagues
are working to ensure that
there is support available
to help young people to
develop the skills needed
to secure a sustainable
job by offering young
unemployed people a
period of work experience
The aim is that Work Clubs
will provide unemployed
people with a place to meet
and exchange skills, share
experiences, find
opportunities, make contacts
and get support to help them
in their return to work.
DWP want to ensure that there
is a coherent and structured
route for those wanting to start
a business to access the
support they need to succeed.
DWP are exploring whether
some form of financial support
in the early stages of start up
would be appropriate ( New
Enterprise Allowance ) along
with mentoring, and considering
how best to provide access to
wider support.
Service Academies
Expected Spring 2011
The Coalition: our programme for government document set out the intention to draw upon a range of Service Academies to
offer pre-employment training and work placements for unemployed people. DWP aim to provide support that is flexible and
responsive to meet the skills needs of those seeking work and the requirements of employers.
Post Work Programme Support
A variety of support options will be available to support customers who have completed the Work
Programme to help them optimise their newly found skills and experience.
Work Together
What is Work Together ?
The Government is keen to ensure that every individual, and particularly unemployed people, have every opportunity to
take up volunteering whilst they are looking for work. Volunteering can have many positive impacts – it can boost
confidence to work, real work experience and the change to develop skills for the work place.
Work Together is a GB wide initiative to help unemployed people interested in volunteering find suitable opportunities.
This will be achieved by encouraging and signposting individuals to volunteering enablers and opportunities.
A key element of Work Together is the use of volunteering enablers to help connect people to opportunities, including:
• Online volunteering databases (Do-it which will be available in England; Volunteer Scotland and Volunteering Wales);
• Volunteer Centres;
• Local Voluntary sector organisations; and
• Organisations who require volunteers.
Work Together was launched on 4th October 2010.
What will Jobcentre Plus contribute to Work
Together ?
• Develop and strengthen local links with voluntary
sector organisations
• Identify volunteering enablers and source
volunteering opportunities
• Promote and encourage customers to consider
and take up volunteering
• Signpost and help customers find opportunities
through established local partnerships or through
online services
•General awareness information will be provided on
the Business Link website at:
www.businesslink.gov.uk/recruitment
Who is eligible?
• All people on out of work benefits i.e. Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income Support and Employment & Support Allowance from
the start of their claim.
• Customers will continue to receive their benefit entitlementprovided benefit eligibility conditions continue to be met.
• Customers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance and undertaking
volunteering are still expected to be looking for employment
and must be available to take up paid work.
• Normal benefit rules associated with volunteering will apply.
Work Clubs
What is a Work Club ?
Work Clubs will be designed and run by organisations / groups who want to help unemployed people in their local
area. The basic concept is that Work Clubs will offer unemployed people with a place to meet to share contacts, networks,
ideas, hints and tips to support each other through the job hunting process.
They could be set up anywhere in the country, but there will be particular focus on supporting the development of
Work Clubs in areas where the unemployment challenge is greatest.
The level of Departmental involvement is still being determined but is likely to vary depending on local management
decisions. Support might include signposting customers to local Work Clubs and advising and assisting those setting
up and running Clubs.
Work Clubs were launched on 4th October 2010
What will Jobcentre Plus contribute to
Work Clubs?
•Jobcentre Plus will engage with a range of
stakeholders including voluntary organisations,
local authorities, community groups, and local
employers amongst others, to find suitable
prospective organisers and encourage partnership
working to create, develop and deliver Work Clubs
• Advice and guidance will be provided via an
internet based platform on the Adviser site of
the DWP Corporate website.
• Promote and encourage customers to consider
and participate in additional support through local
Work Clubs
• Signpost customers to local Work Clubs
• Inform Work Clubs of employers in the area
prepared to support them with regards to offering
sessions/workshops, company tours etc.
Who is eligible?
• Work Clubs are open to all customers receiving Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Income Support and Employment Support Allowance.
•Our key target group are unemployed jobseekers from Day 1
of their benefit claim until the point they are required to participate
in mandatory provision i.e. Work Programme.
•Customers will continue to receive their benefit entitlement whilst
