Tag: employment support

UK Government ‘to unlock work’ for sick and disabled people

Work will be unlocked for thousands of sick and disabled people through new measures that will bolster the support offered in Jobcentres and make the welfare system more sustainable, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced today

  • New plans to improve employment support brought forward ahead of wider reform package to fix broken welfare system. 
  • 1,000 work coaches deployed to deliver intensive employment support to sick and disabled people as part of the government’s Plan for Change which will break down barriers to opportunity.
  • It comes as a new survey reveals scale of the broken system with nearly half of disabled people and those with a health condition saying they don’t trust DWP to support them.

The plans will see 1,000 existing Work Coaches deployed in 2025/26 to deliver intensive voluntary support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people – helping them to break down barriers to opportunity, drive growth and unlock the benefits of work.

This intensive support for people on health-related benefits – including those furthest away from work – will see Work Coaches providing tailored and personalised employment support, and help claimants access other support such as writing CVs and interview techniques. They will also access a range of DWP employment programmes to help claimants unlock work based on conversations with their Work Coaches.

The additional help will be delivered by reprioritising work coach time so they can focus on tackling economic inactivity in order to make the welfare system more sustainable. The 1,000 redeployed Work Coaches are a “downpayment” on wide-ranging plans to overhaul employment support, which are set to be unveiled in just a few weeks’ time. 

It is part of the Government’s Plan for Change – which will boost living standards and grow the economy by unlocking work for the 2.8 million people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness – the highest in the G7 – and bring down spending on incapacity benefits which is expected to reach £70 billion by the end of this parliament. 

It comes as new survey results show the current system isn’t just failing the taxpayer, it’s also failing the people it’s meant to help, with 44% of disabled people and people with a health condition believing DWP does not provide enough support to people who are out of work due to disability, ill health, or a long-term health condition.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP said: “We inherited a broken welfare system that is failing sick and disabled people, is bad for the taxpayer, and holding the economy back. 

“For too long, sick and disabled people have been told they can’t work, denied support, and locked out of jobs, with all the benefits that good work brings.

“But many sick and disabled people want and can work, with the right support. And we know that good work is good for people – for their living standards, for their mental and physical health, and for their ability to live independently. 

“We’re determined to fix the broken benefits system as part of our Plan for Change by reforming the welfare system and delivering proper support to help people get into work and get on at work, so we can get Britain working and deliver our ambition of an 80% employment rate.”

The data from the DWP Perceptions Survey – soon to be published in full – also shows:  

  • 35% of disabled people and people with a health condition believe DWP does not provide enough support to people of working age who are out of work, to help them get back into work. 
  • 44% of disabled people and people with a health condition don’t trust the DWP to help people reach their full career potential. 
  • Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) disabled people and people with a health condition do not trust DWP to take its customers’ needs into account in how it provides services. 

These figures follow recently released data which shows that there are over three million people on Universal Credit with no obligation to engage in work-related activity, despite over a quarter (27%) of health and disability benefit claimants believing that work could be possible in the future if their health improves and 200,000 saying they would be ready to work now.

Data also shows the number of working-age people on the health element of Universal Credit or claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) has risen to 3.1 million, a staggering 319% increase since the pandemic, reflecting the alarming rate at which young and working aged people are increasingly falling out of work and claiming incapacity benefits. 

Behind each of these statistics is a person with hopes and ambitions, who can provide businesses with much-needed skills and experience, helping to grow our economy.

To give people the support they deserve, and restore trust and fairness to our welfare system, reforms to the welfare system are expected to be announced in just a few weeks. 

These reforms will recognise that some people will be unable to work at points in their life and ensure they are provided with support while transforming the broken benefits system that: 

  • Asks people to demonstrate their incapacity to work to access higher benefits, which also then means they fear taking steps to get into work.
  • Is built around a fixed “can versus can’t work” divide that does not reflect the variety of jobs, the reality of fluctuating health conditions, or the potential for people to expand what they can do, with the right support.
  • Directs disabled people or those with a work-limiting health condition to a queue for an assessment, followed by no contact, no expectations, and no support if the state labels them as “unable” to work. 
  • Fails to intervene early to prevent people falling out of work and misses opportunities to support a return to work.
  • Pushes people towards economic inactivity due to the stark and binary divide between benefits rates and conditionality rules for jobseekers compared to those left behind on the health element of Universal Credit.  
  • Has become defined by poor experiences and low trust among many people who use it, particularly on the assessment process.

The government’s plans to fix the broken benefit system will build on the biggest employment reforms in a generation announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, which will empower mayors to drive down economic inactivity, deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning, and overhaul jobcentres across the country. 

Former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield is leading an independent review investigating how government and employers can work together to help disabled people and those with ill health who may be at risk of falling out work stay on in employment, with the findings of the discovery phase expected in the spring.

The government is also investing an additional £26 billion to cut NHS waiting lists and get Britain back to health and back to work. 

