BASE News Archive: 2008

This page contains news items released in 2008.

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See items from 2006 and earlier

17 December 2008: Supported business website goes live

Our supported business website has now gone live at www.base-uk.org/business. The site will replace the one previously hosted at www.supportedbusiness.org.uk. The site offers a listing of supported businesses and their products and offers an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products to procurement officers. Members can add their listing by contacting Chris at our secretariat at admin@base-uk.org.

16 December 2008: DWP consultation events - next steps

The consultation events organised by DWP on the proposals for the new disability employment programme have now all taken place. Minister for Disabled People, Jonathan Shaw MP, attended the event today and spoke to delegates at the round table discussions. DWP are to upload the slides from the events to their website at www.dwp.gov.uk/supplyingdwp/what_we_buy/notice_to_providers.asp. They have said that they will publish a summary of the feedback received in the early New Year. Providers have limited time to comment on the proposals contained in their consultation questions. Responses should be sent to specialist.disabilityprovision@dwp.gsi.gov.uk by 19 December.

15 December 2008: Community of Practice discussion forum

Several members have asked for details of the discussion forum organised by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Social Excluded Adults Community of Practice is a cross-Government forum with a focus on discussion around Public Service Agreement 16. PSA16 seeks to improve employment rates for people with learning disabilities or mental health needs and there's a couple of active threads about employment issues. You can register at www.communities.idea.gov.uk/c/842578/home.do and add to the discussion.

10 December 2008: Government publishes welfare reform White Paper

The Government has published Raising Expectations and Increasing Support, the White Paper that is set to implement the David Freud and Paul Gregg reform proposals. The paper contains a number of proposals including:

• piloting a single employment programme that would replace Flexible New Deal and Pathways to Work
• offering accelerator payments that would reward mainstream providers for finding employment for people needing more intensive support
• piloting the funding of commercial providers using benefit savings
• piloting Right to Control projects that might see disabled jobseekers being funded directly to arrange and control their own support
• a 3 level process for closer working with local authorities and city strategy areas which could result in devolved funding
• a Right to Bid process so that provider organisations can seek funding for specific trials More...

9 December 2008: Employment lessons from the USA

DWP has issued a report that reviews evidence from the United States on providing return-to-work support for people with disabilities and discusses the implications for similar efforts in the UK. The report provides lessons for developing and evaluating future UK employment initiatives, especially for people with severe psychiatric conditions and long-term disability claimants. More...

2 December 2008: DWP consultation events cause deep concern

The first of a series of consultation events was held today in Dundee. It was one of the three that focus on supported business providers and contained presentations on both the design of the programme and the procurement process. Although the event included 90 minutes of table top discussion around a set of DWP design and procurement proposals it appeared that the major decisions have already been made. The event came across more as an information day with delegates lacking confidence that their feedback would influence the final outcome.

We are extremely disappointed to see that the proposals include:

• only one or two contracts to be tendered across each region/country (Wales & Scotland) using the prime provider model
• supported business protection is likely to be very limited
• the maximum time allowed on each module is likely to be much shorter than thought and there may be a maximum time that a customer can be on the programme

These proposals do not reflect the considerable work, discussion and collaboration between DWP and the BASE Executive throughout the extensive consultation process. Nor does BASE feel that they reflect the consultation responses published on 11th November. We will continue to argue vigorously that the proposals threaten the specialist expertise that DWP seeks to harness and are likely to reduce the service available to those people with the most complex barriers to employment. The timescales for the procurement process were also announced:

• Issue of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ) - 30 March 2009
• Return of PQQs - 18 May 2009
• Issue of Invitation to Tender (ITT) - 27 July 2009
• Return of ITTs - 26 October 2009
• Contract award - 26 April 2010
• Start of contracts - October 2010

Organisations will only have to submit one PQQ and it is envisaged that 4 to 8 providers will be shortlisted for the ITTs. The BASE NEC will be considering the position this week and we would appreciate views and comments from members as soon as possible to admin@base-uk.org. DWP are taking comments on the proposals by email at specialist.disabilityprovision@dwp.gsi.gov.uk before 19 December. Read the questions...

2 December 2008: DWP report threatens increased penalties for non-engagement

Almost everyone on benefits should be preparing themselves for work, says a report commissioned by the government. Lone parents with children aged one to seven should sign an action plan to help them return to work, under plans drawn up by Professor Paul Gregg of Bristol University. The report recommends punitive action against those who do not cooperate, from losing benefits to having to undertake unpaid community work. The recommendations could be included in a Welfare Reform Bill, due to be in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday. The proposals would see tougher sanctions, not just for those on Jobseekers' Allowance but also for those on the new employment and support allowance. More...

29 November 2008: New report says councils are key to tackling worklessness

Councils should be given greater responsibility for coordinating efforts to tackle rising unemployment in their local areas, an independent review has proposed. In its interim report published today for consultation the review team, chaired by Cllr Stephen Houghton of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, recommends that upper tier councils be responsible for conducting analyses of the causes of worklessness in their local communities, as part of the Government's proposals for local authorities to undertake economic assessments.

Building on the priority given to worklessness in Local and Multi Area Agreements, councils and partnerships who want to go further on worklessness would be able to agree Work and Skills Plans with Government, outlining how worklessness would be addressed, and gaining additional freedoms and resources in return. These councils would benefit from a dedicated, long-term Work and Skills Budget, which would be allocated for up to six years to help councils meet targets, agreed with ministers, to improve the local economy.

The report also proposes that the Government should require public sector employers in deprived areas to do more to support their local communities. This includes offering apprenticeship places, advertising all vacancies with JobCentre Plus offices and encouraging all bidders for contracts and local suppliers to provide job opportunities to local people. More...

28 November 2008: BASE appoints Fred Bowen as Training and Development Officer

BASE is pleased to announce the appointment of Fred Bowen as our Training and Development Officer. Fred starts work with BASE in the New Year and his appointment reflects the priority given to professional development and improved quality standards. One of his first tasks will be to identify member training needs through a member survey.

Fred will be well known to many members as he has presented at a number of BASE and EUSE conferences. He previously worked at Bury EST where he led on employer engagement. His background is as a self employed businessman and he has substantial experience of supported employment from an employer perspective. Fred has a keen interest in education and was Chair of Governors at Bury College for the last 8 years.

28 November 2008: EHRC report on disability and work

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published a report about disability and work. By comparison with other countries, Britain has large numbers of disabled people and people with long-term illnesses, and proportionately fewer of these people are employed. This research shows that disabled people and people with long-term illnesses are more likely to perceive themselves as subject to negative treatment at work, and it highlights the implications for Government policy. More...

25 November 2008: Government responds to Dame Carol Black's report

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell and Health Secretary Alan Johnson have responded to Dame Carol Black's report into the health of Britain's working age population, Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, which was published in March. The package aims to support disabled people or those who become ill to return to, or stay in work. New measures announced in the report, Improving health and work: changing lives, include proposals to replace the paper-based 'sick note' with an electronic 'fit note' and pilots for 'Fit for Work' services which will support people on a period of sickness absence to return to work. The press release describes other proposals including:

• "A National Centre for Working-Age Health and Well-Being - which will form an independent, authoritative body providing a range of core functions related to the health and well-being of working-age people. The Centre will identify evidence gaps and encourage research to close those gaps.
• Health, Work and Well-being Co-ordinators - who will stimulate action on health, work and well-being issues in their areas, offering advice and support to help local partnerships and engagement with smaller businesses in particular.
• Pilot an occupational health helpline for smaller businesses - the helpline will offer help to smaller businesses by providing business hours access to professional occupational health advice on individual employee health issues (including mental health).
• A Challenge Fund - which will encourage local initiatives that improve workplace health and well-being through innovative approaches to ensure worker engagement.
• Review of the Health and Wellbeing of the NHS workforce - this will be done in partnership with employers and staff and will identify action to improve the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce." More...

25 November 2008: Lessons from contracting out welfare to work programmes

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published research into the effects of contracting out welfare to work provision in Australia and the Netherlands. The key points discussed include:

• The privatised Australian Job Network finds more people jobs for half the cost of the previous system; the cost of providing service packages in the Dutch 'reintegration market' fell by 2007 from €4,700 to no more than €3,000 for each client going through the programme.
• The cost efficiency gains attributed to both systems appear significant but relatively little is known about how far these gains have been offset by reduced services and high transaction costs for the purchaser, providers and service users. Such costs include contract design, bid preparation and assessment; contact management, supervision and revision; and, for the service user, negotiating and satisfying the requirements of a more complex system.
• The Australian and Dutch systems have been in flux. Delivering Government objectives through contracts is prone to the same implementation problems experienced in public sector delivery systems.
• Contracting out poses further challenges because it fragments programme responsibility amongst multiple contractors, changes the relationship between policy-makers and frontline service deliverers, and blurs lines of responsibility and accountability.
• There is a strong association between incentive-based contracts and 'parking', where harder to help participants receive a bare minimum of services. More...

24 November 2008: DEA research published

DWP has published research that investigates the organisation of disability employment advisers across Jobcentre Plus and seeks to understand the pros and cons of each different organisational model. It also focuses on managing the performance of DEAs and key elements of their role. More...

18 November 2008: DWP consultation events announced for new specialist provision

DWP has announced a series of one day events during December across England, Scotland and Wales. The events offer an opportunity for providers to learn more about and influence the emerging design of the new specialist disability employment programme and the procurement process. Seven events have been organised, three of which are being aimed specifically at supported businesses. The list below indicates the closing dates for applications to attend each event:

• 2 December - Dundee (Closing date: Tuesday 25 November) Supported Business event
• 3 December - Cardiff (Closing date: Tuesday 25th November)
• 4 December - Bristol (Closing date: Friday 28 November) Supported Business event
• 8 December - Edinburgh (Closing date: Wednesday 26th November)
• 11 December - London (Closing date: Thursday 27th November)
• 15 December - Newcastle (Closing date: Monday 1st December)
• 16 December - London (Closing date: Tuesday 2 December) Supported Business event

Members interested in attending should complete the relevent form below and return them to DWP by the specified closing date:
Provider events - Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Newcastle
Supported Business events - Dundee, Bristol, London

This information is also listed on the Workstep extranet site at www.workstep.gov.uk

17 November 2008: Closing date for EUSE conference papers

EUSE has asked us to remind members that the closing date for the Call for Papers for the EUSE 9th European Conference is 23 November 2008. More...

13 November 2008: ESF transnational project applications sought

The innovation and transnationality call for proposals was launched on 31 October 2008. The call documentation is on the ESF website at www.esf.gov.uk/innovation_transnationality/. The deadline for applications is 4pm on 17 December 2008.

13 November 2008: Views sought on North West Compact

Voluntary and community organisations and public sector agencies are being invited to give their views on a new agreement with the public sector in the North West. The North West Regional Compact is an agreement between North West public sector bodies and the third sector to understand their respective roles and responsibilities, which in turn leads to better outcomes for local citizens across the region. Regional organisations are invited to comment on a draft version of the Compact over the next 12 weeks. The intention is that a final version is adopted and formally agreed at a major Regional Third Sector Conference which is taking place on 12 February 2009. More...

13 November 2008: Anne McGuire to advise on third sector innnovation

Anne McGuire MP has been appointed as Cabinet Office Advisor on third sector innovation. The former Minister for Disabled People will investigate the role that third sector organisations can play in empowering citizens to steer the design and delivery of more personalised public services. This work will focus initially on health and social care services, but then move to consideration of other areas of delivery. More...

13 November 2008: Charities in danger from economic slowdown

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has been raising awareness of the impact of the recession on charitable donations. As the economy slows down, donations to charities are at risk of ebbing away. A poll by the Charity Commission last month showed that one in four charities have seen reduced donations from the public over the last year. One in 12 charities has had to reduce staff due to the drop in donations. A number of charities have also lost money invested in Icelandic banks - adding to their problems. More...

11 November 2008: DWP publishes summary of responses to disability provision review

The Department for Work and Pensions has published a summary of responses to their consultation Helping people achieve their full potential: Improving Specialist Disability Employment Services . The consultation ended in March 2008 and sought views on proposals to combine WORKSTEP, Work Preparation and the Job Introduction Scheme into a single new programme. It also considered the way Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisers work in relation to these programmes and asked how Access to Work might be improved. More...

4 November 2008: £27M support to improve skills and increase job opportunities

The Government has announced that £27 million of new European Social Fund (ESF) money will be invested in innovative projects to help people improve skills and stay in work, or develop new skills and find a new job. Interested organisations are being called on to submit proposals to run regional projects which will develop, test and deliver new ways of extending employment opportunities and improving skills. Each project will work with at least one partner from another EU Member State. The funding is in addition to the £100m recently made available for skills training, particularly for those who are currently facing redundancy. More...

4 November 2008: Changes to Working Neighbourhood Funding announced

The Government has announced proposals to tighten up part of the formula used to allocate the Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) - a three-year, £1.5bn Fund to turn around long term unemployment in the most disadvantaged communities. The move is apparently to ensure that the fund is targeted where it is needed most and means all councils eligible for full WNF after this revision will receive extra funding. Changes announced today follow concerns about the data used to construct the third eligibility criterion for receiving WNF - that councils should be among the top 40 with the highest combined rate of unemployment and benefit claims. The deadline for responses is 9 January 2009. More...

4 November 2008: DEFRA announces Third Sector Strategy and new "Greener Living" Fund

DEFRA) has launched its Third Sector Strategy along with a new £6 million fund to help third sector organisations support and develop environmental projects throughout England. The report sets out how the department will improve the way it works with third sector groups and includes:

• A variety of new opportunities for Defra to work more closely with the third sector with independent advice from a new board, practical good housekeeping actions and a new social enterprise partnership.
• A new task group to look at ways of helping national level third sector programmes promote environmental sustainability. This group will be jointly chaired by ministers from Defra, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Cabinet office and include third sector stakeholders.
• Promoting a new campaign to encourage environmental volunteering to help biodiversity locally. More...

4 November 2008: New research on mental health and work

DWP has published a research report outlining the findings of an exploratory qualitative study to investigate the experiences of people with a mental health condition who had continued to work in paid employment while unwell. The study was carried out by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York and was based on interviews with 38 people working for a range of small and large employers in the public and private sectors. Read the report...

4 November 2008: Learning disability employment conference

IDEA and the Local Government Association are organising a one day conference on learning disability and employment. The event, on 28 November in London, features a range of speakers. More...

28 October 2008: Minister affirms commitment to PSA16

Third Sector minister, Kevin Brennan, has affirmed the Government's commitment to PSA16 during a speech to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in Liverpool. He also announced the launch of the Socially Excluded Adults Public Service Agreement Community of Practice, in partnership with the Improvement and Development Agency. This is an online forum where you can share best practice and tell Government what is and isn't working on the front line. More...

28 October 2008: Stress DVD aimed at deaf people

The first ever self-help relaxation DVD for deaf people who use British Sign Language has just been released in the UK. It is a collaborative effort between a number of health specialists, academics and a Bristol based Social Enterprise called EyeGaze. More...

24 October 2008: BASE recruiting for South East project

BASE is seeking to recruit 2 people on a consultancy basis for an 8 month project which will run in South East England. The Action for Inclusion project is funded by the South East LSC and seeks to map and benchmark regional supported employment provision and broker a number of partnerships between further education and supported employment providers. Further details are on our jobs page.

24 October 2008: Regional Minister forms economic 'Supergroup'

North West Regional Minister Beverley Hughes is to bring together key players from the public and private sectors to coordinate the North West's response to the economic downturn. The Joint Economic Commission for the North West will meet frequently for the immediate future to ensure that the region acts as one in protecting families and businesses. The Commission, which meets for the first time in early November, will bring together business leaders, local authorities, Government Office for the North West, the Northwest Regional Development Agency and public agencies like Jobcentre Plus, the Learning and Skills Council, the Strategic Health Authority, the Highways Agency and the fledgling Homes and Communities Agency. More...

24 October 2008: Government response to "fair access" proposals

The Government has responded to a CSCI review of the fair access to care services framework, which addresses inconsistencies in who gets support and sets out how to create a more transparent system. More...

24 October 2008: DCSF guide to personalised learning

The Department for Children, Schools and Families has produced a publication to support schools in implementing personalised learning and help them move to a system based on progression with relevant interventions such as one-to-one support. More...

24 October 2008: New Third Sector Research Centre

The Economic and Social Research Council has announced the opening of the Third Sector Research Centre (TSRC) at the University of Birmingham. The TSRC will be led by Professor Pete Alcock of the University of Birmingham, in a joint venture with the University of Southampton where Professor John Mohan will be Deputy Director. The funding of £10.25 million over the next five years will come from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Office of the Third Sector (OTS) and The Barrow Cadbury Trust. More...

23 October 2008: Job advisers in Children’s Centres to help parents into work

A new pilot aimed at helping the parents of children in poverty get into work has been launched in ten Local Authorities. Parents will have access to Jobcentre Plus personal advisers in Children’s Centres to help them access work focussed services. The pilot will run in 30 children’s centres from January 2009. More...

23 October 2008: EDF launches bimonthly magazine

The European Disability Forum has launched the first issue of Disability Voice.EU, a bimonthly European magazine about disability issues. It provides a general overview of the major disability related developments at EU level in the last months. More...

22 October 2008: BASE response to No-one Written Off

BASE has submitted a response to the DWP's welfare reform Green Paper. It is available to members for viewing on our policy pages. More...

10 October 2008: WHO report on mental health across Europe

A report, published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to mark World Mental Health Day on 10 October, shows that England directs 13.8 per cent of its health budget towards mental health - the highest level in Europe among those who submitted figures. We provide high levels of access to mental health care, with 12.7 psychiatrists per 100,000 population, compared to the European average of 8.9. Access to mental health nursing care is also higher than average, with 51.9 nurses per 100,000, compared with the European average of 18.7. England is the only country to provide a comprehensive network of specialist early intervention teams and one of only three countries to provide comprehensive access to assertive outreach teams. More...

9 October 2008: IAPT employment sites named

The Department of Health has named the regional sites providing support through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme that are to receive an additional DWP resource to deliver greater employment outcomes. They are Swindon, Central and Eastern Cheshire, Buckinghamshire, Shropshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, West Kent, Camden & Ealing and East Riding & North Lincolnshire, and either North Tyneside or South Tyneside. These sites will get extra DWP funding for the next two years to provide an additional employment support service. Many will be planning to work with BASE members in the delivery of these services. More...

9 October 2008: Mental health and employment in the NHS

NHS Employers has been commissioned by the Department of Health to improve the numbers of previous mental health service users and people with severe learning difficulties in employment in the NHS. They are re-issuing an updated version of 'Mental health and employment in the NHS' which provides advice on the employment and support of previous service users and also on supporting staff who develop mental health problems whilst in service. More...

8 October 2008: Ministerial changes in the Cabinet Office

Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West, has taken up the role of Minister for the Third Sector. He was previously at the Department of Children Schools and Families. His predecessor, Phil Hope, takes up post of Minister of State at the Department of Health. More...

8 October 2008: Purnell - targeted support for those with mental health issues to stay in work

James Purnell has said that the increased funding for the Access to Work programme will be used to test new ways of helping people with mental health issues stay in work. Ina speech to the Social Market Foundation, he said that support will be made available for people with mental health conditions either already in work and experiencing difficulty, or those about to enter employment, as well as for their employers. We're not yet clear how this adds to the curent programme but will be making enquiries.

6 October 2008: Ministerial changes announced - Anne McGuire and Ivan Lewis leave posts

Gordon Brown's reshuffle means a flurry of changes, particularly at Junior Minister level. There's a big shake up at the Department for Work and Pensions. Stephen Timms has moved from DWP to the Treasury and Mike O'Brien to the new Department for Energy and Climate Change. In come Tony McNulty and Rosie Winterton as Ministers of State. Junior posts are filled by Jonathan Shaw and Kitty Ussher. Anne McGuire has left DWP and will be sadly missed for the manner in which she has fulfilled the role of Minister for Disabled People. We think she will be replaced by Jonathan Shaw who was previously at Defra and Minister for the South East.

At the Department of Health, Phil Hope joins as Minister of State while Ivan Lewis has been moved to the Department for International Development. We are not clear on individual responsibilities yet and will bring you news when we find out. More...

3 October 2008: ILF tender opportunity

Independent Living Funds has a tender opportunity for a three year contract for printing and direct mail services. The anticipated start date is 2 February 2009 and the closing date for tender submissions is 21 November 2008. More...

3 October 2008: LSC consults on mental health strategy

The Learning and Skills Council is consulting on its National Mental Health Strategy Refresh, which was launched at the annual NIACE Disability Conference on 29 September 2008. The strategy compliments the Learning for Living and Work initiative. During January 2009, the LSC will consider the responses and devise an implementation plan. The LSC will publish a summary of the responses to the consultation, the finalised strategy and implementation plan in early spring 2009. All responses should be forwarded to responsementalhealthstrategyconsultation@lsc.gov.uk. More...

2 October 2008: Pathways to Work research published

DWP has published two pieces of research regarding Pathways to Work. The first report presents findings from a large-scale face-to-face survey of 2,207 existing customers in the seven pathways to work pilot areas. It provides a description of the customer profile, their experiences of involvement with pathways to work, their work and other outcomes. More...