attending.
If you are interested in running or
supporting a Work Club then more
information is available here :
Work Clubs
21st Century Welfare
What is Universal Credit ?
The 21st Century Welfare paper launched a public consultation about ideas for improving the working age benefit system.
This consultation ran from 30 July to 1 October.
One of those ideas was Universal Credit, which would incorporate out-of-work benefits, in-work support and appropriate
amounts for housing, disability and families for people of working age. A Universal Credit system would also aim to ensure
that anyone on benefits who starts work will be better off than they would have been on benefits.
The paper also considered other ideas, all of which aimed to improve work incentives, make the system easier to understand
for customers and more efficient to operate for staff. The Secretary of State announced on 5 October that the Universal Credit
proposal was the best way of achieving those aims.
What was the outcome of the consultation ?
Almost 1,200 responses were received during the consultation period including nearly 400 from DWP staff. There was strong
Agreement on the need for a single, simple benefits system that makes work pay, and support in particular for the Universal
Credit model.
The Secretary of State subsequently announced on 5 October that a Universal Credit will be introduced. Further detail
of the Plans will be given in a White Paper, to be published later in the autumn.
Why do benefits need reforming ?
It is widely accepted that the current benefit system is too complex and can trap people into benefit dependency. The
Government believes that it should be a safety net that prevents people suffering hardship during periods when they are unable
to work, and helps them back into employment as soon as possible.
Many customers, staff, and outside organisations have long advocated a more straightforward system that cuts out filling in
unnecessary forms, and eliminates much of the need for customers to provide information which is often duplicated.
When will changes happen ?
Detailed implementation plans are still to be developed, but hoping to begin from 2013
Incapacity Benefits Reassessment
When and where is the trial taking place ?
Since the last edition of Inform the reassessment of incapacity benefits
trial started on the 11th October and is due to finish in January 2011
1700 people currently claiming incapacity benefits in and around Burnley
and Aberdeen will have their benefits reassessed. This is 850 people in
each of the trial areas.
These areas have been selected because they :
- have sufficient number of incapacity benefits customers in order to make
this a viable trial; and
- provide both rural and urban locations to give good cross section of
customers
What are the expected outcomes once this
is rolled out nationally from 2011?
Nationally , we expect that :
•77% of customers currently receiving IB will be
entitled to Employment Support Allowance.
With the remaining 23% found Fit for Work when
reassessed.
Of these customers , we estimate that :
•50% will claim Jobseekers Allowance;
•20% will claim another benefit and
How will the trial be evaluated ?
•30% will move off benefit.
The purpose of the trial is to test the journey from both a customer
and staff perspective and to fully understand customer behaviour.
Where can I get further information ?
The aim of the trial is to fully evaluate the end to end process for
reassessment of IB cases and covers two main areas :
- Qualitative research to evaluate customer, staff and Health Care
Practitioner views, their experiences and reactions to the customer and;
- Collection of management information for analysis.
There will be an evaluation of the trial prior to the launch of
national full reassessment in February 2011. Lessons learnt from
the trail will be used to review the reassessment process and make
appropriate refinements, ensuring that the process is managed as
successfully as possible. All IB customer reassessments should be
completed by March 2014.
We have developed information that our
customers and stakeholders can access
direct. This includes a page on:
Directgov : www.direct.gov.uk/ibchanges
And information on the DWP Adviser
Further information
Useful websites :
Tell us what you think
Right click on link and select “open hyperlink”
The DWP website contains general information about the
government’s welfare reform agenda.
DWP website
They have now added a link to What's new

Direct Gov website contains information about all
JocentrePlus Services and the changes which will be
happening with regards to customers claiming Incapacity
Benefit.

If you would like to keep up to date with the development of the
Get Britain Working support then please use the following link.
Get Britain Working

If you are interested in running or supporting a Work Club or
would like more information see Work Clubs

IB/IS Reassessment- contains further information on the
project.
Produced by Jobcentre Plus, Regional External Relations Team South West
If you have any comments regarding this
update or indeed would like to raise any
issues please contact
Gaynor Clarke on 01823 349514 or
by e mail at :
[email protected].
Please note if you do not wish to receive this
update or you would like it forwarded to an
alternative address , please let me know.