BASE NewsNews items posted before January 2010 can be viewed in our archive pages.9 March 2010: Job advice in unemployment hotspotsExpert job advice will be available in community centres and GP surgeries in some of the most deprived housing estates across Britain to help thousands more people into jobs. Jobcentre Plus Outreach advisers will work with partners, such as housing associations, resident groups, local authorities and local community organisations, to reach more than 15,000 people and to address the issues of deep-seated and intergenerational worklessness. The recent employment White Paper announced an extension to the community-based approach which has been trialled since October. This will be funded by an additional £12m. More... 9 March 2010: Department of Health launches "Jobs First" pilotThe Department of Health has launched a new pilot scheme, Jobs First, to support people with learning disabilities to find paid jobs. Jobs First will help people with learning disabilities use personal budgets to get the support they need to move towards lasting employment. The pilot scheme will run in seven local authority areas in England for 12 months. The areas are:
Each pilot site will develop its own model for providing extra support to people with learning disabilities. Jobs First will evaluate the effectiveness of each and share the evidence with local authorities across the country to help them use existing resources more effectively. Jobs First is one of the demonstration projects set out in Valuing Employment Now and is closely aligned with the Right to Control initiative run by the Office for Disability Issues. More... 9 March 2010: Government responds to autism consultationThe Government has responsed to a consultation on a strategy to support adults with autistic spectrum conditions. It considered five key themes for delivering change: health, social inclusion, choice and control, awareness raising and access to training and employment. More... 8 March 2010: DWP data survey for Workstep providersDWP will be requesting data from all current Workstep providers in March 2010 about participants on the Workstep programme. The content and approach of the data collection will be similar to last year’s survey but they will be asking for some additional customer information which will be of a more personal nature. All data must be encrypted before returning it. DWP will be writing to all providers shortly with further details about the survey. More... 4 March 2010: Minister sets targets to help people with mental health conditions and learning disabilitiesThe Minister for Disabled People, Jonathan Shaw, has set ambitious new targets to help more people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities in the workplace. From April this year, 2,000 people with learning disabilities and up to 1,500 people with mental health conditions will be guaranteed places on the Access to Work programme to help them stay in work. Ministers are clear that they want to reshape the Access to Work programme to ensure it better meets the needs of people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities. Additional support through Access to Work includes more personalised help, more frequent reviews, offering a ‘pre-certificate’ for jobseekers to show they would, in principle, be eligible for help, part funding replacement cover for temporary leave due to mental health or fluctuating conditions, and extending support for job coaches which is likely to help people with learning disabilities. The Government will be launching a focused marketing campaign this year to ensure disabled people who need help from Access to Work know about the programme. More... 3 March 2010: Autism strategy for England publishedThe Government has published the first autism strategy for England and hopes it will kick-start fundamental change in public services helping adults with autism to live independent lives and find work. There are approximately 400,000 adults with autistic spectrum conditions in England, around half of whom have a learning disability. The strategy sets a clear framework for all mainstream services across the public sector to work together for adults with autism. Actions in the autism strategy include a new National Autism Programme Board to lead change in public services set out in the strategy; a programme to develop training with health and social care professional bodies (backed by a £500,000 investment); autism awareness training for all Job Centre Disability Employment Advisers; guidance on making public services accessible for adults with autism, like improving buildings, public transport and communication; and a clear, consistent pathway for diagnosis. More... 3 March 2010: Survey of employer attitudes to recruiting a diverse workforceA survey commissioned by DWP of companies that use Jobcentre Plus services found that employers recognise that considering disabled applicants for roles widens the pool of potential recruits, but for many there is a limited supply of suitable roles. The majority of employers also say they face the challenge of having to offer additional support to these employees. The survey looked at employer attitudes to recruiting older workers, workers with a disability and lone parents. More... 3 March 2010: ESA - Early implementation experiences of customers and staffThis report represents the first stage of the evaluation