The Work Programme
The Work Programme provides tailored support for claimants who need more help to undertake active and effective jobseeking. Participants receive support to overcome barriers that prevent them from finding and staying in work. It is delivered by DWP contracted service providers who have been given complete autonomy to decide how best to support participants while meeting their minimum service delivery standards.
Background
The Government is committed to fighting poverty; supporting the most vulnerable and helping people break the cycle of benefit dependency. As a result we have made significant reforms to the welfare-to-work programmes currently available to Jobcentre Plus customers.
The Work Programme represents a step change for Welfare to Work in this country, creating a structure that treats people as individuals and allows providers greater freedom to tailor the right support to the individual needs of each claimant.
The Work Programme also ensures value for money for the taxpayer by basing payments largely on results, and paying service providers from the benefits saved from getting people into work. It is very much a partnership between Government and providers from across the public, private and third sectors.
Latest news
£1billion package to tackle youth unemployment – 25 November 2011
Almost £1billion will be spent over the next three years to provide unemployed young people with extra help as part of a new “Youth Contract”.
DWP is now working through the detail of how these new measures will be delivered from April 2012.
- £1billion package to tackle youth unemployment press release – gives more detail
Real life stories
We have published a series of real life stories to show how people have benefited from the Work Programme.
Work Programme Partnership Forum
The Work Programme Partnership Forum acts as an interface between DWP and providers at senior management level, to allow experiences of delivery of the programme to be shared and for emerging policy which may impact on delivery to be discussed. It provides an opportunity to identify and address a wide range of strategic issues and consideration of potential interdependencies between the Work Programme and other aspects of Welfare Reform.
Useful Information
The following documents will be useful if you or your organisation are interested in getting involved in helping to deliver the Work Programme or you are an employer and want to find your local provider contact details.
- The Work Programme (891KB)
- Prime Provider contact details for the Work Programme (31KB)
- Supply Chain details for the Work Programme (317KB)
- Contract Package Area Provider contact details for Local Authorities (54KB)
- Provider map for the Work Programme (90KB)
- Provider minimum service delivery standards (104KB)
Links
- Get Britain Working – information about other back to work measures
- Information for advisers and intermediaries about back to work measures
- Information for providers and suppliers
- Merlin StandardTM – code of conduct that Work Programme providers follow
- Invitation to tender documents (Contracts Finder)
- Information for jobseekers (Directgov)
