Thousands more people claiming sickness and disability benefits will be offered personalised one-to-one support as part of a major expansion of a Government scheme aimed at helping more people move towards work.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that its “Support Conversations” programme is being rolled out to another 27 Jobcentres across Britain, taking the total number of participating sites to 33. The move means up to 40,000 people claiming health-related benefits could be offered a voluntary hour-long appointment designed to identify the barriers preventing them from working or taking part in activities such as volunteering.
The initiative forms part of Labour’s wider welfare-to-work drive and sits alongside a £3.5 billion package of employment support measures designed to help more disabled people and those with long-term health conditions into jobs.
Unlike standard Jobcentre appointments, the sessions are intended to take a broader look at claimants’ lives, covering issues such as debt, housing problems, skills gaps, health concerns and addiction support.
The DWP says the conversations are available face-to-face, by telephone or via video call and are delivered by healthcare professionals, disability employment advisers and specialist Pathways to Work advisers.
They are aimed at people awaiting a Work Capability Assessment as well as those already judged to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) – a group considered furthest from the labour market.
Employment Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Too many disabled people and people with health conditions face barriers that stop them from accessing the support and opportunities they deserve. That is why we are expanding the number of sites delivering Support Conversations from six to 33 Jobcentres across Great Britain, giving up to 40,000 people personalised help tailored to their circumstances. Getting more people into good work is central to our Plan for Change and Support Conversations will help us do exactly this.”
The expansion follows trials at six pilot sites, where the DWP says participants reported feeling more ‘listened to’ and ‘supported’.
The latest move builds on the deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers, who ministers say have already helped more than 65,000 disabled and sick people move closer to employment.
The Government is under growing pressure to tackle Britain’s soaring sickness benefit bill, with millions of working-age adults now economically inactive due to ill health.
The Support Conversations programme is one element of a wider package of reforms announced through the Government’s Pathways to Work strategy.
Other support being rolled out by the DWP includes:
- Connect to Work – a personalised employment programme intended to help 300,000 people into jobs by the end of this Parliament.
- WorkWell – a £259 million scheme designed to help up to 250,000 people with health conditions remain in or return to work.
- Right to Try – allowing sick and disabled people to attempt work without the immediate risk of benefit reassessment.
- 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers – specialist advisers already deployed across Jobcentres.
Which Jobcentres are taking part?
The DWP has confirmed the following 27 locations as part of the latest expansion:
- Aberdare
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Blaydon
- Bournemouth
- Didsbury
- Glenrothes
- Grimsby
- Hoxton
- Lancaster
- Leeds Park Place
- Leicester Charles Street
- Leicester Wellington Street
- North Shields
- Northwich
- Preston
- Rusholme
- Saltcoats
- Shettleston
- South Shields
- Southend
- Sparkhill
- Springburn
- Sunderland
- Thornaby
- Wester Hailes
- Whitehaven
- Workington
- The DWP said a further six Jobcentre sites will be announced shortly.
Support Conversations are entirely voluntary and currently available only to claimants with health conditions or disabilities who are either awaiting a Work Capability Assessment or have already been assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity.