Help to Work: nationwide drive to help the long-term unemployed into work
28 Apr 2014 03:52 PM
Help to Work will give Jobcentre staff a new
range of options to support the hardest to help get off benefits and into
work.
New
intensive measures to help the long-term unemployed into work will begin from
today (28 April 2014) as the government continues its push toward full
employment.
The
new scheme – Help to Work – will give Jobcentre staff a new range
of options to support the hardest to help get off benefits and into
work.
Jobcentre advisers will tailor back-to-work plans for
individuals according to the particular barriers to work they may have. The new
measures include intensive coaching, a requirement to meet with the Jobcentre
Plus adviser every day, or taking part in a community work placement for up to
6 months so claimants build the skills needed to secure a full-time
job.
There are currently more than 600,000 vacancies in the
UK economy at any one time, and these new measures are intended to ensure that
as the economy improves everyone with the ability to work has the support and
the opportunity to do so.
Those who fail to participate in the scheme will face
potential sanctions that could see them lose their benefits for a period of
time.
What the Help to Work scheme will
include
Attending the Jobcentre every day
The
daily meeting with their adviser would include discussing the progress made in
looking for work, such as the number of job searches or applications made, or
new activity to improve their skills base. It is designed for claimants who
would benefit from regular support with looking for jobs, including those who
need to build motivation, momentum and engagement. Currently, a claimant only
needs to attend once every 2 weeks.
Community work placements
Claimants who lack work experience - and where this is
felt to be holding them back from finding a job - may be asked to undertake a
placement, which will also benefit their local community. This would include a
range of roles in the voluntary and community sector that will give the
claimant skills and experience within the work place. This could include
gardening projects, running community cafes or even restoring historical sites
and war memorials.
The
placements will be for up to 6 months for 30 hours a week and will be backed up
by at least 4 hours of supported job searching each week to help turn the
experience into full time employment.
Intensive Jobcentre support
For
jobseekers with multiple or complex barriers to work the Jobcentre Plus
advisers will spend more time with the claimant looking at how to tailor
back-to-work support, with more flexibility to send people on intensive
training schemes, ad hoc funding to overcome issues blocking a return to work
such as initial travel costs or suitable clothes for a job interview, and
referrals to work experience opportunities with local
organisations.
The
launch of the Help to Work scheme, part of the government’s long-term economic
plan to help people into jobs, comes as figures from the Office for
National Statistics show there are record numbers of people in work andlong-term unemployment
has fallen by 93,000 – the largest annual fall since
1998.
Helping people get on the road to a more secure
future
Prime Minister David Cameron said:
A
key part of our long-term economic
plan is to move to full employment, making sure that everyone who can
work is in work. We are seeing record levels of employment in Britain, as more
and more people find a job, but we need to look at those who are persistently
stuck on benefits. This scheme will provide more help than ever before, getting
people into work and on the road to a more secure future.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith
said:
Everyone with the ability to work should be given the
support and opportunity to do so. The previous system wrote too many people
off, which was a huge waste of potential for those individuals as well as for
their families and the country as a whole. We are now seeing record numbers of
people in jobs and the largest fall in long-term unemployment since
1998.
But
there’s always more to do, which is why we are introducing this new
scheme to provide additional support to the very small minority of claimants
who have been unemployed for a number of years. In this way we will ensure that
they too can benefit from the improving jobs market and the growing
economy.
Most people move off Jobseeker’s Allowance
quickly, with over 3 in every 4 people ending their claim within 6 months. Less
than 3 percent of people joining JSA have a claim which lasts for 3
years.
People at risk of long-term unemployment get 2 years of
help from the Work Programme, which has so far seen around half a million
people start jobs since June 2011, with around 250,000 in work for 6 months or
more. But for the minority of people who have been on Jobseeker’s
Allowance for a long time, after finishing on the Work Programme they will now
move onto the Help to Work scheme where they will have to take up one of 3
different types of intensive support, depending on what is stopping them from
finding work.
Jobcentre Plus advisers will work with jobseekers to
decide which of the 3 options would best suit their needs. This will be based
on an exit report from their Work Programme provider and discussions with the
jobseeker about the particular barriers still stopping them from getting
work.
Help to Work will be mandatory and people who fail to
participate could lose their Jobseeker’s Allowance for 4 weeks for a
first failure and 13 weeks for a second failure.
Case studies
Lisa from Birmingham attended a Mandatory Work Placement
at a charity shop. Lisa had worked in a retail environment many years ago, but
never thought that after such a long gap that anyone would employ her in a
retail position again. With careful guidance and support, Lisa was soon
learning the essential duties required for retail store management. Lisa
continued to volunteer after her placement ended and a month later she
successfully applied for a job there. Lisa said that the placement has changed
her life and gave her a chance that she would not normally have been able to
take.
Denise from Liverpool attended a Mandatory Work
Placement at a Social Enterprise Company where it was identified that she had
literacy difficulties which had impacted on her personal life and
self-confidence – she had barely left home in the previous 20 years and
found it difficult to engage with people. Through close mentoring at the
placement, Denise began to gain in confidence and self-belief and began to
interact with colleagues and customers more freely. As a result of completing
her placement, Denise gained valuable experience that could be referred to at
interview as well as some outstanding references.
Single mother Denise from Warwickshire attended a
Mandatory Work Placement at an animal charity. She had mild depression and low
self-esteem but is now a lot more confident. During her placement she was
helped with completing her NCQ level 2 in retail and customer service. Since
finishing her placement she has continued to volunteer for the charity and is
helping to coach other volunteers. She said:
I
was nervous about starting a work placement but after the first few days of
being there I loved it and have volunteered here ever since and hopefully when
a job comes up to manage a shop of my own I will be able to apply for the
position. I have gained so much confidence since working here – I really
love it!