BASE NewsNews items posted before January 2009 can be viewed in our archive pages.29 June 2009: Providers asked to repay fraudulent claimsA reminder of how important it is to monitor and audit financial claims. According to the Observer, A4E and another company have been asked to pay back a total of £63,000 following a DWP investigation into financial claims. More... 29 June 2009: NIACE project on learning and skillsNIACE/LSC/Inclusion Institute Partnership Programme are to lead a series of national projects which will help implement several of the headline actions set out by the LSC Mental Health Strategy – The Way Forward (2009). NIACE is inviting Expressions of Interest from any organisation that is working to support improved access to, and success in, learning and skills for people who experience mental health difficulties by working in partnership with others. More information about the projects and the timescales are in the invitation letter and the list of headline actions. The deadline for submitting an expression of interest is 10 July. More... 26 June 2009: Project Search - proposals invitedThe Office for Disability Issues is inviting proposals from local partnerships to join the programme of 10-12 Project Search sites to take part in a Government evaluation of Project Search. The closing date for receipt of proposals is 30 September 2009. Details of how to submit a proposal can now be found on the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) website. More... 25 June 2009: JCP Pathways figures publishedJobcentre Plus has published a document containing figures on Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work from data up to and including January 2009. More... 24 June 2009: Learning Disability employment strategy publishedThe Government has published its long awaited employment strategy for people with learning disabilities in England. Its aim, by 2025, is to close the gap in employment rates for people with moderate to severe learning disabilities (10%) and the general disability employment rate (48%). The cross-Government strategy aims to encourage a presumption of employability; improve wortk preparation at school and college; move funding over to personal budgets; improve workforce development within supported employment; promote self employment; support employers; make changes to Access to Work and improve data and performance management. A separate delivery plan has been published and this includes key priorities for 2010 and 2011. Regional Learning Disability Partnership Boards will support local action and responsibility will fall on local authorities to meet employment rate targets. There is much emphasis on rolling out Project Search with 12 new trailblazer sites planned. There are some targets for recruitment to the Civil Service. Issues around transport and accommodation are also addressed. In education, the Foundation Learning Tier will embed supported employment models and there is a clear link to apprenticeships. There will be universal access to the new Adult Advancement and Careers Service and skills accounts. Government is planning to introduce minimum quality standards by the end of 2009 and will work with the Sector Skills Councils to develop workforce qualifications. Learning disability qualifications will include knowledge and skills around employment. There is a renewed focus on systematic training. A key feature is the expectation that support will be funded through personal budgets. Government is currently consulting on the Right to Control initiative. It is expected that funds will also be available through day service modernisation and the transfer of 16-25 education funding to local authorities next year. BASE welcomes the strategy which signals a commitment to improving employment rates. However, it appears that the strategy was developed with disappointingly little engagement with the supported employment sector. The workforce is unilaterally described as "job coaches". Vocational profiling has become "discovery" and the terminology frequently shifts between supported employment and customised employment showing a heavy USA influence which doesn't take into account the different legislative circumstances. The lack of involvement is reflected by the absence of current examples of best practice within Britain. BASE looks forward to working more closely with Government on the implementation of the strategy. More... 23 June 2009: DWP to publish monthly programme performance tablesDWP has stated that it will be publishing monthly tables containing programme performance statistics from later this year. They have recently released cumulative performance figures up to the end of February 2009. This shows the Workstep programme achieveing 139% of its jobs target. Provider-led Pathways hit 30% of its job target and Work Preparation just 17%. More... 22 June 2009: Office for Disability Issues appoints new DirectorTim Cooper has been appointed as the Office for Disability Issues’ new director. He has worked and volunteered in a range of disability roles over the past 25 years. He will take up his new post in September and replaces Acting Director Stephen Martin. The Office for Disability Issues was set up in December 2005 to work towards equality for disabled people. It works with all government departments to help them understand and meet the needs and aspirations of disabled people. More... 22 June 2009: West Sussex tenders for vocational supportWest Sussex PCT is looking to contract for a Vocational Specialist Service for people of working age with severe and enduring mental health problems. The service will deliver evidence based vocational support (the Individual Placement and Support approach), and will be independent of, but embedded within, community mental health services across West Sussex. The service will work directly with clients as part of the care planning process, addressing vocational needs and ensuring that vocational goals are given a higher priority. Details of the tender are now available on the Supply2Health website. More... 19 June 2009: Funding Central launched for Third SectorThe National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) & The Office for the Third Sector (OTS) have launched Funding Central (www.fundingcentral.org.uk), a new free website for comprehensive information about national, local and regional government funding, national, local or regional charitable funding, and EU funding. Funding Central is for the whole voluntary and community sector, including social enterprises, and will have relevant and up to date information on all funding opportunities aimed at helping voluntary and community organisations easily identify relevant funding streams. More... 16 June 2009: Research in to customer experience of condition management programmeThis DWP report presents findings from qualitative research to explore the views and experiences of 30 participants in the condition management programme. More... 16 June 2009: Monitoring the Impact of the Recession on Demographic GroupsThis report from the Department for Work and Pensions and Equality and Human Rights Commission considers the impact of the recession across demographic groups of age, gender, race and disability. It also explores how the recession is affecting the lowest qualified and most deprived in society. More... 12 June 2009: Health and safety guidance to be made free onlineThe Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that it is to give away its guides on workplace safety for free as from the autumn. HSE has decided to make over £1 million worth of their current paid for publications freely available via their website. From September 2009, around 250 publications that contain health and safety advice and guidance will be posted on the HSE website in PDF format to view and to print. The publications cover the full range of HSE’s guidance as well as detailed information on associated codes of practice and safety regulations. HSE said it was making the information available to help employers better understand their legal duties and what health and safety precautions they need to take. More... 11 June 2009: Consultation on Right to ControlThe Office for Disability Issues (ODI) has launched a consultation to ask disabled people how to make choice and control a reality in their lives. The consultation, launched on 11 June, invites stakeholders to about the best way to deliver the Right to Control. The ODI encourages responses from disabled people, their organisations, public bodies, commissioners and service providers. BASE will be responding and we're seeking views of our members for this. See our consultation page for more details. The consultation runs from 11 June – 30 September 2009. Consultation events are being held for local authorities in Solihull on 14 July and in London on 15 July. An event for disabled people and their organisations will take place in Liverpool on 9 July. More... 8 June 2009: Tender for services in BromleyThe Adult and Community Services Department of the London Borough of Bromley are tendering for a high quality supported employment service for adults with a learning disability aged 19 years and over. The purpose of which is the development of a number of community-based employment and training projects offering full and part time work alongside voluntary opportunities which can increase individuals skills levels with a view to moving on to permanent paid employment. The Council wish to invite expressions of interest from providers who are experienced in the provision of such services. The contract will commence from December 2009 for a period of five years with an option to extend for up to a further two years. It is Bromley's initial understanding that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 will apply, therefore they are seeking organisations with experience of managing staff transfer. Organisations interested in providing such services should contact Andrew Royle (Procurement Manager) at Adult and Community Services, London Borough of Bromley, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley, Kent BR1 3UH, by phone on 020 8461 7601 or by email at Andrew.royle@bromley.gov.uk. The deadline for return of tenders is 4pm, Wednesday 5th August 2009. 8 June 2009: UK ratifies human rights treaty for disabled peopleThe UK has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that enshrines the human rights of disabled people, Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People has announced. The Convention is designed to promote, protect and ensure the human rights, freedom and dignity of disabled people. It explicitly sets out the rights that disabled people have and should be able to enjoy on the same basis as other people – for example, the right to dignity, freedom, equality and justice. It also provides direction on how human rights should be interpreted from the perspective of disabled people all over the world. 8 June 2009: Yvette Cooper named as new DWP ministerYvette Cooper has been named as the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions following James Purnell's resignation. Tony McNulty is replaced by Jim Knight as Minister for Employment. Elsewhere in the reshuffle, Andy Burnham has replaced Alan Johnson as Secretary of State for Health. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has merged with BERR to form a new department, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, led by Lord Mandelson. Tessa Jowell takes over from Liam Byrne at the Cabinet office while Angela Smith replaces Kevin Brennan as Minister for the Third Sector. More... 5 June 2009: Changes to DWP's Financial Appraisal and Monitoring (FAM) of Contracted Employment ProgrammesDWP has set out the changes that are being made to the Financial Appraisal and Monitoring (FAM) function and a timetable for delivery. The purpose of the FAM function is to provide an assurance to the Departmental Accounting Officer that payments made to Contracted Employment Programme (CEP) providers are in accordance with DWP requirements, public funds are protected and that value for money has been obtained. The new CEP assurance function will operate at a national level and each provider will have a nominated Senior Assurance Manager going forward and therefore a single point of contact within DWP. The scope of the activities will be redefined to provide added assurance of value for money in CEP contracts. Line management responsibility will move from JCP Finance to the Employment Group’s Delivery Directorate, offering a more direct route for escalation of issues and feedback of assurances. The new system will be operational by 1 October 2009. More... 2 June 2009: Online application for Modernisation Fund grants openFrom 1st June to 17th July, third sector organisations with an annual turnover of between £150,000 and £750,000 are invited to apply online for a £1,000 bursary from the Government’s Real Help for Communities Modernisation Fund Grants Programme which is being delivered by Capacitybuilders. The £1,000 bursaries will allow organisations to buy at least two days of advice and support to explore how they can become more resilient and work more closely with others, including through collaboration or merger. From the Autumn, £10,000 grants will be available to help organisations which have gone through Phase One of the programme and would like to take further significant steps towards collaboration or merger. More... 28 May 2009: Government unveils new "Fit Note"The Department of Health has unveiled a new medical ‘fit note’ to replace the current ‘sick note’ and help more people stay in work rather than drift into long term sickness. A twelve week consultation is being held on its design. The new ‘fit note’ will enable people to get the best possible advice about staying in work, and if they can’t work what their employer can do to help them return to work sooner. Read the consultation document... 22 May 2009: European money not claimed by GovernmentThe Government prevented the creation of around 10,000 jobs when it refused to extend the deadline for regions to apply for £630m of EU funding say the Liberal Democrats. The report in Yes Minister says that the EU offered to extend the deadline for regional bodies to apply for money from the European Regional Development Fund, but the Government failed to take up the offer. Both the Scottish and Welsh Governments accepted the extension of the applications period and will be eligible for funding that could create and sustain thousands of new jobs. The Lib Dem Shadow Local Government Secretary Julia Goldsworthy MP said the "decision to turn down hundreds of millions of pounds is short-sighted and foolish, especially during a recession." Source: Yes Minister 22 May 2009: Seminar about bidding to the Future Jobs FundThe Office of the Third Sector is hosting an information seminar in central London (2nd June) for third sector organisations that are interested in bidding to the Future Jobs Fund. Advice and guidance will be provided about the bidding process and other support that may be available for bidders. All bids submitted by 30 June 2009 will be considered for the first allocations of funding to enable the first jobs to begin in October or earlier. To reserve a place email your name, organisation and special requirements to Lara Rose by Thursday 28th May. 21 May 2009: Ofsted responds to consultation on common inspection frameworkThis evaluation report summarises the responses to the consultation on the proposals for college, work-based learning and next step inspections from September 2009. Ofsted undertook a wide-ranging consultation on the proposals for new inspection arrangements for the further education and skills system. The consultation included the publication of a consultation document and a formal three-month online consultation process. More... 20 May 2009: DWP request for information from providersDWP is writing to all providers of Workstep and Work Preparation asking for specific information on staffing numbers across each of the new contract package areas. The questionnaire is designed to get information for TUPE purposes. Workstep providers are also being asked for details of any financial arrangements with employers. BASE encourages all providers to complete these forms on time and to carefully consider who might be covered by TUPE regulations. The information is to be returned to DWP by 4 June. More... Meanwhile, BASE has requested details about the renegotiation of contract numbers. We've written to DWP to request a list of contract numbers at 1 April and a list of the target contract numbers currently being renegotiated. 15 May 2009: LSC to withdraw funding from poor performersThe LSC has been asked to take a robust approach to withdrawing funding from poorly performing providers and colleges. In addition, the Minister has called for more innovation and said that the LSC should be mindful of the need to prioritise private sector training needs as businesses emerge from the downturn. John Denham, the Secretary of State for Innovation Universities and Skills, has written to Chris Banks Chair of the Learning and Skills Council explaining that "...in view of the projected slower rate of growth of public spending, it was important that efficiency savings reflected a long term view of the efficient delivery of further education and skills". 14 May 2009: Caps to be imposed on training fundingThe amount of government money that goes into funding apprenticeships and training schemes is to be limited following the unprecedented level of take-up among employers. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is currently in discussion with training providers over the present scale of public funding but it has said that the huge demand from employers for help in improving workplace skills has meant that caps have to be imposed on how much money is available. In a letter to training providers, the LSC wrote that the increases in demand for training were very encouraging, particularly at a time of economic downturn, but added that “left unchecked, Train to Gain and 25 Apprenticeship activity will exceed the budget allocations we have available in the 2009-10 financial year and create further pressures in the 2009/10 academic year and beyond”. 13 May 2009: Social enterprise has key role in Future Jobs FundSocial enterprises must play their part in tackling the economic downturn by creating at least 15,000 new jobs for the unemployed, funded by the Government's £1bn Future Jobs Fund, according to Hazel Blears and James Purnell. The Future Jobs Fund aims to create 150,000 jobs between now and 2011. The Future Jobs Fund is open for bids from today following the publication of the bidding criteria. Social enterprises should work closely with councils and other partners to develop bids. More... 13 May 2009: Government responds to Houghton ReviewThe Government has responded to Councillor Houghton's Tackling Worklessness Review published on 2 March 2009. The response sets out the basis for a stronger partnership between central and local government; a framework for sub-regional and local partnerships to demonstrate where they are ready and able to go further; and a framework to take forward future devolution on a something for something approach. More... 13 May 2009: DIUS guide to skills for employersThe Department for UInnovation, Universities and Skills has provided information for employers about the new adult skills funding agency, which will underpin the move to a flexible and responsive demand-led system and facilitate delivery of the Government's 2020 skills ambitions. It's a useful introduction to the changes. More... 13 May 2009: DCFS survey of parental experience of disability servicesThe Department for Children, Families and Schools has published a document that sets out the findings from a survey of parents of disabled children that measured parental experience of services. It provides a baseline for the national performance indicator for the public service agreement on child health and well-being and as such is particularly useful for those authorities that chose National Indicator 54. More... 13 May 2009: Finance guarantee scheme extends lending to social enterprisesBusiness Secretary Lord Mandelson has announced changes to the Government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme to help improve lending to businesses and social enterprises in disadvantaged areas. The changes will provide extra support to Community Development Finance Institutions by allowing them to access bank loans, worth up to £20m, through the EFG scheme. Unity Trust Bank, in response to this change, also announced today that it is making an additional £5m available for onward lending by CDFIs. More... 12 May 2009: Office for Third Sector project on measuring social return on investmentThe Office of the Third Sector (OTS) will be running a new project on Social Return on Investment (SROI) to be taken forward over 2008-2011. The Measuring Social Value project will be run by a consortium led by SROI UK, with New Philanthropy Capital, New Economics Foundation, Charities Evaluation Service and National Council of Voluntary Organisations as members. As part of the project, a new guide for Social Return on Investment (SROI) has been launched at the government’s Social Enterprise Summit. The guide will help third sector organisations articulate the added social and environmental value they create and also help underpin the thinking of commissioners and investors in a standardised way that is easy for all to understand. More... 8 May 2009: LSC publishes revised mental health strategyThe Learning and Skills Council has launched its refreshed Mental Health Strategy - The Way Forward. The strategy builds on the work achieved through the LSC Mental Health Strategy - Improving Services for People with Mental Health Difficulties (LSC, 2006), and aims to safeguard the interests of this group of learners as responsibility moves from the LSC to the new Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Young Peoples' Learning Agency (YPLA). The strategy sets out the vision until 2015 that people who experience mental health difficulties should, by accessing learning and skills provision, be able to lead active and fulfilling lives as part of their communities and in education, training and employment, in a way that sustains mental wellbeing. More... 30 April 2009: Notes of IDEAS subgroup publishedDetails from the second DWP Provision Forum Sub Group that took place on 21st April 2009 have now been published on the Supplying DWP website. The notes include a discussion paper on transition issues. More... 30 April 2009: Government consults on new autism strategyThe Department of Health has launched a consultation exercise as it prepares its first national strategy for adults with autism. The strategy, due to be published at the end of the year, will apply to England only and will cover five areas: health, social inclusion, employment, choice and control, and training. Further background information is available at the National Autistic Society website. The consultation runs from 29 April 2009 to 15 September 2009. More... 28 April 2009: Shaw Trust and Employment Opps to mergeShaw Trust and Employment Opportunities have made a decision to merge their organisations with effect from 1 May 2009. More... 27 April 2009: Q&A available for disability provision tenderDWP have published the questions and answers log related to the tender of the specialist disability employment provision. All queries to DWP are published on this log and it should be updated regularly. More... 23 April 2009: Budget support for young unemployedThe Budget included an announcement of an extra £3.1bn to help people looking for work. This includes a guaranteed offer of work or training to every 18-24 year old in Britain at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. More than £1bn will be invested in young people, and others at disadvantage in the labour market. The Government will fund 250,000 jobs in the public and private sector, including 150,000 new jobs created through the Future Jobs Fund. The Fund will enable local authorities and third sector groups to submit innovative bids for jobs that will make Britain a better place and improve their local community. From next week work will begin with councils and voluntary groups to develop new jobs through the Future Jobs Fund and, by January next year, it is hoped that every 18 to 24 year old who is approaching 12 months unemployment or more will be guaranteed a new job, training or paid work experience place. More... 20 April 2009: DWP info available following disability provision PQQ eventsFollowing the five PQQ events for the new specialist disability employment provision conducted from Tuesday 31st March to Wednesday 8th April, DWP are now able to share details as outlined at the events. The questions and answers log is currently being finalised and will be published shortly. In the meantime a full delegate list for each event and copies of the event slides can be accessed on the DWP website. DWP is looking to facilitate networking opportunities between potential Prime and Sub-Contractors, including Third Sector and smaller organisations, by creating a Networking Database for its Specialist Disability Employment Programme (SDEP). More... 14 April 2009: New strategy for mental health and wellbeingThe Department of Health has announced a new strategy to promote mental health and wellbeing. New Horizons will build on the national service framework for mental health which comes to an end this year. Minister, Phil Hope, and Louis Appleby, the National Director for Mental Health, will attend l;istening events around Englandto seek views on what the strategy should contain. More... 6 April 2009: Golden Hello comes into forceFrom today businesses will be able to take advantage of up to £2500 recruitment and ‘on the job’ training subsidies, as an incentive to take on people who’ve been looking for work for six months or more. The subsidy is worth £1000 and the company can, depending on location, access up to £1500 worth of in-work training. The recruitment and training subsidy, or ‘golden hello’, is part of a package of measures announced by the Prime Minister in January, designed to give even more support to people who’ve been claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for six months. More... 2 April 2009: Autism guidance published for commissionersThe DEpartment of Health has issued a good practice guidance note about autism services to commissisoners within primary care trusts and local authorities. It focuses on transition planning, understanding local population needs and service planning. More... 30 March 2009: IDEAS PQQ publishedThe Department for Work and Pensions is offering organisations the opportunity to compete, through an open and competitive two stage tendering process, for the delivery of Specialist Disability Employment Programme (SDEP) provision across 28 contract areas covering the whole of Britain. The contract period for package areas SDEP1 to SDEP28 will be from October 2010 to October 2015, with the opportunity to extend for a further 24 months. The competition will be a two-stage process, including a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) and invitation to tender (ITT). Completed PQQs must be returned to DWP by noon on 18 May. More... 26 March 2009: Flexible working rights go to extra 4.5 millionMore than 10 million people will have the right to request flexible working from April 6th. Six million parents and carers already have the right to request flexible working from their employers, with another 4.5 million now gaining the right with its extension to parents of children aged 16 and under. More... 26 March 2009: NICE guidance on managing long term sicknessNICE’s Public Health Programme Guidance on Management of long-term sickness and incapacity for work has been published. This guidance is for all those who manage long-term (or recurring short- or long-term) sickness absence and incapacity, including employers and people working in the NHS. It will also be of interest to workplace representatives and trades unions, employees and those receiving incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance (ESA). More... 25 March 2009: Fit for Work Service - partnership informationInformation has been published about the type of partnerships that are eligible to bid to provide Fit for Work Services (FFWS). Eligible Partnerships are collections of public sector organisations that together can apply to host a FFWS Pilot in their area (the definition of Eligible Partnership is set out on the website). These Partnerships will be responsible for the development and delivery of FFWS Pilots in their areas and for procuring new services or re-configuring existing services that they want to include in the FFWS in their area. More... 23 March 2009: LSC Chief Executive resignsMark Haysom has stepped down as Chief Executive of the LSC, after five and a half years in the role. It follows difficulties with the LSC's Further Education capital programme. Geoff Russell, formerly of KPMG, has been appointed as Acting Chief Executive. More... 19 March 2009: DLA change of mindThe Government has agreed to fund the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance for 20,000 severely visually impaired people. RNIB have run a longstanding campaign to get the entitlement. More... 19 March 2009: Organisations run by people with disabilities receive £1.1m boostMore than £1 million will help disabled groups run their own organisations and help people to live full and independent lives. 25 user-led organisations will have access to a £1 million pot as part of the Action and Learning Sites programme. A further £100,000 will be shared across the North West, South East and Eastern regions to help local authorities understand and work better with these organisations. More... 17 March 2009: New agency for mental health improvement in EnglandThe National Mental Health Development Unit is to succeed the current National Institute for Mental Health in England. The new agency will support the implementation of national mental health policies and will start work on 1 April. The change follows a review of mental health service delivery, taking into account Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review and the need for more personalised services. From April, the ten strategic health authorities will oversee much of the regional and local delivery of new mental health policies, with support from the new Development Unit. More... 17 March 2009: Additional Access to Work funds announcedAn additional £8 million to help disabled people remain in work will be made available this year through the Access to Work programme. The extra funding is part of the commitment to doubling the budget from £69m to £138m by 2013/14. More... 17 March 2009: Report into commissioning of learning disability servicesThe Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC), have published a joint report reviewing how councils and PCTs commission services on behalf of people with a learning disability. The watchdogs conducted the review following a series of reports over the past decade that point to poor care for people with a learning disability, particularly those with complex needs. This is the first review to focus specifically on how councils and PCTs commission services. The review focused on nine local authority areas in England, which were chosen to be representative of areas across the country. The watchdogs believe the findings are relevant to all organisations that commission or provide care for people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Local councils and primary care trusts (PCTs) need to plan better for the needs of people with a learning disability and complex needs to ensure care is accessible, personalised and allows service users to lead as full and independent lives as possible. The watchdogs said that while improvements have been made to the way services are commissioned, the pace of change was "too slow" and "uneven". More... 16 March 2009: NOMS tender details for working with offendersThe National Offender Management Service has placed a tendering exercise in Supply2.gov.uk (Reference: S2G09031383925/01) for the “Provision of Services to improve the employment prospects of offenders through NOMS ESF co-funding programme 2009-2011”. After logging in, please use the quick search under choose the contract search option. A copy of the Notice, despatched on 13/03/09, is attached for more information. An e-tendering method will be used and you will need to download the PQQ document from the bravosolution website by 30/03/09, complete and upload it by 12.00 noon. (the PQQ and supporting document is available for downloading). Also you will find the slides presented and supporting documentation issued at briefing and consultation conferences. Those suppliers who wish to express an interest should log on to www.homeoffice.bravosolution.com, sign up as a supplier and view PQQ's open to all suppliers to view PQQ pqq_28790 where the documents are held. Suppliers will be required to submit a PQQ for evaluation where the successful applicants will be invited to tender. If you are successful at the PQQ stage, you will be invited to download the ITT documents, complete and upload again. 13 March 2009: Further parliamentary questionsThree further parliamentary questions have been asked about IDEAS and Workstep.
13 March 2009: NSIP legacy document publishedThe National Social Inclusion Programme closes down at the end of the month. CSIP also slips quietly away and most of its work will be taken up by strategic health authorities and the Deputy Regional Directors for Social Care. To mark the occasion, NSIP has published its ‘Vision and Progress’ report, setting out the programme’s work since the Social Exclusion Unit’s 2004 publication ‘Mental Health and Social Exclusion’. It reviews the progress made over the last four years at national, regional and local level across the statutory and non-statutory sectors in promoting the social inclusion agenda for people with mental health problems. The report also provides an assessment of the remaining and continuing challenges that need to be addressed for improved outcomes for people with mental health problems. More... 12 March 2009: ESF tender for offender supportThe National Offender Management Service is tendering a programme of employment support for offenders. The PQQ process will go through the Bravo Solutions website and is on a regional prime provider basis. Members may wish to seek subcontracting opportunities. An email will be issued to members shortly giving further details. 12 March 2009: IDEAS PQQ events confirmedThe pre-qualification questionnaire events for the IDEAS programme have now been confirmed. Full details will be on the DWP website by the end of the week. The events take place at Edinburgh (31 March); Leeds (1 April); Manchester (3 April); Cardiff (7 April) and London (8 April). 9 March 2009: DIUS document on Skills for LifeThe Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has published a document outlining their commitment to the Skills for Life strategy. The document confirms their aim that, by 2011, delivery of the majority of Skills for Life provision will include performance incentives for providers based on employment outcomes. More... 9 March 2009: Ofsted produces updated inspection overviewOfsted has reviewed its practices and produced a document, Ofsted Inspects, to promote improvement in the services they inspect, improve engagement with providers and users, provide greater consistency and target inspection resources where they will have the greatest impact. It draws on best practice from across Ofsted and sets out the principles of inspection and regulation and the overarching arrangements for all Ofsted inspections including the judgements that inspectors will make. More... 6 March 2009: Differential pricing: Review of international evidenceThis report by Dan Finn reviews international experience of the use of differential payments in job outcome performance-based contracting for employment programmes. The report reviews detailed evidence from countries that have made most extensive use of performance-based contracting, with case studies of Australia, the Netherlands, the USA and Great Britain. It assesses how the hardest to help were identified and variations in the use of differential payments and considered available evidence on impacts and how such systems sought to reduce 'creaming' and 'parking'. The report considers the policy implications of the case study findings and of other payment models that have been proposed, such as a 'target accelerator'. Whilst there is no simple model that DWP could import, the report suggests ways in which the pricing and contracting system may be used to encourage providers to work with higher risk, higher cost participants. More... 6 March 2009: Being Mindful training coursesMindful Employer have developed three mental health awareness training sessions. Being Mindful Managers focuses on particular issues for those with staff management responsibilities; Being Mindful Staff is aimed at employees who serve and assist customers; and Being Mindful Workplaces is a session which concentrates on how to develop mentally healthy workplaces. More... 5 March 2009: Select Committee publishes report on DWP commissioning strategyThe Work and Pensions Select Committee has published its report into the DWP Commissioning Strategy. The report largely focuses on flexible New Deal. While the committee generally welcomed the "black box" approach and longer contracts, it expressed concern about the potential impact on local specialist providers. More... 5 March 2009: Distance travelled - report publishedDWP has published the report into development of a tool for measuring distance travelled by participants of the Workstep programme. The tool is being developed by Northumbria University and a number of BASE members have taken part in piloting it. More... 4 March 2009: £1.8 million lottery funding for disability supportOver £1.8 million is to be invested in supporting the infrastructure of disability organisations across the UK. Five different organisations are set to share in the cash injection from Big Lottery Fund’s BASIS (Building and Sustaining Infrastructure Support) programme. A total of 119 projects across England now receive £50 million to support third sector infrastructure either on a national or local level. More... 4 March 2009: Opportunities to tender announcedDWP are seeking tenders for a range of provision including ESF phase 2, and in-work support in Tees Valley and Tyne & Wear. More... 3 March 2009: Disability benefits feasibility studyThe Department for Work and Pensions is considering how to study the impact of disability benefits in more depth. The Department has commissioned a feasibility study to summarise the questions and assess alternative research approaches with a view to launching more detailed investigations. Disability benefits have enjoyed bilateral political support but, apparently, little is known about the impact of these benefits. More... 3 March 2009: Mark Harper tables parliamentary questions on IDEASShadow Minister for Disabled People, Mark Harper MP, has tabled a couple of parliamentary questions regarding the IDEAS programme. They are:
2 March 2009: Houghton review launchedCllr Stephen Houghton's review into the role of local authorities in tackling worklessness has been published and was launched at an event at the Local Government Association. The report contains a number of recommendations including a requirement for local authorities to undertake worklessness assessments and the freedom to publish Work and Skills Plans. The report argues that integrated work and skills budgets should be made available and a challenge fund established to support deprived areas. Employment Minister Tony McNulty has announced £3 million to kick start preparations for such changes and closer collaboration between central and local Government. They will set up a new national forum is to be established to bring together Government departments, councils and other local organisations to support the implementation of Cllr Houghton's recommendations and to challenge Government where barriers exist to councils helping local unemployed people back into work. More... 25 February 2009: HSE revamps stress websiteThe Health and Safety Executive’s work-related stress website has been relaunched. As well as advice and guidance on managing stress at work, the site now provides access to the brand new self assessment tool for line managers to test their stress management skills. HSE’s stress pages provide a one-stop source of advice and guidance on managing stress at work, offering tailored information for different roles within an organisation - including directors, HR managers, line managers and individuals. A brand new self-assessment tool for line managers to test their stress management skills is also available. More... 24 February 2009: Call for evidence for learning disability employment strategyThe Social Exclusion Task Force, in partnership with the Department of Health, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Office for Disability Issues are issuing a short Call for Evidence to inform the Learning Disability Employment Strategy, which will be published in Spring this year. If you have comments, you can complete the form on their website and return it to LDEmploymentStrategy@dh.gsi.gov.uk by Wednesday 11 March 2009. More... 24 February 2009: IDEAS subgroup notes publishedThe first meeting of the IDEAS subgroup took place on 17 February. BASE was represented by Huw Davies. The notes are available on the DWP website as a note to providers. The next meeting is scheduled for April. More... 23 February 2009: Government response on the Social FundIt summarises the responses to a consultation on proposals to improve the help given to families. "The Social Fund: A new approach" invited views on a range of proposals to improve the help given give to people at a time when many families are struggling. The document contains some proposals for a way forward such as a single loans scheme, possibly contracted out, and access to crisis loans for those in employment. Further consultation is expected. More... 23 February 2009: New mental health guide for employersThe Great Place to Work Institute has produced a guide about mental health in the workplace. Beyond Stress: A Guide to Mental Health & Workplace Wellbeing focuses on the importance of recognising and addressing the wide range of mental health issues that can occur in the workplace and includes case studies and suggestions for an employer's action plan. More... 20 February 2009: DWP publishes lessons from Flexible New Deal procurementDWP have published a document that contains recommendations following a review of the procurement of Flexible New Deal. The recommendations cover a wide range of issues from PQQs and stakeholder enagement through to the criteria for shortlisting preferred providers, the Code of Conduct and support for SPVs. It looks like business as usual using the Commissioning Strategy that has come under heavy criticism recently. More... 19 February 2009: Fit For Work Service workshop dates announcedThe dates and venues for the Fit For Work Service workshops have been announced and are as follows:
An outline agenda for all three workshops is available to download from the FFWS webpage. To register for a workshop please download the Workshop Registration Form (March 2009) from the webpage and follow the instructions on that form. More... 19 February 2009: DWP publishes research into differential pricingNot a glamorous topic but an essential one as this report reviews international experience of the use of differential payments in job outcome performance-based contracting for employment programmes. It considers the policy implications of the case study findings and of other payment models that have been proposed. Government has been considering the use of "accelerated payments" as a way of encouraging contracted providers to work with those customers who need more costly support and is exploring ways of discouraging the creaming (cherry-picking) and parking of such customers. More... 18 February 2009: Sainsbury Centre issues briefing on individual placement and supportPeople with severe mental health problems are much more likely to get and keep jobs if services use the most effective methods of supporting them into employment, according to a briefing paper published by Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Doing What Works says that Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is by far the most effective way of helping people with severe and enduring mental health problems to gain and retain the jobs they want. But it is only effective if all seven of its key principles are in place. More... 18 February 2009: 66,000 jobseekers to benefit from European funding£79m of European Social Fund money has been allocated to assist jobseekers to access more specialised support from private providers. The extra money, first announced in December, will go to help around 66,000 of those jobseekers who have significant barriers to getting back into work, and need extra support to find a new job. The additional European Social Fund money will be delivered by extending Welfare to Work contracts as well as through new contracts. Existing contracts will be extended from the end of the month, with new contracts expected to be in place from the end of this year. More... 18 February 2009: Mental Health - new social inclusion outcomes frameworkThe National Social Inclusion Programme (NSIP) has produced a new outcomes framework for mental health that includes a range of performance indicators including some aroun d employment. More... 17 February 2009: Over 100,000 people helped back to work through LEPsMinister for Employment Tony McNulty has announced that over 100,000 people have been helped back into work through Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs). The LEP initiative, launched in March 2007, encourages employers to work in partnership with Government to help people who are often overlooked in the jobs market. The 100,000 milestone was reached more than two months ahead of schedule. More... 16 February 2009: Fit for Work seminarsThe Fit for Work services envisaged by the Government paper, Improving Health and Work, are to be piloted shortly. They will aim to support people to stay in or return to work more quickly when they develop a health condition or impairment and the Government has committed to help support local areas develop Fit for Work Services and to robustly evaluate them, in a programme of piloting lasting until at least 2011. DH is to announce 3 workshops in England, Wales and Scotland in late March and we'll bring you details when we get them. More... 15 February 2009: Freud defects to ConservativesIt has been reported that David Freud has resigned as an advisor to Government on welfare reform and will join the Conservatives. A peerage would allow him to sit as a shadow welfare minister. Freud is seen as the architect of the Government's controversial welfare to work policies that have included the introduction of private sector providers. The former investment banker is reported to have handed in his resignation to James Purnell yesterday. Interestingly, the Conservatives are proposing the reintroduction of jobclubs.More... 13 February 2009: DWP events to brief potential providers on tender opportunitiesThe Department for Work and Pensions has announced a series of seminars for potential welfare to work providers to learn more about upcoming contract opportunities. Their statement points out a range of new contracting plans that include IDEAS; flexible New Deal phase 2; Progress to Work; AME/DEL pilots, "work for your benefit" pilots and multi-client pilots. Places can be booked by emailing opportunities.4providers@dwp.gsi.gov.uk with your name, organisation, the event you would like to attend. The events are at:
13 February 2009: Presentations available from York learning disability eventThe Social Exclusion Task Force has published the presentations from the learning disability events in London (28 November 2008) and York (28 January 2009). The events were designed to support and encourage local areas to employ adults with learning disabilities (national indicator 146). The presentations are on the Socially Excluded Adults community of practice forum and you need to register to view them. More... 11 February 2009: Social enterprise to be "at the heart of the new economy"Liam Byrne, Minister for the Cabinet Office, has predicted a new era of influence for social enterprises as he announced steps to harness the sector to help Britain get through the economic downturn. In a speech to the Voice 09 social enterprise conference in Birmingham, Liam Byrne said the British public would be more open to the ideas and ethos of social enterprise given the anger with banking leaders. He announced that measures designed to aid aggressive growth in the social enterprise sector will be drawn up at a Social Enterprise Summit co-hosted with Business Secretary Lord Mandelson. The summit will identify how Government can support social enterprises to grow and play an even bigger part of the new British economy. There will be a drive to create 25,000 jobs in social enterprises by expanding their role in providing public services. To support this, Liam Byrne revealed that he will personally review the pipeline of public service contracts together with others, to get "deal blockers" out of the way. More... 11 February 2009: Health checks for people with learning disabilitiesThe Department of Health has written to Primary Care Trusts asking them to undertake the preparatory work needed to allow health checks to begin for people with learning disabilities. Directions now require PCTs to offer GP practices in their area the opportunity to provide Directed Enhanced Services, including these health checks. More... 11 February 2009: £1 million package for third sector recession supportCapacitybuilders has confirmed the details of a £1 million immediate response to the economic downturn to help ensure frontline groups get the support they need. The funding aims to enable local support providers to gear up to help frontline organisations be more resilient; represent the third sector on local partnerships as they respond to the recession; and up-skill development workers and advisors to adapt to the changing needs of frontline organisations. £300,000 will get additional national projects underway now. These include transferring skills into the third sector; practical advice to help organisations work together; and signposting to resources for organisational resilience. More... 11 February 2009: DWP quarterly statistical summaryDWP have published their latest quarterly statistical summary. It covers key benefit claimant numbers and New Deal statistics. More... 11 February 2009: New format for Comprehensive Area AssessmentsDCLG have set out a new format for ensuring councils and other local services are held to account jointly, encouraging closer cooperation between them and better outcomes for local people. The new Comprehensive Area Assessment, or CAA, will be a tougher test for councils, focusing on outcomes, how well local organisations work together to achieve them while also continuing to report on value for money. The focus will be on the needs and priorities of individual areas rather than a one-size-fits-all, process based approach. More... 10 February 2009: CSCI calls for social care providers to address equality issuesThe CSCI has said that disabled people should receive services from care providers that enable them to participate in society on an equal basis to others. The third of its three equality bulletins, Achieving disability equality in social care services, aims to help care providers address the new agenda for adult social care set out in the joint protocol, Putting People First. The bulletin’s findings are based on a range of evidence including 400 self-assessment forms sent to CSCI by social care providers and a survey completed by 307 disabled people. The bulletin states that equality for disabled people will only be achieved if providers focus on the barriers that disabled people face. However, only one in three services reported they had taken specific action to address disability equality issues. More... 10 February 2009: The big job hunt (Dispatches, Monday 16 February - Channel 4 at 8:00pm)Four months after leaving his post as Minister of Trade, Lord Digby Jones examines how the government is tackling the unemployment crisis. He analyses each of Gordon Brown's pledges to help people back into work and training, to see whether the system for handling the newly unemployed is working. Travelling across the UK, Lord Jones meets people who have recently lost their jobs in construction, car-manufacturing, retail, IT and property development, to find out whether the government measures are helping them back into work. And Dispatches reveals exclusive research on the nature of job vacancies available and examines just how successful Job Centres are at placing people in work. 6 February 2009: New guidance on commissioning IAPTTher Department of Health have published a document to assist commissioners (including practice-based commissioners), in delivering improving access to psychological therapies services that are effective and appropriate for the whole community. More... 6 February 2009: NAO publishes report on building capacity in the third sectorThe National Audit Office (NAO) has published a value for money report on Capacity Building in the Third Sector. More... 6 February 2009: New Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning BillThe ASCL Bill provides the first complete overhaul of apprenticeships legislation for nearly 200 years. The new legislation will put apprenticeships on a statutory basis, establish the entitlement to an apprenticeship place for every suitably qualified young person who wants one and aims to ensure a good quality apprenticeship for apprentices and employers alike. More... 4 February 2009: Increase in minimum redundancy payEmployers are being reminded of increases to the amount of an employee's weekly earnings that count towards statutory redundancy pay. As from 1 February, the amount has risen from £330 to £350. Also taking effect from 1 February are changes to the basic and compensatory awards for unfair dismissal. More... 3 February 2009: Government signs up to the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled PeopleThe UK Government has committed to signing the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People. The Convention itself reaffirms that disabled people have - and should be able to enjoy - their human rights on an equal basis with non-disabled people. The Optional Protocol builds on this by establishing two additional procedures in respect of implementation and monitoring of the Convention. This includes an avenue that will enable individuals, who feel their rights have been breached, to bring petitions to the UN Committee, set up to monitor implementation of the Convention. More... 2 February 2009: Flexible New Deal bidders asked to resubmit tendersDWP has asked shortlisted bidders for Flexible New Deal to resubmit tenders as the predicted volumes for October 2009 could possibly be up 300% on those originally stated in the ITT. The tender process has been paused and bidders will meet with DWP on 6 February to discuss the implications. More... 2 February 2009: Further consultation on implementation of Gregg ReviewDWP have published a discussion paper that sets out further detail about how the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the Gregg Review on personalised conditionality and support. The paper outlines DWP's thinking on the design of the ‘Progression to Work’ approach and how it will be tested out. The "progression to work" approach is where claimants actively engage with their adviser on an ongoing basis; consider, discuss and agree an action plan comprising activities they think will improve their prospects of moving back into work; and undertake these agreed activities as part of their own journey towards employment. More... 30 January 2009: Pathways providers losing money on contractsPathways to Work contracts have been described as a "cash crunch" that could push some groups over the edge. "It is getting to the stage where they'll be handing back the contracts," said one industry insider in an article published in the Financial Times. Pathways contracts have only hit 27% of their jobs targets in the first six months of this year and apparently, almost all companies are losing money on the contracts. More... Private sector-led employment programmes have delivered 60 per cent of the expected jobs in the six months to September, while consuming 98 per cent of the expected expenditure. Reed in Partnership is currently consulting on a restructuring that may lead to redundancies. In another article in the Financial Times, Dan Finn, professor of social inclusion at the University of Portsmouth, and an expert on welfare-to-work programmes, said: "it does not leave you with an enormous amount of confidence about the likely performance of the Flexible New Deal, given the way the economy and the labour market have changed since September." More... 30 January 2009: Lead reviewer announced for NHS workforce health and wellbeing reviewThe Department of Health has announced that Dr Boorman, Director of Corporate Responsibility and Chief Medical Adviser to the Royal Mail Group, will be leading the joint Department and NHS review of the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce. The review was announced by the Secretary of State on 25 November 2008 as part of the Government's response to Dame Carol Black's report on the health of the UK's working-age population. More... 29 January 2009: DWP publishes notes of IDEAS consultation eventsDWP has published a summary of the feedback from last December's consultation events. They were posted on the Notice to Providers section of their website on 29 January. More... 29 January 2009: Recommendation on new minimum wage delayedThe government has accepted a request from the Low Pay Commission to delay an announcement of its recommendations on this year’s rise in the national minimum wage. The Commission was due to publish its recommendations at the end of February but has asked for further time to consider more information on the state of the economy. It will not now report until the beginning of May. More... 28 January 2009: LSC tenders for redundancy supportThe LSC is making available £50m through the European Social Fund (ESF) and £50m through Train to Gain to boost skills interventions for individuals under notice of redundancy, those made recently redundant, and those that are unemployed and further from the labour market, but could be made ready for work with a skills development support package. The tender documents are available below: 27 January 2009: Blunkett review of relationship between Government and Third SectorThanks to Robert for drawing our attention to a report published last November by the Fabian Society. Chaired by David Blunkett, Mutual Action, Common Purpose looks at the relationship between Government and the Third Sector. In one particularly relevant section, it states: "There must be a justification for large scale, ‘wholesale’ contracts (prime contracting) including via regional development agencies and the like, which exclude small organisations. Large scale operations are often dominated by private enterprise with a greater bidding power, who then franchise to the very groups that have been excluded from the commissioning and contracting process in the first place. This is not just unfair: it is counterproductive. It wipes out innovation and enterprise, and encourages money being spent not on the delivery of service, but on the contracting and franchising process undertaken by those groups that have won such large scale contracts. This may cut out the difficulty and challenge to the civil service or major agencies, but it merely transfers it to the ‘agent’ winning the overall contract. As a result, before resources are delivered to those actually providing the service on the ground, there is a top-slice. This cannot be acceptable within a policy framework which looks for responsiveness, flexibility and accountability, as well as expecting involvement by users of services. It is in fact the very opposite of government policy." More... 26 January 2009: Qualitative evaluation of the Jobseeker Mandatory ActivityThis DWP report presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of the Jobseeker Mandatory Activity (JMA) pilot. The JMA provided extra support to help Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) claimants back into the labour market. The focus was on those aged 25 years or more that had been claiming benefits for six months. The intervention comprised a three-day work-focused course delivered by external providers followed by three Jobcentre Plus personal adviser interviews. The pilot was tested in ten areas over a two-year period with the first customers entering provision in April 2006. Interestingly, the report seems to conclude that success factors are less about what providers do and more about how they do it and suggests that future procurement exercises should ensure that successful bidders are better able to strike an appropriate balance between meeting business needs and the needs of customers. Is anyone listening? More... 26 January 2009: Research into impact of Pathways on benefit claimsDWP has published research into the effect of Pathways to Work on benefit claims. Pathways reduced the proportion of people claiming incapacity benefits in the early months after the start of their claim in the expansion areas. At its peak, five months after the initial claim for incapacity benefits, Pathways reduced the proportion of people remaining on incapacity benefits by 6.0 percentage points. This was similar to the effect in the original pilot areas. The positive effect of Pathways was sustained until ten months after the start of the claim in the expansion areas. After this point, Pathways did not appear to reduce the likelihood of the individual claiming incapacity benefits in each successive month. Within the expansion areas, Pathways raised the proportion of customers moving on to JSA over the first six months after the start of their claim for incapacity benefits. This effect was at its greatest four months after the start of the claim when Pathways increased claims for JSA by 2.6 percentage points. It seems likely that Pathways resulted in movements on to JSA initially as customers were encouraged to turn their attention towards job search. Having raised claims for JSA over the first few months after the start of the claim for incapacity benefits, this effect went into reverse, so that by months 11 and 12, Pathways reduced levels of JSA receipt by around 1.6 percentage points. More... 26 January 2009: Grants for voluntary sector to assist in bidding for contractsFuturebuilders, the Government's agency for capacity building in the voluntary sector, has announced the availability of grants for small voluntary organisations to help them bid for public contracts. The Small Organisation Tender Fund offers grants to small third sector organisations who need small sums of money to help them tender successfully for specific public sector contracts. Grants are invested in amounts up to 10% of the contract, with a maximum investment of £15,000. There is a limited pot of £220,000 for this Fund, £150,000 of which has been contributed by the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning. More... 25 January 2009: Disability Alliance and DWP issue shared guide to ESADWP and Disability Alliance and DWP have collaborated on a guide to employment and support allowance. The guide is available free from the DWP website and was originally sold as a supplement to the Disability Alliance's 2008 handbook. The website, Benefits and Work, reports that "The guide itself is largely a technical account of the law, with little in the way of hints, tips or tactics for actually pursuing a claim. However, it will still be of concern to many people that a publication that will be incorporated in the 2009 edition of Disability Alliance’s flagship publication, the Disability Handbook, has been written in such close co-operation with the DWP." Apparently, DWP part-financed the guide and checked it for accuracy. 23 January 2009: Pathways to Work research publishedTwo pieces of research have been published about Pathways to Work. Pathways to Work from Incapacity Benefits: A review of research findings on referral practices and liaison with service providers presents a review of research findings on the topic of referrals and working relationships between Jobcentre Plus and other organisations and practitioners helping people with health problems and disabilities. More... Pathways to Work from Incapacity Benefits: A study of referral practices and liaison between Jobcentre Plus advisers and service providers presents findings from a qualitative research project that explored referral practices and liaison amongst Jobcentre Plus staff and service providers involved in helping incapacity benefits recipients move towards, and into, paid employment. The summary mentions that "some (disability employment) advisers talked about managerial directives to use contracted provision in preference to non-contracted services and to limit referrals to more expensive services such as WORKSTEP and Residential Training." More... 22 January 2009: Common Assessment Framework for Adults - consultationThe Deptartment of Health is consulting on proposals to improve information sharing around multi-disciplinary assessment and care planning. This consultation focuses on improving the quality and efficiency of care and support through improvements in the sharing and use of information. It will be of interest to the general public, commissioners of health, social care and wider community support services and the voluntary and independent sectors. There will be consultation events across the country from 22 January 2009. The deadline for responses is 17 April 2009. More... 21 January 2009: Tender: Kensington and ChelseaKensington and Chelsea are tendering for a supported employment service for disabled people and people with mental health needs. The contract will run from April 2009 to March 2012. Expression of interest forms and a copy of the PQQ documents are available from HHASC Contracts Team, The Town Hall, Horton Street, London W8 7NX or by email from gregory.alake@rbkc.gov.uk. The closing date for return is 5 February 2009. 20 January 2009: EFD to publish line manager guide to reasonable adjustmentsThe Employers Forum on Disability are publishing a guide for line managers in February. Available from 16 February 2009, Reasonable adjustments: Line manager guide aims to make it easier for managers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people by helping to identify who needs an adjustment, decide if an adjustment is reasonable, and know where to go for more help and advice. More... 20 January 2009: Anti-stigma campaign launchesThe Time to Change national marketing campaign is being launched on 21 January with the first TV ad being shown during the 7.30pm episode of Coronation Street on ITV1. The campaign aims to end mental health discrimination and is being promoted by Mind, Rethink, Mental Health Media and King's College. More... 20 January 2009: Health, work and wellbeing events around the countryThe Government’s Health Work and Wellbeing team is holding events around the country from February to talk about the pilots and programmes contained within Improving Health and Work, their response to Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population. The events are at Cambridge (19 February); Newcastle (5 March); Glasgow (12 March); Guildford (17 March); Nottingham (26 March); London (1 April); Cardiff (8 April); Leeds (16 April); Birmingham (22 April); Bristol (28 April); Manchester (7 May). Booking and venue details will be on the Working for Health website. More... 20 January 2009: Glover report has implications for public procurement from SMEsThis is one that passed us by so thanks to Martin Lodge for pointing it out. The Glover Report was published in November 2008 and sets out advice to the Government on how to help small firms win a greater share of public procurement. It recommends that by 2010 contract opportunities above £20,000 across the public sector should be advertised electronically through a single, free, easy to search online portal; the Government to issue all tender documentation electronically by 2010 and to remove “paper only” tenders by 2012; details of contract awardees to be published online within 48 days of contract, accessible via the online portal; tendering opportunities thought especially suitable for SMEs or consortia of SMEs should be flagged by the procurer during the advertising process. More... 19 January 2009: Launch of Third Sector Taskforce reportACEVO and DWP are holding an event to publish the DWP Third Sector Taskforce report on 4 February in London. The event is free and follows work by the taskforce to investigate the potential role for the third sector and to make recommendations to ministers as to how that potential could be engaged. BASE was represented on the Taskforce. The report will be launched by Rt Hon James Purnell MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions alongside discussions on the future of welfare to work with the leading figures in the field. More... 19 January 2009: Valuing People Now publishedPeople with learning disabilities will be supported in every aspect of their lives, from housing and health to employment, Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson has announced. 'Valuing People Now - A Three Year Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities' is a new vision for improving services for people with learning disabilities across health, housing, employment and community care services. It follows a comprehensive consultation involving more than 10,000 people. Improving training, commissioning of services and strengthening local structures to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities, are fundamental elements of the Strategy. Key aims include:
Progress will be reviewed annually. A new national Learning Disability Programme Board and Regional Boards will ensure the strategy works, share good practice and provide a forum for stakeholder groups to discuss progress and concerns. There's not much new in the section on employmewnt though it does highlight this as a priority area. There is a commitment to publish a national strategy for learning disability and employment later in the spring when it is hoped that more radical plans will be agreed. National leads are to be apponted for both transitions and employment. More... 19 January 2009: May replaces Grayling on shadow front benchTeresa May has replaced Chris Grayling as shadow secretary for work and pensions. Chris Grayling has moved to shadow home secretary following the reshuffle. Ken Clarke returns to the front bench as shadow business secretary. More... 19 January 2009: Jobs market set to grow despite recent downturnA new report has been published predicting big employment opportunities in sectors like business, education, distribution and transport over the current decade to 2017. The report ‘Working Futures’, comes from the independent employer body, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). It predicts employment trends over the next ten years and shows that despite the current economic downturn job prospects remain good. More... 16 January 2009: Workstep performing well according to DWP traffic light reportWorkstep appears to be performing well and exceeding job targets in the 6 month period up to September 2008 according to information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by website Indus Delta. The programme achieved 131% against its referrals target and 170% against the job outcomes target. Provider-led Pathways achieved 27% of its jobs target. More... 16 January 2009: Groundbreaking tender exercise to help provide employment for disabled workersThe Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Andrew Davies, has announced that the Welsh Assembly Government has become one of the first public sector organisations within the UK to undertake a tender exercise that is reserved for supported businesses and supported factories. These are companies and organisations where 50% or more of the workforce have disabilities and the reserving of contracts for such organisations is encouraged under European law. The tender has been let in three lots, seeking supported factories and businesses that can supply IT recycling, furniture and signage to the Welsh public sector. More... 15 January 2009: New Opportunities white paper launchedThe Prime Minister has launched plans for building fair chances for everyone to succeed economically. The New Opportunities White Paper sets out the Government’s agenda for capturing the jobs of the future and investing in families, communities and citizens. The New Opportunities White Paper details plans that cover the full range of government departments and offers focused support for people at key stages of their lives to make the most of their potential. The paper includes specific promises for PSA16 groups:
15 January 2009: Welfare reform impact assessmentDWP seems to be getting the hang of doing proper impact assessments with a very thorough look at how the welfare reforms might impact on the different customer groups. There's an examination of the Right to Control proposals (page 106). Interestingly, it looks like a whole chunk about "Re-shaping and providing additional funding for the successor to WORKSTEP and other specialist disability employment programmes" has gone missing in the latest version (V3) of the impact assessment. For those who are interested, version 2 is available here (see page 107). More... 15 January 2009: Qualitative evaluation of jobseeker mandatory activityThis report presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of the jobseeker mandatory activity pilot, which provided extra support to help jobseeker's allowance claimants back into the labour market. More... 12 January 2009: Ofsted consults on new Common Inspection FrameworkOfsted is consulting on proposals for a new Common Inspection Framework which would come into effect in September 2009. The new framework will build on the current framework but there are some key differences. The Common Inspection Framework 2009 has:
BASE will be responding to the consultation but the timescale is tight with a closing date of 27 January. BASE members should send any thoughts and suggestions to Huw Davies as soon as possible. More... 12 January 2009: PM announces additional support for training and employment£500m is to be spent on providing recruitment subsidies for employers, financial help for new business start-ups and enhanced training opportunities for those out of work. From April, employers will be able to receive a "golden hello" payment of £2500 for recruiting someone who has been unemployed for over six months. The investment is expected to help 500,000 people into work or training over the next two years. The investment forms part of the Government’s £10 billion fiscal stimulus that will bring forward public works programmes and create or protect as many as 100,000 jobs in the next year. The PM added that more details of measures such as the school-leaver’s guarantee will be included in a White Paper on opportunities to be released later this week. More... 12 January 2009: 3 new areas sign up to multi area agreementsMerseyside, Leicestershire and the Pennines (Lancashire) will be devolved more local autonomy to deliver home-grown economic resilience, jobs and skills plans, following the signing of multi-area agreements by the Prime Minister and council leaders. More... 9 January 2009: IPPR report on low pay and in-work povertyThe Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has published a report on low pay and in-work poverty, called Nice Work If You Can Get It: Achieving a sustainable solution to low pay and in-work poverty. Despite significant progress in tackling child poverty and raising employment over the last decade, the report argues that further action is required to overcome the twin injustices of low pay and in-work poverty. The report argues that steps to improve workforce skills must go hand in hand with a strategy to increase the number of ‘good’ jobs in the labour market – jobs which pay a decent wage and have strong advancement prospects. This will require a renewed focus on high-value, high-skill economic development, as well as greater integration of employment, skills and economic development activities. More... 7 January 2009: £140m apprenticeships boostThe Government is to invest £140 million to create a further 35,000 apprenticeships across the public and private sectors in 2009-10. More... 6 January 2009: Tackling worklessness in deprived areasThe Government Office Network has published a report which provides information on a selection of initiatives which focus on tackling worklessness amongst vulnerable groups in deprived areas. More... 5 January 2009: JCP provider ForumJobcentre Plus' Provider Forum is currently undertaking a membership review. BASE would like to encourage smaller providers to consider putting their names forward for membership. BASE is a permanent member of the forum. The Provider Forum meets quarterly to consider issues relating to the delivery of DWP funded employment programmes and has a small number of subgroups looking at issues such as local employment partnerships. Minutes of Forum meetings are on the policy section of our website members pages. If members would like your organisation to be considered for membership, or have any views on future membership, please e-mail the provision forum with details on providerforum-rockinghamhouse@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk. 5 January 2009: Prime Minister outlines investment in public jobsGordon Brown has outlined the Government’s thinking on how it will invest billions of pounds to stimulate the economy and create potentially tens of thousands of new jobs. In an interview with The Observer newspaper, the Prime Minister said that spending on public works programmes would lead to as many as 100,000 new jobs and act as a counter to the ongoing recession. Later, in an interview with the BBC, Mr Brown said “the Government must play its role” when the monetary system faced difficulties and the inflation outlook was benign. More... 5 January 2009: Prince's Trust warning over youth mental healthYoung unemployed adults need more help to deal with mental health problems, the Prince's Trust charity has warned. One in 10 youngsters questioned in a survey disagreed that "life was really worth living". Those not in work or education were less likely to be happy. Polling company YouGov questioned 2,004 people aged 16-25 online in October. More... |
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