The second brings together the findings from an evaluation of new and repeat incapacity benefits claimants in the original seven pilot areas. It covers customer and adviser views and experiences, impact and cost-benefit assessment. More...

30 September 2008: DWP guide to Employment and Support Allowance

DWP have produced a web-based guide to Employment and Support Allowance which, from 27 October 2008, replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on incapacity grounds for new customers. More...

26 September 2008: Shaw Trust good practice guide

Shaw Trust has published a good practice guide on transitions from education for young people with learning disabilities. Read the guide...

24 September 2008: Review of LAA lessons

This document summarises the key lessons learnt from LAA negotiations in 2008 obtained from stakeholders across central, regional and local government plus local partners over the summer. This paper aims to support the development of arrangements for the programme, with a particular focus on influencing the forthcoming annual review and refresh. More...

23 September 2008: SCMH survey on job retention services

The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health is conducting a national survey into Job Retention services to build up a body of evidence in this field and to inform the work of Dame Carol Black in developing a national mental health and employment strategy. They would like to gather information on services which help people with mental health problems to remain in work or return to work after sickness absence. If agencies are involved in any such services, SCMH would be grateful if you could complete a short 10 minute survey.

23 September 2008: Government publishes overview of social inclusion policy and challenges

DWP has published a comprehensive overview of the most important social policy issues for the UK from 2008 to 2010. The document is effectively a national report on strategies for social protection and social inclusion as required by the European Union. It's a handy reference document with paragraph 129 referring to specialoist disability programmes. The report confirms that a response to the ISDES consultation is to be published later this year. More...

16 September 2008: ILF tender opportunity

The Independent Living Fund is looking for a supplier with the ability to provide a first class occupational health service to their HR team and staff, to include flexible nurse/advisor appointments at their Nottingham office; flexible consultant physician appointments at their Nottingham office; prompt provision of quality follow up reports; ongoing telephone advice/support for day-to-day contact from their HR team.

If you feel you are able to provide a first class service at a competitive price and would like to receive an invitation to tender, please email ILF’s Procurement Manager, Lee Howard. More...

15 September 2008: WORKSTEP Customer Survey - provider involvement requested

DWP has recently commissioned Northumbria University's Centre for Public Policy (CPP) to carry out a survey of WORKSTEP customers. The main aims of the survey are:

• To improve the information DWP currently hold centrally about WORKSTEP customers
• To support an evaluation of the impact of the proposed new disability employment programme; by providing baseline information on existing customers any future changes can be identified and explored.

The survey will collect information on the characteristics of WORKSTEP customers including their skills, qualifications and work history. A number of interviews will also be carried out directly with customers to ask about their experiences of work and future hopes and aspirations in relation to work. More...

11 September 2008: Survey shows steady improvements in community mental health services

A Healthcare Commission survey of people using community mental health services, published today, has shown continued improvements in care. 20% of respondents were in paid work and 50% said that they had received advive about finding employment. A larger percentage of service users say that they have confidence in mental health professionals, receive copies of their care plan and have a number to contact out-of-hours when in a crisis situation. Overall, most respondents continued to rate their care highly, with 78% describing it as "excellent", "very good" or "good", 13% as "fair" and 9% as "poor" or "very poor". These figures remain consistent with previous surveys. More...

11th September 2008: Focus group research with new deal and employment zone customers

This report presents findings from a study involving group discussions with customers who were claiming or had recently claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). The study consisted of ten focus groups with JSA customers who had either experienced support through Employment Zones, New Deals or had been claiming JSA between 12 and 18 months. The research explored customers’ views of the provision which they had accessed and was carried out to inform the development of the Jobseeker and Flexible New Deal reforms. More...

4 September 2008: 9th EUSE Conference issues call for papers

2 September 2008: Care Support and Independence - consultation toolkit

The Government is undertaking an extensive period of engagement between May and November 2008 about the long-term future of England’s care and support system. As part of the engagement process, they want to involve stakeholders in discussions about how the system can meet the challenges of the future. Five events take place through October and early November. Materials have been developed to help organisations to lead discussions with colleagues and other people in their networks so that their opinions can inform the debate. More...

28 August 2008: Report compares Workfare programmes in USA, Canada and Australia

DWP has published a research report presenting findings from a review of international evidence of workfare programmes and examines key features that help participants on workfare programmes into employment. More...

28 August 2008: Consultation on right to training

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is consulting on proposals to give employees in England a right to a serious conversation with their employer about their skills development. This new right would help encourage and support adults to develop their skills and rise as far as their talent will take them. And, by helping to raise their employees' awareness and aspirations in relation to skills, the proposed right would support and encourage employers to invest in the skills of their employees as a driver of future business performance. The consultation closes on 10 September. More...

26 August 2008: Range of DWP research reports published

• In and Out of Work Pilot Evaluation: Findings from staff and customer research

This report presents an evaluation of the In and Out of Work pilots, which focused on closer working relationships and the sharing of information across the organisations involved in delivering benefits to individuals as they move in and out of work (Jobcentre Plus, the Tax Credit Office and local authorities).

• Evaluation of the Trial of Back to Work Group Sessions

This is the final report of the evaluation of the trial of Back to Work group sessions, which aimed to set out individuals’ rights and responsibilities and highlight the support available through Jobcentre Plus to help customers move into employment.

• Social Housing and Worklessness: Qualitative research findings

This report presents findings from research that set out to explain the relatively high levels of worklessness apparent within the social rented sector.

• Exploring Disability, Family Formation and Break-up: Reviewing the evidence

This report presents findings from research to assess patterns of family formation and change where families include a disabled adult or a disabled child. The primary focus is on family units that include a dependent child.

• Implementation and Second-year Impacts for New Deal 25 Plus Customers in the UK Employment Retention and Advancement Demonstration

This report presents new findings on how an innovative post-employment programme in Britain is affecting the employment, earnings and benefits receipt of long-term unemployed individuals.

14 August 2008: Employment support, mental health and Black and minority ethnic communities

People from Black and minority ethnic communities are less likely to use employment support services and less likely to succeed in gaining employment than their white British peers. The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has prepared a free briefing that suggests some targeted actions that might help to make change happen. It argues that specialist mental health employment support staff need to adopt an evidence-based approach with the capacity to address issues of racism and stigma. More...

12 August 2008: Remploy appoints new Chief Executive

Tim Matthews has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Remploy. He will succeed Bob Warner whose 5-year appointment is due to end in November 2008. Tim Matthews was formerly Senior Vice President of global consulting engineering and project management company, Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. Mr Matthews had previously been the Managing Director of Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd. Tim Matthews has had several high profile jobs in the public sector, including Chief Executive of the Highways Agency from November 2000 to October 2003 and Chief Executive of Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Hospital Trust from March 1993 to November 2000. More...

11 August 2008: New framework to put Further Education at the heart of communities

A new framework document sets out how Further Education can forge new partnerships to make a stronger contribution to the economic and social health of local communities. Further Education Colleges – Models for Success sets out the range of mechanisms available to colleges to enable them to respond to the needs of learners, employers and the wider community. Ministers want the sector to go further to develop innovative and collaborative learning routes; listen and respond to the needs of employers; and reach out to those that are least likely to engage in learning. More...

6 August 2008: £96 million boost to improve healthcare and employment prospects for people with learning disabilities

£96million is to be made available to provide people with learning disabilities with better healthcare, community support and employment prospects. The new funding, ring-fenced for three years from 2008/09 until 2010/11 will pay for costs incurred as a result of people with learning disabilities moving from campuses to housing in the community. This will include support for health action planning, workforce training and development, advocacy support for more inclusive community based activities and help to get people into employment. More...

31 July 2008: New review of programme conditionality

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has announced a wide ranging review of conditionality to look at how more people can be helped off benefits and into work. The review, which will run alongside the welfare reform green paper consultation, will look at what DWP should expect people to do and the role sanctions can play in motivating individuals to engage in the back-to-work support provided. The review will be led by Professor Paul Gregg of the University of Bristol. More...

28 July 2008: Anne Williams appointed as National Director for Learning Disabilities

Health Minister Ivan Lewis has announced the appointment of Anne Williams as the new National Director for Learning Disabilities at the Department of Health. Anne's responsibilities in her new role will be to help drive forward delivery of policies to make sure people with learning disabilities are treated as equal citizens in their communities, and to oversee the next stage of the cross-Government 'Valuing People Now' strategy, due for publication later this year. Anne is the current Strategic Director of Salford City Council and Immediate Past President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. More...

28 July 2008: ILF committed to supported business

The Independent Living Fund has underlined its commitment to supported businesses. It routinely reserves contracts in accordance with EU procurement regulations. It has around 20 supply arrangements which are periodically tendered and will inform BASE of future tendering opportunities. More...

25 July 2008: New research on DLA claims

DWP has published research into the extent to which those applying for disability living allowance understand the purpose of the benefit and the qualifying conditions. It presents the findings from 100 face-to-face interviews with applicants of working age whose claims were disallowed. More...

25 July 2008: Radical new proposals for Welsh health and community services

The Welsh Assembly is considering proposals for radical change to mental health and learning disability services in Wales. It has been written by Michael Williams, a special advisor to the Minister in Wales, it proposes that all mental health and learning disability services currently provided by the NHS and Local Authorities are brought together into one organisation within the NHS, Iechyd Meddwl Cymru (IMC).

Whilst the paper focuses on mental health, it briefly proposes that IMC would also be responsible for the provision of services for people with a learning disability. This would include health, social welfare and voluntary services together with advocacy and liaison services. It makes no explicit mention of employment services commissioned specifically for people with learning disabilities or mental health issues, or the liaison with organisations that provide them. This will represent the most radical change to Welsh services in the last 25 years and would leave services in Wales in a very different structure from those elsewhere in the UK.

The formal consultation ends on 2 September 2008. More...

25 July 2008: New rights for disabled air travellers

From the 26 July 2008, a new European regulation on air travel will mean airports will have to provide services that enable disabled passengers to board, disembark and transit between flights. The rights will also apply to people with reduced mobility, such as someone with a broken leg, and will give a right to assistance once on the plane. This is the second stage of measures designed to protect disabled passengers when travelling by air and creating a consistent standard across Europe. Last year it became illegal for airlines, travel agents or tour operators to refuse a booking on the grounds of disability or to refuse to board a disabled person who has a valid ticket and reservation, except for safety reasons.

21 July 2008: Welfare Reform Green Paper launched

James Purnell has launched the Government's Green Paper on welfare reform, No-one Written Off - reforming welfare to reward responsibility. The ambitious programme envisages major change over the coming few years and a consultation exercise will run until 22 October. Headlines include a doubling of the Accessto Work budget and a commitment to an additional several million pounds to ease the transition to the new specialist disability programme. The reforms include the following five strands:

• Support and Responsibilities: There will be no choice between work and welfare benefits. Unemployed people will have to undertake four weeks of community-based voluntary work after 12 months when their support will move to a provider agency. More extensive voluntary work will follow for the 2% expected to remain unemployed after 24 months. There will be greater conditionality on accessing drug treatment programmes where appropriate.
• No-one Written Off: The introduction of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) will focus on what people can do rather than what they can't. The medical assessment will be reviewed and all people on incapacity benefit will be reviewed and transferred between 2010 and 2013 to either Jobseekers Allowance or ESA, where they will receive higher benefits and voluntary access to employment programmes. There will be increased funding for "supported employment" - we gather nearly a 10% increase to the budget of the modernised programme. The Fit for Work service will be piloted to boost job retention services.
• Transformation of the Rights Agenda: The Access to Work budget will double to around £138m and will fund BSL interpretters, enhanced IT equipment and mobility issues. Access to Work should become available to anyone who is entitled to it. Disabled customers will have a right to know the value of their employment support package and be able to take it as a budget that they control.
• Strengthened Families: There will be a full disregard of child maintenance payments for parents on benefits and both parents will be required to register the birth of a child.
• Devolved Flexibility: Voluntary sector providers will have a "right to bid" for parts of employment programmes. Advisors will have more discretion on the time spent with claimants and local communities will have a greater say in shaping the pattern of back-to-work provision in their area.

The Government has commited to implementing the Freud Report in full and will pay for results from welfare benefit savings and the changes will see a far greater emphasis on delivery by the private and voluntary sector. It is planned to abolish Income Support and transfer claimants to other benefits, mainly Jobseekers Allowance. Conditionality will not change for carers or parents with young children.

BASE will be engaging with DWP on the proposed changes. We are already in dialogue around the design and commissioning of the new programme and will be discussing the proposed changes to Access to Work. More...

17 July 2008: New strategy to promote diversity in the Civil Service

The Government has launched a new strategy to drive forward its commitment to promote diversity and equality within its workforce. Promoting equality, valuing diversity: a strategy for the civil service builds upon learning derived from 10-Point Plan on Delivering a Diverse Civil Service, the first Civil Service strategy aimed at improving diversity launched in 2005. Since then, the Cabinet Office has worked in partnership with government departments to develop their own action plans and in particular to strengthen accountability for diversity at leadership level. More...

17 July 2008: Purnell webchat

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell will be taking questions on a webchat forum on 22 July from 4pm. He is inviting your views on the role of the welfare state in the 21st Century - including how the Government can best help people get back to work, the problems that lone parents and older people have finding a job, and what can be done for those on incapacity benefit. More...

17 July 2008: New study reinforces the value of work to disabled people

The Office for Disability Issues has published a new study that provides a unique snapshot of the lives of nearly 2000 disabled people in Great Britain. Experiences and Expectations of Disabled People reports their views on a range of issues, including employment, education, transport, health and discrimination. Commissioned by the Office for Disability Issues, the study actively involved disabled people throughout the research process. Published in the run-up to the release of a Green Paper on Welfare Reform, the report showed that nine out of ten working disabled people believe their job has a positive impact on their life, keeping them active and giving them financial independence. It also confirmed that the number of disabled people in paid employment has increased. However, just over a quarter felt more could have been done to help them stay in work. More...

17 July 2008: Select Committee examines DWP commissioning strategy

The Work and Pensions Commons Select Committee has announced its intention to examine the DWP Commissioning Strategy and employment programme market. The Committee is taking written submissions before 22 September and BASE will be submitting evidence. They will be looking at contracting models, long term effectiveness, regional differences, the customer experience and performance management. More...

17 July 2008: Seven areas sign multi-area agreements

The first seven Multi Area Agreements (MAAs) have now been signed. The MAAs - with tailored approaches and stretching targets for their area – are the start of a long-term relationship between Government and groups of local councils which will see other agreements signed over the next year. The areas will get more freedoms from Whitehall in return for pledging a local, partnership approach to boost economic growth and tackle deprivation and financial inequalities. Freedoms include more flexible resources on housing, pilot transport schemes, integrated and flexible employment and skills investment and choice to refocus national targets to increase support to businesses. The agreements cover the following areas: Tees Valley, Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, Leeds City Region, Partnership for Urban South Hampshire, Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset. More...

15 July 2008: New report into links between mental health and employment

This report presents findings of a qualitative research project commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to investigate the relationship between mental health and employment. The study was designed to address a gap in knowledge about the circumstances that lead people to claim Incapacity Benefit because of a mental health condition and what factors contribute to people with mental health conditions returning to work after a period on Incapacity Benefit. The study also explored employers' understanding and experience of dealing with mental health conditions in the workplace. Read the report...

14 July 2008: Dyslexia review calls for personal experiences

A website for teachers, parents, young people and others with an interest in dyslexia has being launched by Sir Jim Rose as part of his review into how children with dyslexia learn best. Sir Jim is asking for personal accounts and experiences as well as details of published research to help inform his development of recommendations to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. The website will also contain regular updates and information about the review. More...

9 July 2008: Update on chronic social exclusion

The Cabinet Office has published information on the Adults Facing Chronic Exclusion programme, which is a three-year, £6 million fund designed to test new approaches to tacking chronic social exclusion amongst the most marginalised people in society. 12 pilots have been funded across England. They are testing out ways to improve outcomes for adults with chaotic lives and multiple needs through developing new types of intervention and changing local service provision. They are led by voluntary and public sector organisations, working in partnership with other local agencies. More...

30 June 2008: BERR consultation on barriers to SMEs wishing to supply the public sector

As part of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s (BERR) Enterprise Strategy and Budget 2008, an independent inquiry into the barriers faced by small companies looking to supply goods or services to the public sector has also been announced. The independent inquiry, led by Anne Glover, Chief Executive of Amadeus Capital Partners, will consider ways to increase opportunities for SMEs and the practicality of a goal of such companies winning 30 per cent of all public sector contracts.

A call for evidence has been launched, and businesses and public sector procurers are now being invited to input into this work to ensure that the committee is fully informed of the real issues faced at grass root level. It will also ensure that businesses and those working in this area are given the opportunity to shape future policy. Small companies and industry groups have now been invited to share their experiences of doing business across both central government and local authorities. More...

27 June 2008: New FE framework launched to boost student and employer choice

From 2010, Further education providers will use a new Framework for Excellence (FfE) to help students and employers choose the learning provider best suited to their needs. The framework has been developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in consultation with colleges and providers, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Ofsted and the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). It will apply to colleges and work-based learning providers from September this year and will lead to all providers publishing their assessment rating publicly by 2010, allowing prospective students and employers to compare results. More...

26 June 2008: Purnell - "A work culture not a welfare culture"

Freedom of choice will be central to radical welfare reform plans according to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell. He has outlined his vision for the future of the welfare system, devolving power, and opening the door for local providers to offer their own solutions to unemployment.

Speaking at the CESI Welfare to Work conference in Birmingham, James Purnell said, “Claimants should have the choice over how to get back to work, not whether they should go back to work. We want a work culture, not a welfare culture and we can only achieve this by reforming the system so that it demands personal responsibility. I want to give more power to customers, providers and regions. We are reforming the Welfare State from an essentially passive one to a profoundly active one."

Mr Purnell set out a radical approach to developing employment schemes. He said the Government recognised one of the strengths of local providers is the potential to develop new solutions to existing problems. Under the new “right to bid” process every serious idea will be properly evaluated, by a DWP commissioning team, who will report to the Secretary of State and the Permanent Secretary. More...

26 June 2008: Inquiry into Lifelong Learning and sustainable development

An Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning (IFLL), sponsored by NIACE, is putting out a public call for evidence on lifelong learning and sustainable development. With a Board of Commissioners chaired by Sir David Watson, the IFLL was launched in September 2007 and will report in June 2009. Experts from government, business, academia, trade unions, public service, providers and the voluntary and community sector, as well as learners, are brought together to identify a broad consensus for the future direction of adult learning policy in the UK. More...

18 June 2008: Millions of workers set to benefit from right to request time to train

John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has launched a consultation on how new entitlements to training will work. He has outlined how up to 22 million workers in England will be able to use a new legal right to request time to train. Publishing a consultation into how the new right will work, Mr Denham said he expected around 300,000 people a year to receive skills training who otherwise would not as a result of legislation which could be in place by 2010, subject to its passage through Parliament. More...

18 June 2008: Capacitybuilders announces new £6 million Social Enterprise Programme

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, has announced grant awards totalling £17 million through the Improving Reach Programme. The grants are to help organisations working with excluded communities to flourish through the provision of information, advice and facilities. He also announced the launch of a Capacitybuilders Social Enterprise Programme, with £6 million being invested over the next three years. Capacitybuilders aims to help create a more effective third sector by improving support for third sector organisations. More...

17 June 2008: DEAC seeks new members

The Disability Employment Advisory Committee is seeking applications for potential membership of the committee for a three year term. DEAC provides Ministers and government policy makers in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with strategic advice on disability employment issues. The closing date for applications is 17 July 2008. More...

17 June 2008: LGA proposals for developing welfare and skills response

The Local Government Association has produced a report, "The Integration Gap". Building on their previous document, "Prosperous Communities: Vive la devolution", the LGA is now making the economic and customer-based case for a significant devolution of decision-making and funding for both employment support and adult skills to local agencies working together in sub-regional partnerships. This aims to provide a platform for the integration of employment and skills and to ensure that wider public services play a full role in helping workless people into sustained employment, and progression in their chosen profession or trade. More...

13 June 2008: DWP/DIUS launch compulsory training and an overhauled training system

Benefit claimants who need to improve their skills in order to get a job will have to attend compulsory training, under new proposals announced by James Purnell and John Denham. The move will be backed by improvements to the training system that will give adults access to a new 'skills account' to fund vocational courses. Under the plans, published in a Government welfare and skills paper, "Work Skills", people claiming Jobseekers Allowance who have gaps in their skills will have to attend training to help them find a job. The Government is also announcing that it also intends to consult on making it compulsory for lone parents and people on Employment and Support Allowance to attend skills training. More...

6 June 2008: DWP Third Sector taskforce launched for welfare reforms

BASE has been invited to join a new ‘third sector’ taskforce announced by James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Stephen Bubb Chief Executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. The Task Force aims to strengthen third sector involvement in delivering the Government’s radical welfare to work reforms. Chaired by Tony Hawkhead, the Chief Executive of Groundwork UK, the taskforce will report directly to James Purnell and Employment and Welfare Minister, Stephen Timms, and produce a report in early 2009.

5 June 2008: DWP film tackles mental health discrimination in the workplace

DWP has launched a public information film designed to challenge employer assumptions about mental health. The film - directed by Bharat Nalluri, director of TV dramas Hustle, Spooks and Life on Mars, and including a voiceover by actor Philip Glenister from Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes – will air across national television over the coming months.

3 June 2008: New guidance on CRB checks for volunteers

The Cabinet Office has published guidance to help organisations that use volunteers to be clear about when they do and don’t need to carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on volunteers. The guidance aims to cut unnecessary red tape and respond to concerns voiced by the voluntary sector that potential volunteers can be put off if they are asked to undergo a CRB check without good reason. More...

31 May 2008: Various research about Pathways to Work published

DWP has published three research papers about its Pathways to Work provision:

• Research Report 488 considers the Pathways to Work package of reforms, aimed at encouraging employment among people claiming incapacity benefits. This study covers customers with claims of roughly one to three years' duration. More...
• Research Report 494 explores the impact and effectiveness of a pilot project to locate employment advisers from Jobcentre Plus in general practice surgeries. More...
• Research Report 498 considers the Pathways to Work package of reforms intended to encourage employment among people claiming incapacity benefits and looks at the cost benefits of the programme. More...

29 May 2008: National Audit Office review of autism support

The National Audit Office is reviewing how well support services meet the needs of adults with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in England. The review will look at transition to adulthood, health and social care support, and access to education and employment. BASE will be participating in this review which is expected to be completed in spring 2009. Background to review ¦ More...

28 May 2008: New drive to get long term unemployed back to work

Local Government Minister John Healey has announced details of a new review team to advise how steps to improve the most disadvantaged communities can make a real difference. Chaired by Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, the review will consider how the £1.5billion being invested by Government can make a real and lasting difference on the ground, drawing on experience from local government, business and charities. Reporting to Mr Healey and Employment Minister Stephen Timms, the team will advise on what more can be done to help the long-term unemployed into jobs, and how councils can make the best use of the £1.5bn Working Neighbourhoods Fund over the next three years. More...

27 May 2008: RNIB to launch Hire Vision

Liverpool City Council are lending their support to RNIB in the launch on July 15th of Hire Vision, a national campaign aimed at supporting greater numbers of blind and partially sighted people to move into work. Currently only one in three blind and partially sighted people of working age are in work. The Hire Vision campaign aims to work with employers attending to increase awareness of the potential of people with sight loss as potential employees, break down barriers to the creation of more jobs for people with sight loss and work with employers to create a range of opportunities for disabled people to move towards work. Employers can register by emailing registration@hirevision.co.uk

27 May 2008: Pathways to Work research

New research shows that taking part in a Pathways programme significantly increases the chances of long-term sick and disabled people finding work, with more people finding work more quickly than those who have not taken part in the scheme at all. So far 64,000 people have been helped into jobs through the programme. According to DWP, early indications found that Pathways saves the taxpayer £1.50 for every pound spent on the programme. Read the report...

DWP has also published research to explore the impact and effectiveness of a pilot project commenced in 2006 to locate employment advisers from Jobcentre Plus in GPs' surgeries. The study found a enthusiasm for the project, though the personal skills of the advisor had a big impact. Unsurprisingly, they also uncovered a large demand for support around job retention needs. Read the report...

27 May 2008: Change of date for Central Region network meeting

Please note the next meeting of Base Central Region has now been moved to the 27 June (11.00am to 3.30pm). It will be held at the Quality Hotel Coventry, Birmingham Road, Allesley, CV9 9BA. The date of the September meeting has also been changed to 23 September 2008. More...

27 May 2008: EUSE scholarship programme announced

The European Union of Supported Employment (EUSE) has announced the launch of the “EUSE Scholarship Programme”. The professional development scholarship will provide an opportunity for five Supported Employment Practitioners (ie Job Coaches, Employment Officers etc) to participate in a study visit to another European State of their choice. Funding of up to 1000 Euros is available and the closing date for applications is 18 July.

• Information Pack
• Application Form
• Implementation Timetable

27 May 2008: Workshops on Public Contract Opportunities

Tendering for Care, a Derbyshire-based tendering and procurement training organisation for the third and small business sectors, has won the contract to deliver procurement training to these sectors for up-coming DWP programmes. The company is offering a series of training events throughout the UK during June 2008. The events are designed to help organisations and businesses to tender or sub-contract effectively for public sector contracts. There will be an emphasis on the development of supply chains designed to allow smaller organisations to contribute to the delivery of services. The training will focus in particular on helping organisations to engage in programmes managed by the Department for Work and Pensions such as Flexible New Deal.

• Press release
• Training venues and dates
• Booking form

22 May 2008: IPS training in the south west

Mindful Employer are offering free training in Individual Placement Support (IPS) at Exeter (26 June) and Bristol (1 July). Further events may be added if there is sufficient demand. More...

20 May 2008: Case studies request for case studies

The Department for Work and Pensions 'Employ ability' campaign is looking for success stories of people with long term health conditions/disabilities who are successfully employed in small/medium sized local businesses within the North West region. They have already contacted various agencies in the region but are particularly interested in finding case studies in Cumbria. The website for the campaign is www.dwp.gov.uk/employability. If you can help, please get in touch with Priscilla McGuire at priscamcguire@aol.co.uk as soon as possible. More...

15 May 2008: Another Welfare Reform Bill proposed

The Government has included proposals for a Welfare Reform Bill in the new draft legislative programme for 2008-09. A green paper and full consultation will look at "options to modernise the benefit system, delivering value for money for the taxpayer while providing support for people at the time they need it most". Included are measures to "better enable people to take advantage of the considerable help on offer to them and where appropriate, to undertake training that is considered essential to finding employment". The bill will also seek to strengthen the requirement for people to engage in improving their own personal circumstances and will make proposals to simplify the benefits system. More...

15 May 2008: Social housing and worklessness

DWP has published research into social housing and worklessness. The report presents key policy messages that emerged from a study on possible explanations for the relatively high levels of worklessness among tenants in social housing. Read the report...

12 May 2008: Research into ethnic parity within employment programmes

This DWP research measures the ethnic parity in Jobcentre Plus programmes as one way of overcoming any disadvantage that ethnic minorities may experience in the labour market. Read the research...

9 May 2008: Radical rethink needed to help mentally ill at work

Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has called for a ‘radical rethink’ by employers to unleash the talent of people with mental health conditions in a speech for the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. He called on employers to 'create a workplace which cultivates openness, provides support and promotes mental wellbeing.' Read the speech...

8 May 2008: Department of Health announces Adult Autism Strategy

Care services Minister Ivan Lewis has announced £500,000 for Government research into the numbers of adults with autism and their specific transitions needs. This prevalence study will inform the first ever Government strategy on adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome, due to be published next year. The number of children with autism is as high as 1 in 100 (according to Prof. Baird's 2006 study) and this prevalence study will give a more accurate picture of how many adults have the condition. More...

8 May 2008: Attitudes to mental health remain broadly sympathetic

Public attitudes in England towards people with mental health problems remain broadly sympathetic, according to a new survey by the Department of Health. The public is generally understanding of people with mental health problems, with 85% thinking they deserve our sympathy and more than 8 out of 10 saying society needs to be more tolerant towards them. However, the survey also showed that since 1994, a number of attitudes have worsened: 9% fewer respondents favoured a more tolerant attitude in society towards people with mental illness; 7% fewer respondents thought that those with mental health problems were deserving of sympathy; and 57% agreed those with mental health problems are "far less of a danger than most people supposed", a drop of 5%. More...

6 May 2008: New initiatives in schools on dyslexia

Schools Minister, Ed Balls has announced a range of funded initiatives within schools to improve the achievement levels of pupils with dyslexia. This action is a follow up to Sir Jim Rose’s independent review of the primary curriculum. More...

6 May 2008: New social enterprise innovation scheme

Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis has announced the opening of the second round of the Department of Health (DH) Social Enterprise Investment Fund. He also announced that this year, it would include a new element, the 'Innovation for Life Challenge Fund', developed in collaboration with the Social Enterprise Coalition. The Innovation for Life Challenge Fund will encourage Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and their partners to find collaborative solutions to health and social care needs through social enterprise. More...

6 May 2006: FE colleges given powers to award foundation degrees

Further education institutions in England can now apply for powers to award their own Foundation degrees under new regulations that came into force on 1 May. More...

6 May 2008: Proposals for new Community Allowance

The CREATE Consortium is proposing that Government establish the Community Allowance in the UK benefits system to enable people to get out of the benefits trap and to enable communities to regenerate. They are launching a campaign to argue for a change to the benefits regulations. CREATE wants community organisations to be able to pay people to do work that strengthens their neighbourhood without it affecting any of their benefits. More...

22 April 2008: Invitation to Raising Expectations consultation events

Throughout May, DIUS and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) will be holding 9 consultation events in the English regions to discuss the proposals outlined in the consultation Raising Expectations: enabling the system to deliver, and to provide an opportunity for you to learn more about the implications of the proposals on the delivery of 14-19 and post-19 provision. Attendance at these events is by invitation only and invitations for each event are being issued around a month before the event. If you are interested in attending one of the events please complete the online form to register your interest in attending. More...

15 April 2008: RLSB workshops for visually impaired people

Royal London Society for Blind People (RLSB) Employment Services are offering a series of free Workshops for visually impaired people of working age. The Motivational Workshop will help participants to focus and encourage them to take steps towards self-development. This is followed up by a Vocational Workshop, which aims to provide participants with the skills and structure they need to actively engage in the process of job seeking. The workshops take place in London on 20 May and 23 May 2008. Further information...

14 April 2008: CAMHS review calls for evidence

The Government is calling for evidence to help inform the debate about how to improve services to effectively meet the educational, health and social care needs of children and young people at risk of, and experiencing, mental health problems. The independent review has been established by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health to examine recent progress towards improving services, and to make practical recommendations to further improve the commissioning and delivery of services. The consultation period will run until 4 July 2008. More...

11 April 2008: The business case for Equal Opportunities: An econometric investigation

This report presents new evidence on this issue. It maps out the relationship between business performance and Equal Opportunities policies and practices and evaluates the effects of a range of Equal Opportunities policies and practices on workplace productivity and profits. Family-friendly leave, homeworking, monitoring and reviewing practices are examined in addition to formal Equal Opportunities policies.

The research found that, overall, it was unlikely that business benefits were large and widespread amongst the establishments who implement these. There was no evidence that Equal Opportunities policies and practices result in a net cost (or benefit) to employers in aggregate (ie on average). According to DWP, given the likely wider social and economic benefits from equality of opportunity, the findings in this report may indicate market failure. This could be addressed by increased regulation, subsidies for the implementation of Equal Opportunities policies and practices or penalties for not implementing them. Read the report...

10 April 2008: Adult Learners' Week 2008

Adult Learners' Week takes place this year from 17 to 23 May. It is the UK's largest and longest running learning campaign. Co-ordinated by NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education), it is now in its seventeenth year. Held each May, it encourages thousands of adults, whatever their age and background, to give learning a go: whether it's learning for pleasure, catching up on skills missed out on at school or getting that new job or promotion. More...

10 April 2008: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) commissioning toolkit

The Department of Health has published a IAPT commissioning toolkit. The IAPT programme aims to support the recovery of people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders and includes some job outcome targets. The Government has announced additional funding to increase services over the next three years. This Commissioning Toolkit is designed to help PCTs improve or establish stepped care psychological therapies following NICE guidelines. The toolkit brings together a wide range of existing tools and guides and includes positive practice examples throughout. More...

10 April 2008: DWP Business Plan 2008/09

DWP has published its business plan for 2008/09. It details the department's activities that will be delivered from April 2008 to March 2009.
Read the Business Plan...

8 April 2008: New report on Pathways to Work in-work support

DWP have published a qualitative research report on the In-Work Support (IWS) component of the Pathways to Work pilots which provides in-depth accounts of customer and staff experiences. Amongst the findings it concluded that for customers with mental health issues, low self-confidence and uneven work histories, Pathways IWS was commonly cited as a very, and often the most, important source of support. Read the report...

4 April 2008: RNIB to launch Hire Vision

RNIB is launching their national campaign on supported employment called Hire Vision; to take place at the Marriott Hotel, Liverpool on Tuesday July 15th 2008. The campaign is aimed at creating more jobs for people with sight loss (currently only one in three people with sight loss is in work) and assisting business to benefit from being more representative of its customers and community. Further details from Philip Connolly at RNIB on 0207 388 1266 ext 2409.

2 April 2008: ESA Equality Impact Assessment

DWP has produced an equality impact assessment for the employment and support allowance, which will replace incapacity benefits for new customers from October 2008. More...

1 April 2008: Prosperous Places - A review of sub-national economic development and regeneration

A consultation document has been published which sets out and seeks views on the proposals contained in the Sub-National Economic Development Regeneration (SNR) for putting in place reforms that would:

• streamline the regional tier, introducing integrated strategies and giving the regional development agencies (RDAs) lead responsibility for regional planning
• strengthen the local authority role in economic development, including a new statutory duty to assess local economic conditions, and
• support collaboration by local authorities across economic areas

While this consultation will be of particular interest to those agencies and authorities directly affected by the proposed changes to structures and working relationships, the impact of the changes will be much further reaching and other stakeholders are encouraged to take part in the consultation. The consultation exercise is being run jointly with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and runs until 20 June 2008. More...

1 April 2008: New commission puts employer voice at heart of skills policy

A new Commission has been launched to put employers at the centre of employment and skills policy development across the UK. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) will supersede two Government-funded agencies - the Sector Skills Development Agency and the National Employment Panel - which closed on 31 March. More...

1 April 2008: Futurebuilders Fund opens to all areas of public service delivery

The Futurebuilders Fund, set up in 2004 to assist front-line voluntary and community organisations to build their capacity to increase the scale and scope of their public service delivery will be open to all third sector organisations, operating in a broader range of public service delivery. As announced in Budget 2007, from 1 April 2008 onwards, Futurebuilders will now be able to invest in organisations operating in any public service sector.

The Futurebuilders Fund will come under the management of the Adventure Capital Fund (ACF) following a commercial retender exercise. ACF will be responsible for investing an additional £65million of government funds, on top of the £150m already made available to the Futurebuilders Fund, to develop third sector delivery of public services between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011. More...

31 March 2008: 'Have your say' on fair access to social care services

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is inviting people to ‘have their say’ about the issues and problems associated with the current system for deciding who is eligible for council funding and support for social care services. In its State of Social Care 2006-07 report in January CSCI revealed that most councils now only help people with ‘substantial’ or ‘critical’ needs, leaving many needing help to fend for themselves or rely on friends and family for support. Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis, asked CSCI to carry out a review looking at how the current system of eligibility for social care, called ‘Fair Access to Care Services’ or FACS, could be improved. More...

31 March 2008: JRF study into effectiveness of policy

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a study, "Person or place-based policies to tackle disadvantage?", which reviews evidence of the effectiveness of policies introduced since 1997 to tackle employment, education and income disadvantage. Read the report...

31 March 2008: Research into social enterprise networks

The Cabinet Office has published a research report that reviewed social enterprise networks operating across England and identified gaps in provision. It concluded that networks are good at national and regional levels but there are gaps at sub-regional and sectoral levels. There is strong demand for local information and for peer to peer networking. Read the report...

28 March 2008: FAS help for people who can’t work due to ill-health

People who have had to stop working due to ill health will soon be able to get early assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien has announced. Draft regulations will mean people who have to stop working early because of poor health will be able to get payments from the FAS up to five years before their scheme’s normal retirement age. The Financial Assistance Scheme offers help to some people who have lost out on their pension where they were a member of an under-funded defined benefit pension scheme that started to wind up between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005, and the employer is insolvent or no longer exists, or a compromise agreement has been reached with the employer. More...

28 March 2008: Employ ability launched by DWP

Employ ability will roll out by region from March 2008 for 12 months. Local businesses that employ between 100 and 250 people will receive information packs and the chance to book a free How to Employ ability workshop. Advertising on road-side bill boards and features in local newspapers and trade journals will also spread the word about Employ ability. Minister for Disabled People Anne McGuire, launched Employ ability at the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce on 27 March 2008. The informal breakfast event was an opportunity for open discussion on some of the key challenges employers face in this area and what works best in helping them to overcome them. The Minister then moved on to a visit to BASE member, Shelforce, with the BBC local news filming the visit and interviewed the Minister and Shelforce's manager, Andrew Fellows. More...

27 March 2008: DWP research questions value of job retention pilots

The Government has published research which summarises the findings from a study on people with mental health conditions who used Job Retention and Rehabilitation Pilot (JRRP) services. Apparently, they had a lower rate of return to work than those who did not use the service. Hypotheses for this include:

• returns to work appear to have been delayed for the supported group for three reasons: a focus on the same employer where it may have been more productive to seek a new job; waiting for a more complete health recovery; and dependency on the Provider
• there appeared to be less scope to boost NHS provision for mental health conditions compared to other conditions
• there was some evidence of employer behaviours that were more supportive (or less obviously obstructive) of a return to work which meant less scope to improve the workplace context for mental health

Read the report...

27 March 2008: Purnell announces rates for Employment and Support Allowance

Those people with the mosrt disabling conditions will be given more financial support from the Government, while other disabled and long-term ill people who could work will get greater help to find employment, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell has said. The announcement was made as regulations finalising plans to replace Incapacity Benefits (IB) in Great Britain for all new and repeat claimants with the new work-focused Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) were laid in Parliament today.

Those claimants who pass the assessment and are identified as capable of taking part in some form of work-related activity will be entitled to claim ESA at a rate of £84.50 a week. They will be required to attend work-focused interviews through the pioneering Pathways to Work scheme, to help them overcome their barriers to work and support them into long-term sustainable employment. Those who don't fulfil these conditions without a good reason could have their ESA partially cut.

Those identified as not able to take part in any work- related activity (the most severely disabled group) will not be expected to take part in work-focused activities unless they want to, but will not face any sanctions. We are targeting more resources to the poorest in this group with a guaranteed income of £102.10 a week (£17.60 more than the long-term rate of Incapacity Benefit), while everyone else in this category will receive a minimum of £89.50 a week. More...

20 March 2008: New guidance on the Care Programme Approach

Following the national consultation, Reviewing the Care programme Approach (CPA), the Department of Health has issued guidance updating policy and setting out positive practice guidance for trusts and commissioners to review local practice to refocus CPA within mental health services. The guidance states that "Care co-ordinators should promote access to employment information, advice and support, options for skill development and link with local employment agencies including Jobcentre plus. Currently, only 8% of case notes of people supported by Community Health Teams address vocational needs while 50% of service users want help with finding paid work. More...

18 March 2008: LSC seeks regional council members

The LSC, the organisation responsible for ensuring the delivery of high quality education and training for young people and adults, is looking for people to take up key positions on nine LSC Regional Councils. The Councils - established as part of the Further Education and Training Act 2007 - will inform the LSC’s decision making and make sure the Government’s strategy for education and skills works on the ground.

The LSC is looking for applications from people with a strong commitment to learning and skills. Regional Chairs will have senior level experience in business and Regional Council Members will have senior level experience in fields including business, further and higher education, schools, the voluntary sector, local government and trade unions. We are also keen to receive applications from individual learners - or organisations that can present the views of learners.

For more details and information on how to apply, please visit www.regionalcouncil.co.uk or email LSCappointments@dius.gsi.gov.uk for an application pack. Please note that the closing date for applications is Friday 28 March.

17 March 2008: Consultation on transfer of 16-19 education funding - LSC to be scrapped

DCSF and DIUS have issued a joint consultation on the transfer of planning and funding responsibilities for 16-19 year olds from the Learning and Skills Council to local authorities. The White Paper, Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver, proposes the widening of local authorities' responsibilities in the run up to the raising of the age for leaving education and training in England. The consultation also covers proposals for reforming the post-19 skills landscape. Local authorities will receive £7bn in annual funding for 16 to 19 year olds and there will be a new Skills Funding Agency created as a funding body for further education colleges. The deadline for responses is 9 June 2008. More...

17 March 2008: Ill health 'costs economy £100bn'

Dame Carol Black, the national director for health and work, has called for better ways of helping people who are sick get back to work. The report, Working for a Healthier Tomorrow, calculates that ill health costs the British economy over £100bn a year - the same as the cost of running the NHS for a year. Measures in the report include replacing sick notes with "well notes" stating what work somebody who may have health problems can actually do. Dame Carol is also proposing trials of a new Fit for Work service to provide access to specialists such as physiotherapists and counsellors for all employees in the early stages of sickness. The aim would be to take quick action to help these people stay at, or return to work. She also advocates that employers improve access to occupational health and do more to promote health in the workplace. More...

16 March 2008: Harmon calls for positive discrimination measures

Equalities Minister, Harriet Harmon, has called for companies to be given the ability to favour recruitment of women and candidates from minority groups. She argues that radical changes are needed to help talented black and female candidates break through barriers in business and public life. The positive discrimination plan would apply only in cases where two equally qualified candidates were after the same post, allowing the employer to tip the balance in favour of the minority candidate on grounds of race or gender. Poisitive discrimination is currently illegal in the UK though affirmative action has been used in the USA.

12 March 2008: Budget update

Today's budget sees several reforms that impact on welfare to work policies. Probably the most significant is the introduction of work capability assessments for existing incapacity benefit claimants. The key points are:

• From October 2009, rules for housing and council tax benefit will mean families on benefit are better off in work
• From April, 2009, child benefit will be increased to £20 a week
• From April 2010, all long-term recipients of incapacity benefit will attend work capacity programmes
• £60m over three years for equipping people to return to the workplace.

More...

11 March 2008: Carter and Carter goes into administration

The use of prime providers doesn't seem such a surefire winner after all. DWP staff are busy reviewing contracts after a Pathways to Work prime provider, Carter and Carter, called in the administrators. It issued two profit warnings last year and has been unable to restructure its debts. It is thought that some of its provision such as Train 2 Gain had not been performing as well as hoped. Last month, Instant Muscle also went into administration leaving staff unpaid and contracted provision without a provider.

8 March 2008: £6m for volunteering

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, has published the Government's response to the Commission on the Future of Volunteering report, Manifesto for Change. In it the Government accepts the majority of the Commission's recommendations and backs this up with £6million new investment. The Government has committed to:

• Invest £4million in new training programmes for volunteers and volunteer managers
• Invest £2million to create a new access to volunteering fund for disabled people
• Produce guidance to help avoid unnecessary criminal records checks being carried out
• Improve coordination of volunteering by civil servants
• Support existing events to promote volunteering

In addition, the Government will undertake further work on the viability of the recommendation to include volunteering in the inspection of public services. More...

5 March 2008: NMW increase announced for October

Gordon Brown has announced that the national minimum wage (NMW) will rise by more than the current rate of inflation later this year. The minimum hourly rate will rise from £5.52 to £5.73 with effect from October. The rate for 18-21 year olds will also increase from £4.60 to £4.77, while the 16-17 year old rate will rise from £3.40 to £3.53. More...

5 March 2008: Evaluation 0f the GP Education Pilot: Health And Work In General Practice

DWP has published findings of an evaluation of the GP Education Pilot, comprised of workshops delivered by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) during 2007. The workshops were designed to raise awareness of the evidence on the links between health and work, and increase engagement with these issues. The findings will contribute to the development of further measures to implement the government’s Health, Work and Wellbeing strategy.

The main findings are:

• Many GPs claimed to have received little or no training on health and work issues beyond sickness certification, and this affected their confidence in dealing with these issues in a clinical context.
• Levels of confidence in dealing with health and work issues rose after the workshop. For example, around a third (33%) of GPs were very or fairly confident advising on fitness for work before the workshop, compared to 79% immediately afterwards.
• There is some evidence that the workshops positively influenced GPs attitudes to health and work issues, as well as influencing the way they dealt with their patients. For example, immediately after the workshops, 95% of GPs agreed that the workshop made a strong case that health and work is an important issue that needs to be tackled, and over 90% agreed that it will make them think more about encouraging people to go back to work. Read the report...

4 March 2008: Jobcentre plus staff get an 80% approval rating

A survey of Jobcentre Plus customers has revealed that 80% of those using the service are happy with their experience. This rises to 89% for those dealing face to face with Jobcentre Plus advisers. More...

4 March 2008: Research into reasons for incapacity benefit claims

DWP have published research into the reasons why recent claimants have claimed Incapacity Benefit. Depression, stress, anxiety and musculoskeletal conditions continue to be the main reasons. Just over half of recent claimants had some connection with paid work immediately prior to their claim: 23 per cent had been in work and 33 per cent had been off sick from their job. Of those who had been working, 75 per cent were employees and 25 per cent were self-employed. More...

29 February 2008: Glencraft threatened with closure

Workers employed at Glencraft in Aberdeen say they will fight a decision by Aberdeen City Council to withdraw annual funding of £650,000. Management at Glencraft said the withdrawal of funding means the factory, which employs dozens of disabled employees, could shut as early as April. Glencraft general manager Anthony Pratt told BBC Scotland it was "absolutely appalling" news. Aberdeen Councillor, Kevin Stewart, said "A decision has therefore been taken to withdraw the £650,000 core funding and instead offer a one-off £300,000 to the business - and consider what can be done to support the staff group who would not manage to sustain mainstream employment." More...

28 February 2008: DWP publishes new commissioning strategy

DWP has published its new commissioning strategy. It sets out the Government's new strategic approach to the commissioning of employment programmes. It focuses on simplifying and rationalising the existing set of Welfare to Work contracts. The strategy also shows how the concerns of smaller organisations and charities will be addressed, to ensure that the department continues to utilise their expertise in helping those furthest from the labour market get back into work. Read the strategy...

Secretary of State, James Purnell announced a much greater focus on payments by results when awarding welfare-to-work contracts to the public, private and voluntary sectors in Great Britain. Providers will be paid to not just help the long-term unemployed into jobs – but to keep them there. According to the new strategy, organisations will have to offer jobseekers more creative and innovative ways of helping them to overcome their specific problems.

An increasingly significant proportion of the rewards paid to these specialist providers will be paid when someone has been in work for at least 6 months in the first instance, rising potentially to 18 months further down the line. This compares to the current system where only the first three months of a person’s employment are taken into account. In return, providers will be rewarded with longer and larger contracts. These contracts will last up to 5-7 years, instead of the current average of 3 years.

BASE is arguing strongly that changes to commissioning may threaten the viability of specialist disability employment providers and make local funding more vulnerable. The proposed Code of Conduct for prime and subcontractors offered little hope that the DWP can effectively enforce reasonable behaviour on prime providers. More...

27 February 2008: Business boost for asset transfers and community enterprise

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is joining forces with business to take a more active role in supporting local community enterprise by providing free expert advice in return for involvement in projects that transform disused buildings into vibrant community centres. More...

27 February 2008: Ivan Lewis announces £27m extra for Social Enterprise

Ivan Lewis has announced a £27 million funding boost for social enterprises, increasing the amount of money available through the Department of Health's Social Enterprise Investment Fund to £100 million. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund supports the development of social enterprises in health and social care such as women's refuges, migraine clinics and exercise programmes for the elderly, which take account of and address the needs of a wide range of patients and services users, particularly the most vulnerable and excluded. More...

26 February 2008: New training program to expand Psychological Therapies workforce

The Government has set out plans to deliver a £170 million investment in talking therapies. Health Secretary Alan Johnson has unveiled plans for a major new programme to train an extra 3,600 Psychological Therapists. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme is designed to help transform the lives of thousands of people with depression and anxiety disorders by offering them access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapies. More...

22 February 2008: Views sought on workplace health

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is consulting to seek views on draft guidance for employers on promoting mental wellbeing through productive and healthy working conditions. This will be used by the Institute's public health intervention advisory committee (PHIAC) to develop its recommendations. The consultation is open until 20 March. More...

21 February 2008: Purnell - Independence at the heart of the welfare state

James Purnell has spoken of the principles underlying welfare reform in a speech to the Social Market Foundation. You can see the full text on the website but he specifically spoke of disabled jobseekers when saying, "I also want us to ask whether we are doing enough to help disabled people into work. As we get more people in to work, we will release resources. Where do we need to improve the support we give to disabled people, so as to give them control over their lives, whatever their circumstances? Over the next few weeks, I want to sit down with disabled people, organisations representing them, people who have pioneered individual budgets, and address these questions before putting forward policy proposals." BASE will be taking up this offer. He also confirmed that, "over time and as resources permit our ambition is to transfer everyone on Incapacity Benefit to the Employment and Support Allowance." More...

21 February 2008: New advancement service will help Londoners get work

A new adult advancement and careers service will boost the city's skills by giving Londoners access to advice on housing, employment rights, childcare, finance and personal issues to help them overcome barriers to success at work. Two pilot services will be opened in London this year. The first, serving Southwark, Lambeth and Wandsworth, will build on the existing careers services to provide a range of joined up advice, guidance and support. The second pilot, to be developed in partnership with the Mayor, will focus specifically on the challenges facing people who already have a job but want to develop further skills, take more responsibility and earn higher wages. More...

20 February 2008: Purnell: New Sanctions Regime for those who try and play the system

A review into the way benefit claimants are sanctioned will pave the way for a more flexible, graduated system which gives advisers more ability to impose sanctions on those claimants who break the rules, according to Secretary of state for work and pensions, James Purnell. Purnell said, "I've asked Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, to lead a review which will include the sanctions applied to customers playing the system and how we might best use advisors' discretion in tailoring services to meet the needs of citizens. These new sanctions will tackle those people who can work and choose not to. For those who genuinely cannot work I want to look at the principle of individual budgets to see how we can give them more control over their lives." More...

20 February 2007: Johnson calls for new focus on work-health balance

Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, has called for all employers to do more to promote the health and well-being of their staff. He set out some key steps that employers and government must take:

• First, employers taking steps to promote health and well-being in the workplace;
• Secondly, government must work with employers to improve how we identify potential health risks - in particular around stress and mental health - and address these risks;
• And thirdly, government must do more to help those who able to work, but have been prevented from doing so by health reasons to get back into the workplace. More...

19 February 2008: NEETs told to work for their money

Out-of-work 18-year-olds will have to undertake at least four weeks of full time work or face losing their benefits. Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell, announced that from next April, every young person who has not been in employment, education or training for at least 26 weeks by their 18th birthday will be fast tracked to the intensive, Jobcentre Plus led, support and sanctions regime. They will have to prove that they are actively looking for work and engaging in work related activity - if they don’t their benefits will be stopped. More...

18 February 2008: Brown launches "benefits bonus plan"

Gordon Brown has set out plans for a new "contract out of poverty" that aims to reward families for meeting a range of citizenship targets. The Prime Minister said that the "benefit bonus" payments would be handed to deprived parents to allow families to escape "the daily injustices of poverty" as part of what he termed the Opportunity Revolution. Under the plans, alongside extra cash for getting a job and re-training, people could be rewarded for ensuring children attend school and visit the dentist regularly. More...

18 February 2008: Update on procurement activity for Flexible New Deal

In January, the Government announced plans for transforming Britain’s labour market and this included the introduction of a more flexible New Deal. The Department of Work and Pensions has now placed a note on their website to alert the provider community of forthcoming procurement activity for the sourcing of this flexible New Deal provision. More...

14 February 2008: Views sought on "Aiming Higher"

The Department of Health has produced a draft paper that explains the background of the 'core offer' for disabled children and their families. The core offer aims to set out clearly a national statement of expectations for how disabled children and their parents will be informed and involved as their needs are assessed and the necessary services provided. Funding over the next 3 years includes £19m for a transition support programme to help overcome challenges as disabled young people move into adulthood. A Public Sector Agreement (PSA 12) has been set on Children and Young People’s Health and Wellbeing and this will include an indicator on parental satisfaction. Comments should be sent to Elizabeth Rouse by 13 March. More...

