DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (DRC-077) issued by The Government News
Network on 27 May 2008
More long term
sick and disabled people are finding work, and getting into work
faster - thanks to the Government's Pathways to Work
programme, which is now available across the whole of Great Britain.
New findings show that taking part in a Pathways programme
significantly increases the chances of long-term sick and disabled
people finding work, with more people finding work more quickly
than those who have not taken part in the scheme at all. The early
success shows that Pathways to Work has a vital role to play in
future welfare reforms.
So far 64,000 people have been helped into jobs through the
Pathways to Work programme, which provides support from highly
skilled personal advisers from the public, private and voluntary
sectors to ensure that the long-term unemployed receive the
specialist help they need to get back to work.
Early indications found that individuals and society as a whole
are better off overall as a result of Pathways. Pathways saves the
taxpayer money. It is estimated for every million spent on the
programme £1.5 million is returned through a reduced benefits
burden and increased tax contributions.
Ministers are committed to ensuring that future welfare reforms
continue to transform inactive benefit recipients into active
jobseekers by engaging with programmes such as Pathways to Work
and through initiatives such as patients having access to personal
advisors in GPs surgeries.
Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform Stephen Timms said:
"I am impressed by the success of the Pathways programme -
it proves that with the right support we can make a difference
even with long-term benefit claimants, which is a group of people
usually considered harder to help."
Also published today are findings on a pilot, begun in 2006,
where Jobcentre Plus personal advisers were placed in GP surgeries
to give employment advice to people on Statutory Sick Pay and
long-term Incapacity Benefit. This research showed that 59 per
cent of the patients who had interviews with an advisor in a GP
surgery were sick or disabled and not attached to work.
Stephen Timms said:
"This early intervention with patients attending GPs'
surgeries is also proving highly productive. Findings from our
pilot showed that 91 per cent of patients who had access to an
adviser said that it motivated them to think about work and that
they felt they had been listened to."
Notes to Editors:
1. The research documents; 'The
Pathways Advisor Service: Placing an employment Advisor in GP
surgeries' - 'Evidence on the effects of Pathways to
Work on existing claimants' and 'Evidence on the cost
and benefits of Pathways to Work for new/repeat claimants.'
are published at http://www.dwp.gov.uk.
2. The national roll-out of Pathways to Work was completed at the
end of April (2008).
3. The Pathways service delivers specialist advice, giving
support and opportunities to people with health problems and
disabilities to help them move into work.
4. The Pathways to Work programme support consists of:
* 6
mandatory work focused interviews with a specialist incapacity
benefit personal adviser. These are highly skilled people from the
public, private and voluntary sectors who will ensure that the
long-term unemployed receive the specialist help they need to get
back to work, including one to one work-focused interviews and
in-work assistance;
* a condition management programme helping
customers to manage and cope with their health condition in a work
context (delivered in partnership with health
professionals);
* work with local GPs and employers to ensure
people on incapacity benefits are not discouraged from working
again.
* a Return to Work Credit of £40 per week paid for 52
weeks to IB customers who start work and earn less than £15,000 pa
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk