Tag: Pathways to Work

Thousands more out-of-work benefit claimants to get personalised support

Up to 40,000 disabled people and people with health conditions will benefit from expanded access to personalised support, as the government rolls out Support Conversations across a further 27 Jobcentres taking the total number of sites to 33

  • Support Conversations expanding to a further 27 Jobcentres across Great Britain, bringing the total to 33 sites.
  • Disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits are being offered a one-to-one, voluntary, hour-long conversation to discuss their support needs and identify extra help. This support is personalised and could link people to help with their health, debt, skills, employment and housing.
  • Part of the government’s wider £3.5 billion investment to help disabled people and those with health conditions into work over the Parliament.

Support Conversations are voluntary, hour-long sessions designed to help people identify and overcome the barriers stopping them from moving into work or into meaningful activity (such as volunteering) and is part of the commitment the Government made in last year’s Pathways to Work Green Paper

Unlike standard Jobcentre appointments, Support Conversations take a holistic approach, covering not just employment, but housing, debt, skills, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation services. Support Conversations are delivered by Healthcare Professionals, Pathways to Work Advisers, and Disability Employment Advisers, and are available face to face, by video, or by telephone.

They are open to those who are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment and people furthest away from the labour market – assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA). 

These are people who for too long were written off and denied support. But the government’s expansion of Support Conversations is giving people they help they need and builds on the landmark deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work Advisers, who have already helped more than 65,000 sick and disabled people get one step closer to work.

Minister for Employment Dame Diana Johnson said: “Too many disabled people and people with health conditions face barriers that stop them from accessing the support and opportunities they deserve. 

“That is why we are expanding the number of sites delivering Support Conversations from 6 to 33 Jobcentres across Great Britain, giving up to 40,000 people personalised help tailored to their circumstances. 

“Getting more people into good work is central to our Plan for Change and Support Conversations will help us do exactly this.”

This expansion builds on testing already live in six sites where support conversations are being delivered by healthcare professionals and disability employment advisers. Early testing indicates customers feeling “listened to” and “supported.”

Neil, a Disability Employment Adviser in Bournemouth said:  “Support Conversations are a great opportunity to spend an hour focused on the claimant and their needs. 

“We all know that many people face a whole range of challenges which need to be overcome as part of their individual journey back to work and talking through those challenges with a DEA is an important first step.

“Support Conversations confirm that the most valuable resource we have is the time that we spend with our claimants.”

Saimha, a Healthcare Professional in Preston said: “Support Conversation is about providing compassionate, informed, holistic, person-centred support to disabled people and those with health conditions. Every interaction is an opportunity to make someone feel heard, safe, and supported.

“Every person’s health journey is unique and support conversation is an opportunity to identify the range of barriers people are facing in their day to day life and signposting them to the relevant services that can help, encouraging people to take positive steps towards improving their lives.”

This expansion forms part of the UK government’s Pathways to Work offer and its broader £3.5 billion employment support package, which includes:

  • Connect to Work, which delivers tailored, personalised, local support that will help 300,000 people into work by the end of this parliament.
  • The national expansion of WorkWell, backed by £259mn, helping up to 250,000 people with health conditions to stay in or return to work.
  • Allowing sick or disabled people to try work without the immediate fear of reassessment through the Right to Try.
  • The deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers who’ve already helped tens of thousands of people the previous Government wrote off.

The government will continue to test the success of Support Conversations through healthcare professionals and disability employment advisors as part of this expansion, with Pathways to Work Advisers also carrying out these Support Conversations for the first time. 27 sites have been confirmed so far, with a further six sites to be confirmed shortly.

The expansion directly supports the government’s Plan for Change and its mission to raise living standards across the UK by helping more people into work and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Additional Information:

  • Support Conversations are currently offered to people awaiting a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) who have registered a health condition or disability that impacts their ability to work and those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).
  • The conversations are entirely voluntary.
  • List of confirmed sites (note 6 further sites to be confirmed shortly):
SiteModel
AberdarePtWA
Berwick Upon TweedPtWA
BlaydonDEA
BournemouthDEA
DidsburyPtWA
GlenrothesDEA
GrimsbyPtWA
HoxtonPtWA
LancasterHCP
Leeds Park PlacePtWA
Leicester Charles StreetDEA
Leicester Wellington StreetDEA
North ShieldsDEA
NorthwichPtWA
PrestonHCP
RusholmePtWA
SaltcoatsPtWA
ShettlestonDEA
South ShieldsDEA
SouthendDEA
SparkhillDEA
SpringburnDEA
SunderlandDEA
ThornabyHCP
WesterHailesPtWA
WhitehavenDEA
WorkingtonPtWA

Government to ‘listen, learn and deliver’ as consultation on welfare reforms begins

Welfare reforms must be shaped by and for disabled people, the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said today [Monday 7th April], as the official consultation on the government’s proposals begins.

  • Publication of all accessible versions set to trigger the start of official consultation into welfare reforms announced by Work and Pensions Secretary.
  • Disabled people and those with health conditions are encouraged to have their say so their views are at the heart of the new system.
  • Reforms will fix the broken welfare system by giving people genuine support to unlock work and boost living standards as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

Welfare reforms must be shaped by and for disabled people, the Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said today [Monday 07 April], as the official consultation on the Government’s proposals begins.

It comes as the government commits to the establishment of ‘collaboration committees’ to further develop the reforms, bringing together groups of people for specific work areas to provide discussion, challenge, and make recommendations. 

Announced on Tuesday 18 March, the proposed reforms will ensure that sick and disabled people have the same opportunities to work as anyone else, and will unlock work, boost living standards, and help grow the economy as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

They will also seek to overhaul the broken benefits system so it supports those who need it, while helping those who can work into jobs and delivering fairness to the taxpayer. 

The Minister for Social Security and Disability is urging those likely to be affected by the changes – either individually or through disability charities and organisations – to have their say through the consultation, ensuring their views help shape the proposed changes.

Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said: “We inherited a broken welfare system, which incentivises ill-health, locks people out of work and isn’t fit for a future in which so many of us will face long-term health conditions.

“We want a system that genuinely works for disabled people and those with health conditions, as well as the country and the economy, and we want to hear their views and voices at the heart of the new system. 

“I encourage people to engage so they can have their say as we listen, learn and deliver support which will help millions into work, put welfare spending on a more sustainable path, and unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.”

The 12-week consultation on reforms to health and disability support officially launches today with publication of all accessible versions of the Pathways to Work Green Paper. 

The proposed reforms aim to support people into work, protect people who can never work and put the welfare system on a sustainable footing so that it can continue to support those in need now and into the future. One in three of us faces a long-term health condition, so we all need a system that can support us to stay in work or get back into work.

The measures are the latest step in the government’s drive to build a modern welfare system that helps people get jobs rather than creating unnecessary barriers, with ministers’ proposed plans set to:

  • Provide more tailored employment support for those who can work, breaking down barriers to opportunity.
  • Simplify the system and reduce unnecessary assessments, cutting bureaucracy and making it easier to navigate.
  • Improve the way financial support is assessed and delivered, ensuring it reaches those who need it most and that people using the system have a better experience and are treated with dignity and respect.
  • Build a more flexible approach that recognises the diverse needs of disabled people and those with long-term health conditions.

Without changes, it is forecast that the system could cost as much as £70 billion a year by the end of the decade and risk not being there for people when they need it in future.

Issues open for consultation include:

  • Supporting people to thrive with the new support offer.
  • Supporting employers and making work more accessible.
  • Reforming the structure of the health and disability benefits system.

These are part of the wider reforms that also include reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren’t indefinitely written off, targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs, and rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit.