in touch – July 2010
Each month, in touch keeps you up to date with the latest news from Jobcentre Plus.
The Government has announced its intention to make major changes to the way it supports unemployed people including those with health conditions or disabilities.
Although much of the detail has yet to be finalised, in this month’s in touch we explain how the proposed changes are likely to affect people and, where possible, provide likely time scales.
Also in this edition:
- Helping people back into work
- What will happen to existing support programmes?
- Reassessment of incapacity benefits claims
- Mandatory drug treatment referrals
- Alleviating poverty
- About in touch
If you have a suggestion for a future edition, or any feedback, please let us know.
Helping people back into work
The current range of support programmes and schemes including Flexible New Deal, Future Jobs Fund and the Young Person’s Guarantee will be replaced by the new Work Programme. This will be in place by the summer of 2011.
The Work Programme will be an integrated package of support providing personalised help for people who find themselves out of work regardless of the benefit they claim.
It will be delivered through a combination of contracted employment provision by private, public and voluntary sectors as well as Jobcentre Plus led service delivery. Providers will be given the flexibility to choose how they deliver support. They will be paid predominantly for sustained job outcomes with higher payments for the hardest to help.
On 29 June the Government set out the parameters of a commercial framework (DWP) and is encouraging private, public and voluntary sector organisations to bid to be part of it. Once in the framework, organisations will compete to supply employment support.
Until the Work Programme is implemented, the Government will ensure support is in place.
What will happen to existing support programmes?
Flexible New Deal (FND)
This programme will be folded into the Work Programme.
Provider led Pathways, Jobcentre Plus Pathways, New Deal for Disabled People and In Work Support
These programmes will gradually be replaced with the Work Programme. We are talking to individual providers about transitional arrangements and further details will be available shortly.
Employment Zone and New Deal contracts
These programmes will gradually be replaced with the Work Programme. We are talking to individual providers about transitional arrangements and further details will be available shortly.
Elements of the Young Person’s Guarantee will continue to apply in the transition to the Work Programme although we expect the Guarantee will cease to be effective from March 2011. We will honour every bid that has had funding allocated to the Future Jobs Fund.
Reassessment of incapacity benefits claims
The Work Programme will also provide help for those among the 2.6 million people currently claiming incapacity benefits who are able to work.
The Government is committed to providing unconditional support for very sick and disabled people within that group. Ministers are equally committed to helping those claiming incapacity benefits who can work, and want to work, to do so.
This is because research confirms that the vast majority of people are better off in work and that work is good for people's health, income and well being.
In the autumn, starting in and around Burnley and Aberdeen, we will ask incapacity benefits claimants to attend a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). The rest of the country will follow with the exercise envisaged to be complete by spring 2014.
As part of this reassessment, the majority of incapacity benefits customers will undergo a WCA to determine their future benefit entitlement. Those assessed as fully capable of work can make a claim to Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). Those who cannot work, or have limited capability to work, will move to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The WCA is designed to measure whether someone is able to work. It also allows us to recognise those who need additional support and ensure they get unconditional help.
To this end, we will take forward recommendations to treat people waiting for or between courses of chemotherapy in the same way as those already receiving it. We will also extend the criteria for people with severe disability due to mental health conditions, meaning fewer very sick people will be asked to attend an assessment.
An independent review, led by Professor Malcolm Harrington, will scrutinise the assessment process to ensure people are treated fairly and assessments are transparent. The report will be completed by the end of the year.
Mandatory drug treatment referrals
Plans to pilot mandatory drug treatment referrals for those JSA and ESA claimants identified as problem drug users have been cancelled. The Welfare Reform Drug Recovery Pilots would have begun in five areas in England from October 2010. Following advice from the Social Security Advisory Committee, DWP Ministers have decided not to proceed with the previous Government’s plans in this area.
DWP will now develop a strategy which will take a more holistic approach as many people with drug and alcohol problems also have other difficulties which make it hard for them to find work.
Alleviating poverty
The Government has appointed the Labour MP Frank Field to carry out an independent review into poverty and what the Government can do to improve the lives of the least advantaged people in our society. His report is due by the end of the year.
About in touch
in touch aims to provide you with short summaries of the latest news, progress of our modernisation programme, forthcoming changes to benefit rules, updates on performance, as well as news on important policy issues which affect our shared customers.
If someone you know might like to receive in touch, they can subscribe online. Jobcentre Plus will not pass on any details to a third party. Your information will only be used to provide you with information on Jobcentre Plus and DWP business.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please email the editor (including your name, job and organisation).