12 February 2008: PAC report on effectiveness of employment programmes

The Public Accounts Committee has issued a report "Helping people from Workless Households into Work". It examines the effectiveness of the Department for Work and Pensions' employment programmes aimed at workless households in England, focusing on two programmes: the New Deal for Lone Parents; and the New Deal for Lone Parents and the New Deal for Partners. The report finds that these programmes are making a difference for those who take part, but more needs to be done to reach out to workless households and to increase awareness of the support available and help people to prepare for and find work. Read the report...

6 February 2008: First Grade 1 awarded to Workstep provider

Congratulations to Pure Innovations and their partners Bury EST, Training into Employment and Wigan SE for being awarded an overall Grade 1 by Ofsted for their Workstep provision. It's the first top grade to be awarded to a Workstep provider. Who said that partnerships can't work? Read the report...

5 February 2008: Minister confirms funding to combat worklessness

Councils in the most deprived areas of the country are to receive additional funding to tackle the acute problems their communities face. The New Working Neighbourhoods Fund follows the former Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Deprived Areas Fund, and directs central government funding to areas facing greater challenges as a result of high levels of worklessness and low levels of skills and enterprise. A total of 87 councils in the most deprived areas of the country will benefit from a share of £464.4m through the Working Neighbourhoods Fund in 2008-09. Mr Healey also published indicative allocations to councils for 2009-10 and 2010-11, taking the total Government commitment to the Fund over the Comprehensive Spending Review period to £1.5 billion. More...

6 February 2008: Inquiry into Lifelong Learning calls for evidence

The independent Commission of Inquiry into the future for lifelong learning, chaired by Sir David Watson, was launched in September 2007 and will report in Spring 2009. During the Inquiry, experts from government, business, academia, trade unions, public service, providers and the voluntary and community sector, as well as learners, will come together in a process to identify a broad consensus for the future direction of adult learning policy in the UK. The Inquiry will look at the critical issues that will face our society in coming decades, and identify how adult learning can equip us to meet these challenges. Eight key themes have been identified to provide a focus for the work, around which we will be issuing a number of calls for evidence. At present we are calling for evidence on the relationship between lifelong learning and Migration and Communities. Interested individuals and organisations are invited to submit written evidence to the Commission. The closing date for evidence is Thursday 20th March 2008. More...

5 February 2008: Flint links social housing and life chances

Housing Minister, Caroline Flint has spoken of the relationship between housing and life chances in a speech to the Fabian Society. The former Minister for Work argued that too many tenants in social housing experience worklessness and that support needs to be available on an outreach basis to improve life chances. She floated the idea that tenants sign commitment contracts when getting a tenancy, agreeing to actively seek work alongside better support. Read her speech...

5 February 2008: Lammy emphasises workplace skills

Skills Minister David Lammy has stressed the importance of reforming the vocational qualifications system to provide recognition for workplace skills. Read his speech...

05 February 2008 – Review of effectiveness of ESF global grants in increasing employability

DWP has published new research into the effectiveness of European Social Fund (ESF) Objective 3 Global Grants in moving disadvantaged individuals closer to the labour market. Global Grants are small grants, of up to £10,000, provided to non-governmental organisations that would otherwise be unable to access mainstream ESF funding. The research found that half had gained a qualification, 75% had improved employability and 90% had raised confidence and motivation. Read the report...

4 February 2008: Research published regarding Pathways to Work

The DWP has published two research documents regarding the Pathways to Work programme. The first evaluates the job preparation premium element of the Pathways to Work programme. The job preparation premium is a weekly payment of £20 for a maximum of 26 weeks for people who do some form of activity towards paid employment. Read the report...

The second report summarises the findings of a study on the mandatory requirements of the Pathways to Work programme and its disciplinary sanctions regime, ahead of the programme being rolled out nationally. Read the report...

4 February 2008: NAO examines employment rates for ethnic minorities

The National Audit Office has reported that, despite some progress, there is still a significant gap between the employment rate for the ethnic minority population and that for the general population which could take thirty years to eliminate. The Department for Work and Pensions’ strategy to tackle this has had some success, but in the NAO’s view has lacked continuity, adversely affecting efforts to reduce ethnic minority unemployment. The employment rate for the ethnic minority population is 60 per cent, and 74 per cent for the general population. The Department has achieved its 2003 - 06 Public Service Agreement target to reduce the employment gap and is on course to meet its Spring 2008 target. More...

31 January 2008: National Awards launched to celebrate employment success stories

National awards to celebrate the success of employers, employees and partners involved in Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) are being launched this week. The awards mark the first full year of a new partnership approach across England, Wales and Scotland to help long-term benefit claimants back into employment. Over 400 employers have already committed to the government scheme, which aims to realise the untapped potential across the country, and help 250,000 into sustainable employment by December 2010. More...

28 January 2008: Adventure Capital Fund to run £215m Futurebuilders fund

The Cabinet Office today announced its intention to appoint the Adventure Capital Fund (ACF) to manage the second phase of the Futurebuilders fund. Their appointment follows a rigorous tender process. ACF will be responsible for investing an additional £65million of government funds, on top of the £150m already made available to the Futurebuilders Fund, to develop third sector delivery of public services between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011. ACF will also manage the existing investments. Current investees and third sector organisations that have applications in the pipeline will not be affected. More...

28 January 2008: Ready for Work, Skilled for Work - Unlocking Britain's Talent

The Prime Minister has launched a document setting out how Government and employers can work together to unlock Britain's talent and help build a workforce with world-class skills. The launch featured no less than six Government Ministers underlining the importance attached to encouraging business to take a lead on delivering skills. Jointly published by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Ready to work, skilled for work describes the partnership Government wants to forge with employers to meet these challenges. More...

24 January 2008: Hain resigns, Purnell announced as new Secretary of State

Peter Hain has announced his resignation as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions following the row over undeclared donations to his unsuccessful campaign to become Deputy Prime Minister. James Purnell, formerly the Culture Secretary, has been named as his successor. James Purnell has previously worked within DWP as the Minister for Pensions. It has also been announced that Caroline Flint has moved from DWP to become the Minister for Housing with Stephen Timms being named as the new Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform. More...

22 January 2008: DWP agencies joining up to improve service

The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service are to be brought together into a single Agency - the Pension, Disability and Carers Service. The two existing Agencies increasingly share many of the same customers - over half of the customers of the Disability and Carers Service are also customers of The Pension Service and the proportion is growing as people live longer. Over time the new Agency will enable a better and more seamless service to be delivered to them. More...

21 January 2008: Increase announced for Workstep sustained progression payments

Peter Hain has announced a substantial increase to the payments for sustained progressions on the Workstep programme. The sustained progression payment will be increased fourfold from £500 to £2000 from April. The increase is designed to offer a greater incentive for providers to raise the progression rates on Workstep and is warmly welcomed by BASE. Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, confirmed the increase in a speech to delegates at the DWP/BASE consultation event in Edinburgh today. More...

18 January 2008: DCSF seeks views on youth support arrangements

Children’s Minister Beverley Hughes today launched a “call for evidence” to gather information, advice and views on the current youth sector support arrangements. The Government’s ten year youth strategy ‘Aiming high’ set out how it will deliver significant improvements in the quality of services for all young people. In order to deliver these improvements, collaboration across the sector and strong national leadership are crucial. The call for evidence is open to all professionals, volunteers and organisations working with, or set up for the benefit of young people, including those working in leisure, sport, youth justice and health services. The closing date fopr responses is 9 April 2008. More...

17 January 2008: Adult Learning Grant supports learners

the LSC is offering a £30 a week grant to many adult learners to help with the extra costs that learning can bring. The Learning and Skills Council has invested £35m in the national roll-out of the Adult Learning Grant (ALG). The weekly grant is designed to help adults studying full-time with the costs of learning. The grant pays up to £30 per week for full time learners aged 19 and over who are studying for certain qualifications. In a recent survey conducted by ICM Omnibus of 18 to 65-year-olds, the North West was found to have a high number of people who want to learn a new skill for 2008.

16 January 2008: Regulator publishes public benefit guidance for charities

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, has published general guidance for charities on public benefit. Under the Charities Act 2006, all charities must demonstrate that they are established for public benefit. The Act gives the Commission responsibility for issuing guidance, raising awareness about the public benefit requirement, and the task of judging whether a charity can demonstrate that its aims are charitable for the public benefit. The new guidance, Charities and Public Benefit – the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, identifies and explains two key principles of public benefit. These principles are (a) there must be an identifiable benefit, or benefits, and (b) the benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public. More...

16 January 2008: Oscar awards for boosting jobs

Councils who lead the way in boosting jobs and opportunities in their areas will be up for an ‘Oscars’ style award. The new award for ‘raising prosperity’ will go to top-performing areas at improving town centres, tackling unemployment, boosting skills and training and attracting investment. This could be through apprenticeships, mentoring for the long-term unemployed or improving transport links to bring jobs to an area. More...

15 January 2008: Government launches consultation on informal learning

The Government has launched a consultation on informal adult learning, or learning for which the gaining of qualifications is not the main purpose. It argues that developments such as this could be necessary if Government support for this education is to reflect the growing demands from learners. Many people are now making better use of the internet, other new technologies and the voluntary sector rather than traditional classroom based education. Responses must be received by 15 May 2008. More...

15 January 2008: Literature review on organisational learning, knowledge and capacity

The Department for Communitiers and LOcal Government has published a report presenting findings from a systematic literature review on how learning takes place between organisations and how institutional learning and knowledge transfer can be fostered. It outlines key implications for policy and practice, and the Beacon Scheme in particular. More...

14 January 2008: New Deal 10 years on - a Government perspective

The Government has produced a pamphlet detailing its views on progress in getting more people into work since the introduction of New Deal ten years ago. The document contains a list of further actions planned by the Government over the next few years. Read the report...

11 January 2008: BASE announces regional consultation events

BASE is organising regional events to consult on our response to the DWP report, 'Helping people achieve their full potential: improving specialist Disability Employment services'. The half day events take place through January and early February in London, Darlington, Bolton, Coventry and Gloucestershire. Further events are being organised in Scotland and Wales. The events are open to both members and non-members. More...

10 January 2008: Cameron sets out new plans for Conservatives' welfare reform

David Cameron and Chris Grayling have laid out their proposals for a welfare reform programme to "end the culture of long-term welfare dependency in this country and help make British poverty history". "Work for Welfare" sets out how a Conservative Government would help create stable families and a more responsible society through reform of the welfare system. Among the proposals, they envisage welfare-to-work services being provided by the private and voluntary sector on a payment by results basis and a time limit for out of work benefits so that people who claim for more than two years out of three will be required to join community work programmes. More...

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