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
Government launches employment support for prisoners - 6 March 2012
The Government has launched a major overhaul of the employment support prisoners receive when they leave jail. Everyone leaving prison and claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance benefits will be immediately referred on Day One to the Government’s Work Programme, where they will receive specialist support to get them into employment as quickly as possible.
- Government launches employment support for prisoners 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 by contract package area – Work Programme (May 2012) (53KB)
- Contract package area provider contact details for local authorities – Work Programme (54KB)
- Supply chain details by contract package area – Work Programme (160KB)
(Updated 2 March 2012)
- Provider map – 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)