of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and presents the findings from an early implementation study. It is based on fieldwork carried out in May and July 2009 in four Jobcentre Plus districts across Great Britain. More... 1 March 2010: Scottish Government publishes supported employment frameworkTher Scottish Government, with support from COSLA and SUSE, has published a Supported Employment Framework. The Framework focuses on how Scottish Government policies can help support disabled people into sustainable work in mainstream employment. It recognises that successful implementation must be underpinned by effective partnership working both at a national and local level. It states that consistency of delivery model, service standards, workforce training and sustainable funding are also crucial to its success. Whilst aimed at local commissioners, the Framework acknowledges the wider employability context and recognises the UK programmes that are already funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. More... 1 March 2010: Nominations sought for DWP Provision ForumDWP are inviting nominations for a place on their provision forum. The forum meets four times a year and offers an opportunity to represent provider interests in direct dialogue with DWP on welfare to work policy and delivery. The forum also has a variety of subgroups that focus on particular themes. Membership is limited to two years. Previous minutes of provision forum meetings are posted on our member pages. Interested providers can contact us for more information. If you wish to be nominated, please complete the application form and submit it by 12 March 2010. 25 February 2010: Right to Control Trailblazers named - consultation on regulationsThe Government has named the Trailblazer areas which will test the Right to Control initiative. Right to Control gives disabled adults more choice and control over the state funding they receive – allowing them to shape the support they receive, or take money with which to buy their own services or equipment. The eight Trailblazing local authorities have been named as:
The Government has launched a consultation on the regulations which will support trailblazers to test the Right to Control. The consultation begins on 25 February and ends on 19 May 2010. More... 24 February 2010: Research on the impact of outcome-based contracting on provider-led Pathways to WorkDWP has published a research report examining the impact of an outcome-based contracting on provider-led Pathways to Work. The study focused on the contracting and delivery arrangements within each district, performance management of both providers and subcontractors and key relationships in the provider-led Pathways supply chain, as well as the influence of outcome-based contracting on the service delivery from the perspective of both management and front-line staff. Amongst the findings, it states that:
24 February 2010: Progress2Work - shortlisted bidders publishedDWP has published a list of the organisations who have been successfully shortlisted following a PQQ exercise for the Progress2Work-LinkUP and Welfare Reform Drug Recovery Pilot provision. These organisations will now be invited to tender for the provision. The DWP website contains their contact details and the tender specification. More... 23 February 2010: DWP announces Work Choice position on financial incentivesDWP has posted a revised position on exclusions within the financial incentives available through Work Choice. DWP had originally proposed a partial end to giving financial incentives to local authorities, depending on who the provider was. Following representations, they have modified their proposal to one that applies to all incentives to local authorities, regardless of who the provider is. The new proposal is to cap all financial incentives to local authorities with the following upper limits:
23 February 2010: Advice on changes to vocational qualificationsBusiness Link’s website now gives employers access to all they need to know about vocational qualifications and influence the changes as they take place. For learners, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website has a new online resource that provides the information and links needed to find out more about the changes. Colleges and others interested in vocational qualifications are also able to access information on changes through both web pages. The government is overhauling vocational qualifications to create a clearer, more flexible system and help employers understand how to get the skills they need into their businesses. Radical reforms will see qualifications across every industry improved so they are easier to understand and access. Qualifications will be clearly labelled so that employers and learners can see at a glance what a qualification will cover, how long it will take and what level it is. More... 22 February 2010: EHRC inquiry into disability-related harassmentThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has published terms of reference for its inquiry into disability-related harassment and how well this is currently being addressed by public authorities. The EHRC has drafted terms of reference for the inquiry and are now consulting on these. More... 19 February 2010: Guidance on fit notesFrom 6 April, doctors will be able to advise if a patient ‘may be fit for work’ and offer advice on the effects of their health condition. Doctors will have the