The government has already delivered on its pledge, providing two million extra appointments in five months and as a result, around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July.

Teams of clinicians will also introduce new ways of working at 20 hospital sites in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to help patients return to the workforce faster.

This is alongside the recruitment of an additional 8,500 mental health workers to ensure mental health is given the same attention as physical health.

North Edinburgh Childcare: Nurturing Futures employment support

Now that the schools are back, are you looking for a job to fill the time but don’t know where to start?

Our Nurturing Futures programme has been designed to support parents in North Edinburgh looking to get back to work. Working with our Employability Officer, Lynne, you will build skills and confidence to get the job you really want.

As well as receiving support from Lynne with job searching, you may also take advantage of the free childcare support available to allow you to attend interviews or training or just free up time to focus on their job searching.

Contact Lynne at lynne.woodman@northedinburghchildcare.co.uk for more information. 

£40 million COVID Restrictions Fund to provide grants and employment support

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has outlined details of a £40 million fund to help businesses affected by temporary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will provide one-off grants of up to £3,000, depending on rateable value, to bars, restaurants and other businesses required to close by regulations.

A hardship fund with grants of up to £1,500 will support some businesses that remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, including those in the direct supply chains of firms that must close from tonight.

In addition, up to £9 million of funding will help with the costs of re-furloughing staff by supporting the 20% salary contribution required by the UK Government.

A discretionary fund of up to £11 million will help businesses that need support but don’t fall into the above categories. This will, for example, support soft play centres that have been unable to re-open this month.

The plan has been developed following discussions with business groups, trades unions and local authorities.

Ms Hyslop said: “The temporary restrictions announced by the First Minister are absolutely essential if we are to prevent a return to the dangerous level of infections that we experienced earlier this year.

“It is a difficult balance and we do not underestimate the challenge that these new measures present for businesses – particularly those in the hospitality sector.

“We have developed a funding plan which will help to protect jobs over the coming fortnight and I encourage business owners to apply for support. 

“We are also committed to helping businesses meet their contribution to furlough costs, where staff have to be re-furloughed.  We have increased the size of the grant available and are urgently identifying a mechanism to deliver additional support on top of that.

“While I welcome the UK Government’s plans to adapt the job retention scheme and the associated consequential funding, we still require clarity on what the Chancellor’s announcement will mean for Scotland.

“This situation further underlines the need for us to have the financial flexibility which would help us to rebuild our economy.”

Information for businesses is available at findbusinesssupport.gov.scot

Grants will be distributed by local authorities. Up to £2,000 will be payable to businesses with a rateable value of up to £51,000 that are required to close by law, for those with a rateable value of £51,001 or above the grant will be £3,000.

Ms Hislop’s announcement followed the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement:

Job Support Scheme expanded to firms required to close due to Covid Restrictions

The UK government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to protect jobs and support businesses required to close their doors as a result of coronavirus restrictions, the Chancellor announced today (Friday 9 October).

  • Job Support Scheme will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions
  • government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months
  • cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns also increased to up to £3,000 per month

Under the expansion, firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work – protecting jobs and enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are lifted.

The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Throughout the crisis the driving force of our economic policy has not changed.

“I have always said that we will do whatever is necessary to protect jobs and livelihoods as the situation evolves.

“The expansion of the Job Support Scheme will provide a safety net for businesses across the UK who are required to temporarily close their doors, giving them the right support at the right time.”

Under the scheme, employers will not be required to contribute towards wages and only asked to cover NICS and pension contributions, a very small proportion of overall employment costs. It is estimated that around half of potential claims are likely not to incur employer NICs or auto-enrolment pension contributions and so face no employer contribution.

Businesses will only be eligible to claim the grant while they are subject to restrictions and employees must be off work for a minimum of seven consecutive days.

The scheme will begin on 1 November and will be available for six months, with a review point in January. In line with the rest of the JSS, payments to businesses will be made in arrears, via a HMRC claims service that will be available from early December. Employees of firms that have been legally closed in the period before 1 November are eligible for the CJRS.

The scheme is UK wide and the UK Government will work with the devolved administrations to ensure the scheme operates effectively across all four nations.

This comes alongside intensive engagement with local leaders today on potential measures are coming in their areas.

In addition to expansion of the JSS, the government is increasing the cash grants to businesses in England shut in local lockdowns to support with fixed costs. These grants will be linked to rateable values, with up to £3,000 per month payable every two weeks, compared to the up to £1,500 every three weeks which was available previously. This could benefit hundreds of thousands of businesses, including restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, bowling alleys and many more.

The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from a £1.3 billion increase to their guaranteed funding for 2020-21 – allowing them to continue their response to Covid-19 including through similar measures if they wish.

These measures will sit alongside the original JSS – which is designed to support businesses that are facing low demand over the winter months – and the £1,000 Job Retention Bonus (JRB) which encourages employers to keep staff on payroll.