option to advise that their patient would be able to work, subject to the employer’s agreement, if temporary changes such as reduced working hours or amended duties could be accommodated. Guidance on the fit note is being published today following extensive consultation with business groups and medical representatives. The Department for Work and Pensions is urging employers and doctors to visit their werbsite www.dwp.gov.uk/fitnote to find out more. More... From 1 April the occupational health adviceline pilots will be extended to cover every employer with up to 249 employees in Britain. More... 18 February 2010: Work Choice latestDWP have posted the following notice on their website: We are seeking clarification as to the extent of the delay. It is clearly a strange notice to post as the number of bids would have been known following the PQQ shortlisting in July and a number of the shortlisted providers have since withdrawn from the bidding process. BASE has written to DWP to get further clarification on the delay and a revised timetable. More... 18 February 2010: Adults facing Chronic Exclusion - interim evaluation reportThis is an interim evaluation of a three-year pilot programme designed to test new approaches to tacking chronic social exclusion amongst the most marginalised people in society. More... 17 February 2010: DWP Invest to Save pathfindersIn December 2008 the Government published the white paper 'Raising Expectations and Increasing Support: Reforming Welfare for the Future'. This set out the Department for Work and Pension' (DWP) policy intent to provide support for existing Incapacity Benefits customers through an Invest to Save programme, upon migration to Employment and Support Allowance. The programme would utilise the funding arrangements outlined in David Freud's report 'Reducing Dependency, Increasing Opportunity' which was published in March 2007. This proposed using benefit savings to reward suppliers for supporting claimants back into work, based on a financing agreement between DWP and Her Majesty's Treasury. The programme would be underpinned by the regime of conditionality set out in Paul Gregg's report 'Realising Potential: A Vision for Personalised Conditionality and Support' which was published in December 2008. DWP is offering organisations the opportunity to compete through a Competitive Dialogue tendering process. It is anticipated that contract durations will be for a period of 4 years, commencing in March 2011 in five pathfinder areas:
15 February 2010: Work Choice updateBASE has been in contact with DWP about the delayed announcement of Work Choice preferred bidders. We have been informed that DWP will publish a communication shortly regarding the delay to the announcement on Work Choice. However, DWP remain confident that the further stages of the process will go ahead as planned. 15 February 2010: DWP publishes subgroup notes on specialist training college procurementDWP has published the notes of the first subgroup meeting on specialist training colleges. DWP intends to tender out the contracts for residential training provision with a PQQ due in March. More... 12 February 2010: Work Choice announcement expected to be delayed againWe are expecting DWP to announce that there has been another delay to the expected announcement of successful bidders for the new Work Choice contracts. Shortlisted bidders were expecting to hear last week but are likely to be contacted later today to inform them of the continuing delay. BASE is seeking urgent clarification from DWP as to the reasons for the delays. 12 February 2010: New guidance on Local Government Pension Scheme admitted body statusAll organisations contemplating or participating in local authority outsourcing should be aware of the obligations on contractors to provide to transferring employees a pension that is broadly comparable to local government pension provision. One way of providing such a pension has been to obtain admitted body status (ABS) to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published new guidance on ABS for companies and third sector organisations. The guidance recommends that pension issues and risk management are considered early on in the procurement process. Organisations who become ABS employers should also introduce their own policies to cover areas where they will have the discretion to grant a particular pension benefit. Such areas include granting flexible retirement, early retirement prior to the age of 60 and waiving a percentage reduction in benefits on early retirement on compassionate grounds. ABS is a complex area and contractors can face far higher contributions to the LGPS than they originally anticipated. The DCLG guidance provides a useful guide to the main issues but unfortunately does not deal with bidding processes where early pensions negotiations may not be possible, or the issue of risk sharing. Legal advice is essential for organisations accepting staff transferring from the public sector. TUPE will also affect charities and not for profit organisations who are contemplating mergers. More... 12 February 2010: Inclusion takes on Indus Delta websiteOn February 15th, the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion will take over responsibility for the content and management of the Indus Delta website and discussion forum. The site’s Editor-at-Large will be Paul Convery. Paul is widely known in the industry as an independent researcher and policy consultant specialising in labour market and welfare to work strategy and programmes. He was one of the founders of the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion. More... 12 February 2010: FND customers now eligible for Future Jobs Fund jobsDWP has announced a change in the eligibility criteria for Future Jobs Fund jobs. Jobcentre Plus may identify customers currently undertaking New Deal Options and consider them for Future Jobs Fund vacancies. Customers will be contacted by Jobcentre Plus to discuss a possible Future Jobs Fund vacancy. The customer will subsequently choose to either be referred to the employer or continue their participation on the New Deal option. Where a customer is referred and is subsequently successful in their job application, they will leave the New Deal option. Providers will not be able to refer customers to these vacancies directly. Jobcentre Plus staff are responsible for confirming customer eligibility and suitability prior to undertaking referral. Outcome payments can be claimed for successful Future Job Fund jobs, if payments for subsidised jobs have not been excluded under the terms and conditions of the New Deal Options contract. More... 5 February 2010: Work Choice - announcement of preferred bidders delayed for a weekPredictably, DWP have issued the following notice on their website: 5 February 2010: Guides to self-directed supportThe Department of Health has produced a couple of guides to self-directed support and brokerage:
5 February 2010: Ofsted publishes survey of Workstep best practiceOfsted has published its survey of best practice amongst providers of Workstep. 21 providers contributed to the report which looked at progression issues, IAG, jobcoaching support, partnerships, employer engagem,ent, management strategies and quality improvement and skills development. More... 4 February 2010: Stats on where disabled people are workingA written answer from Jonathan Shaw MP confirms that 5,819,000 peoplpe of working age have a self declared disability, of which 47.8% are in work. Of these, 70% are in full time employment. Of those working, 72% work in the public sector (70% full time, 30% part time), and 28% in the private sector (69% full time , 31% part time). More... 3 February 2010: Policy update on Work and Skills PlansWork and skills plans are one of the recommendations of Stephen Houghton’s review of local partnership working to tackle worklessness. Their objective is to set out how local authorities, together with their partners, will develop and agree their response to the local employment and skills needs identified through their local economic assessment and worklessness assessment. This document gives a policy update on the plans. More... 3 February 2010: DCSF consultation on leaving care and transition to adulthoodThe Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is revising the entire suite of Children Act 1989 Regulations and guidance, including Guidance on the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, to meet the new duties inserted into the Children Act 1989 by the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 and respond to the commitments to transform outcomes for looked after children and care leavers set out in the White Paper “Care Matters”. Part of the consultation looks at requirements for transition planning around careers advice and pathways through education, training and employment. The consultation closes on 19 March. More... 3 February 2010: National Skills Forum report into skills and social inclusionThe National Skills Forum and Associate Parliamentary Skills Group have launched the final report of their inquiry into skills and social inclusion. The report, Doing Things Differently: Step Changes in Skills and Inclusion focuses on the impact of skills policy on three disproportionately excluded groups: offenders and ex-offenders; people with disabilities; and black and minority ethnic learners. In bringing together the skills and equalities agendas, this report recommends ways in which better access to skills and training can create a more inclusive labour market, bringing economic advantage as well as helping to create a fairer and more mobile society. More... 3 February 2010: LSC report on impact on disabled learners of recent changes in provisionThe Learning and Skills Council has published the full findings from research commissioned during early 2008 by the LSC and carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies on the impact of any recent changes in provision on adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It found that:
3 February 2010: DH survey of mental health trusts for employment rate baselineThe Department of Health has written to specialist mental health trusts giving early notice of a forthcoming survey to be conducted by the NHS Information Centre on behalf of the Department of Health's mental health division. The survey will collect information regarding the employment and accommodation status of service users on care programme approach. The information will be used to establish a baseline for future monitoring against PSA 16 indicators 149 (employment rates) and 150 (accommodation rates). More... 1 February 2010: Independent reports on promoting health and well-beingA group of independent experts have published their reports on health and well-being, specifically focussing on the prevention of ill health.
29 January 2010: Merlin Standard - latest draft publishedDWP has published the latest draft version of the Merlin standards. It is being introduced in response to concerns about the Code of Conduct in DWP's Commissioning Strategy. Merlin is meant to assess the management of supply chains and maintain positive behaviours and relationships between prime contractors of DWP provisions and their subcontractors. The first phase of the project has involved working with DWP, representative bodies and providers themselves to determine what the criteria of the Merlin standard should be. This has culminated in the publication of the draft Merlin standard. The next stage of pilot activity will involve a trial of first phase assessments of fND Phase 1 prime providers, which is expected to take place from March 2010. More... 28 January 2010: Small firms offered free course in procuring public contractsThe government has launched a free course designed to help smaller firms pitch for the £220 billion of public sector business that is available each year. The course, entitled ‘Winning the Contract’, provides hints on how to find and identify public sector business opportunities, explains the procurement process and demonstrates how to submit tenders. More... 27 January 2010: DWP survey of Workstep pre-employment customersDWP is carrying out a one-off data collection exercise for inclusion with the February management information return of Workstep providers. It asks for a breakdown by duration of the numbers of customers in the WORKSTEP pre-employment phase. More... 25 January 2010: Charity victory for job applicants with mental health problemsA mental health charity is celebrating following the government’s decision to ban employers from asking job applicants about their medical history prior to inviting them for interview. After years of campaigning on the issue, Rethink is delighted that the government has introduced an amendment to the Equality Bill which would stop employers from asking job candidates about their health until after a job offer has been made. More… 25 January 2010: EUSE scholarships available for supported employment staffFollowing on from the success of the first EUSE Scholarship Programme in 2008-2009, the European Union of Supported Employment is delighted to announce the “EUSE Scholarship Programme 2010/2011”. The Scholarship will provide an opportunity for three Supported Employment Practitioners (ie Job Coaches, Employment Support Workers etc) to participate in a study visit to another European State, of their choice. To coincide with the 10th EUSE Conference, one of the scholarship participants may be selected to present their scholarship report at the EUSE Conference in Copenhagen (June 2011). This decision will be based on the participant's Scholarship Report. The application pack and an application form are available on the EUSE website. More... 22 January 2010: Research into multi-area agreements and local strategic partnershipsThis report looks at the negotiation and implementation of the first round of multi-area agreements, focusing on why localities decided to create a partnership, what they hoped to achieve, and the implementation challenges for local partners, Government Offices and central government. More... 22 January 2010: Letter issued to local authorities about supported employmentThe Department of Health has issued a circular to local authorities in England to give them an update on the progress of Valuing Employment Now and to remind them of the need to maintain investment in supported employment services. A toolkit for local authorities will be available shortly. More... 21 January 2010: ESA guidance for local authority staffThe guidance for local authority staff on Employment and Support Allowance has been updated. 21 January 2010: Research into support for ex-offenders and adults facing chronic social exclusionThis report presents findings from a qualitative research project carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies during 2008 and 2009. The central objective of the research was to draw common lessons from three pilot interventions which focused on very hard-to-help individuals, exposed to serious social exclusion. The three pilots were the Next Steps Test Bed Regional Pilots, Exit to Work, and the ACE Pilots. The first two pilots focused on ex-offenders while the third focused on aduilts facing chronic social exclusion. More... 21 January 2010: Guide for mental health commissioners"The Commissioning Friend for Mental Health Services - A guide for health and social care commissioners" is available in hard back and on CD. If you would like some copies please contact Katy Davies. Alternatively, a PDF version is available here and also on the NMHDU website. More... 15 January 2010: Workstep customer survey publishedDWP has published a survey of customers to evaluate their experience of the Workstep programme. The report was produced by the Public Policy Centre at Northumbria University. The first phase of this research was a quantitative survey involving 1,009 participants and the second phase was a series of qualitative interviews involving 98 participants. Key findings from the report are as follows:
13 January 2010: DH publishes summary of autism consultation recommendationsThe Department of Health has published a summary of responses to its consultation on a strategy to support adults with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC). It considered five key themes for delivering change: health, social inclusion, choice and control, awareness raising and access to training and employment. The key priority actions identified around employment and meaningful activity are:
4 January 2010: Consultation on Pathways to Work support for disabled peopleDWP has launched a consultation on the support available through Pathways to Work for disabled customers. They state that their focus is on "moving to a simpler, stronger, more personalised model of support where customers are given support based on need, not what benefit they are on. Our future support should place rights and responsibilities at the heart of the relationship between customer and personal adviser, and it must deliver value for money". They aim to publish proposals on the future of Pathways to Work provision in Spring 2010. The consultation runs until 29 January and is described as an evidence-gathering exercise rather than a formal consultation. More... 4 January 2010: Procurement exercise for residential training and supportDWP is to tender for residential training and support for people with a disability. Currently nine specialist colleges provide residential support through DWP contracts at an annual cost of £18m. A PQQ is expected this spring and an event has been organised for potential bidders on 28 January in Birmingham. DWP are seeking to review the funding model to include outcome payments as well as service fees. They are reported as wanting to improve outcomes and value for money. More… 4 January 2010: Work capability assessment to be reviewedThe Guardian website reports that Ministers are to review the work capability assessment test – a key part of its welfare-to-work programme – after being warned that it was deeply flawed and would lead to many disabled people, and those with genuine health problems, being unfairly penalised. More… |
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