They build on the UK government’s wider package of unprecedented measures to help protect, create and support jobs through the pandemic, to ensure that nobody is left without hope or opportunity.

Welcoming the move, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The extension of the Chancellor’s Job Support Scheme is welcome news for businesses across Scotland, providing a vital safety net for companies which are asked to close temporarily.

“From the very start of the pandemic, the UK Government has focussed on stopping the spread of coronavirus and keeping people safe, while also doing everything we can to protect the economy.

“The unprecedented package of measures we have put in place to support all parts of the country shows the clear benefits for Scotland being part of a strong United Kingdom.”

Next Step for employment support in Edinburgh

Since lockdown began in March, the pressures on the job market has been no more acutely felt than in Edinburgh which has been one of the hardest hit cities in Western Europe. 

As we emerge from lockdown, some have returned to work, but there is still talk of recession being announced soon. However, there is already a support system in place for residents experiencing redundancy and unemployment because of Covid 19.   

At the start of lockdown, The City of Edinburgh Council asked employment service Next Step Edinburgh to respond and they are currently supporting hundreds of people who have lost work.

Next Step Edinburgh has been providing employment support for people in and out of work since April 2019, but since March they have adapted their service as registrations from people affected by COVID 19 job losses has increased.  

Will was supported by Next Step Edinburgh to gain employment as a walking supervisor for a building project. He explains what kind of support he received from Next Step before and during lockdown:  

“I was referred to Community Renewal’s Next Step Edinburgh service by my job centre adviser. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I had a rather negative experience with a provider prior to this.

“I worked with them to focus my CV and from the first moment was treated with respect by people who genuinely wanted to help. They also assisted me with job interview preparation and a screening job interview which meant I was very prepared for the real interview and subsequently was offered the logistics supervisor role I am currently doing. 

“Unfortunately, the job was stopped after little more than a week due to Covid 19 and was stalled for a few months. Every week during that period I would receive a call from my adviser Ross to check all was ok and if there was anything he could assist with. This was very important to me.

“Thankfully I am now back at work, but I would like to personally thank them for their work and the genuine respect they treated me with throughout.” 

Capital City Partnership has been working with key organisations to coordinate a response to the crisis. Their Deputy Chief Executive, Kate Kelman adds: “We know that people and businesses are finding it really hard just now and the impact on jobs and the economy is likely to be far-reaching.

“Along with our Joined up for Jobs network of provision, Next Steps has literally ‘stepped up’ to support individuals who are facing redundancy and job insecurity. Their high-quality help and guidance will ensure that Edinburgh residents can progress quickly into fair, sustainable work.” 

Lesley Morrison who is a Service Manager for Community Renewal – the charity who deliver the Next Step Edinburgh service – comments on the how they are supporting people right now: “We don’t believe in a one size fits all approach – everyone is different, and we listen to what each client’s needs and together we come up with a plan.

“Some people just need a job right away and we can link them with employers we have relationships with. For everyone else, we work with them, so they are ready for when the job market recovers; whether that be refreshing a stale CV, helping with applications or directing them to vocational training if they are considering a career change.

“Whatever is needed, we are here – and if we can’t support all their needs, we will link with specialist organisations who can help them whilst we continue to support their employment needs.” 

The City of Edinburgh Council continues to fund Next Step Edinburgh to support people to secure and progress into employment.

Additional funding was made available through City Region Deal has also allowed the development of a jobs website –  www.c19jobs.org – which directly assists those who have faced redundancy or job insecurity due to the current crisis. 

Councillor Cammy Day, Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said:  “As the economic impact of the pandemic on Edinburgh unfolds, we’re doing all that we can to help people facing financial hardship.

“We know that this crisis is far from over and we stand ready to help our most at-risk residents. The Next Step Edinburgh employment programme is in place to support anybody facing redundancy or job insecurity in Edinburgh. I’m pleased we’re able to fund this service in order to support people back into careers as quickly as possible. 

“The project is part of a package of measures we’re working on right now to prevent long-term unemployment in the coming months and years, including an expanded Edinburgh Guarantee.

“Hailed by the Scottish Government as a really good example of the type of work cities can do to successfully tackle unemployment, our Edinburgh Guarantee has been supporting disadvantaged young people for years. 

“We’re looking to expand this offer even more in light of Covid-19. We want to use it to help people of all ages who might face additional barriers to employment and we’re calling on employers to sign up and support us.” 

Lesley warns that the journey ahead won’t be straightforward, but stresses that nobody has to face it alone – there is support available: “Next Step Edinburgh’s advisers will do everything they can to support you. 

“We are working with employers recruiting right now but we understand those jobs may not be right for some. For those people we will collaborate so they will be front of the queue when the job market recovers.” 

Anyone looking for support can find the contact details on Next Step Edinburgh’s website – www.nexstepedinburgh.org