Work & Employment

Government signals launch of their employment reforms

David Freud and Chris Grayling (above), have launched the Government’s proposals for welfare reform at an event for suppliers in London. The event did not cover the future of specific programmes but set a direction of travel based on the concept of individual responsibility and system fairness. DWP will be contacting prime contractors from Monday to discuss more detailed proposals and a further statement is expected in about two weeks. 

Chris Grayling said that the Government wants a radical simplification of welfare to work policy. New longer term contracts would balance risk and reward and allow a return on investment. Payments would be made for sustainable job outcomes over a period of up to three years using the Del-Ame approach. He encouraged providers to form consortia and suggested that they could employ prime contractors who had sufficient capital base to finance delivery chains. Pricing would reflect the challenges and there would be no differentiation on the profitability of helping the easiest or hardest to reach customers. He said there was “a renewed enthusiasm for helping the most vulnerable”. 

David Freud stated that “today we hit the accelerator and reforms will be as fast and wide as possible”. He promised a hands-off approach to providers and a black box approach to contracts saying that Government just wanted to pay for jobs. Sustainability would be at the heart of programme policy. Work was still needed on pricing mechanisms but he expected the payment structure to encourage creativity, individualisation and specialisation. 

There was mention of revising the work capability assessment, support for self-employment, better incentives to move from benefits into work, a continued commitment towards conditionality and sanctions and even some hints that Jobcentre Plus responsibilities might be transferred in some areas. Jobcentre Plus will have a triage role in the new framework, assessing individual customer needs. 

There was no specific mention of Work Choice but the procurement is now expected to go ahead as planned. Certainly, it will be easier to integrate Work Choice into the new Work Programme in the future with fewer prime contractors involved.  

Some issues remain to be clarified. While there was recognition of the importance of specialists within delivery chains and a commitment to creating an environment in which they can thrive, it is clear that the Government expects the sector to shape itself. It is hard to see how Government can influence supply chain management if it does not want to get involved in market stewardship. There was also mention of minimising inspection requirements but work will be needed to address safeguarding issues.

Source: British Association for Supported Employment (BASE)
Website: http://www.base-uk.org

Young Persons Guarantee launched by PM

The Prime Minister recently officially launched the Young Persons Guarantee. This guarantees 18 to 24 year olds who have been unemployed over six months an offer of a job, training or work experience. 

This is a major part of the Government’s Backing Young Britain initiative to support young people during the recession.  The Guarantee will be supported by over 400,000 Government funded training places, internships, work experience places and job opportunities.  

All young people will get support from a named personal adviser who will advise them on the options available to help them into work. 

From January Jobcentre Plus will introduce dedicated teams providing ‘named Adviser’ support to 18 - 24 year olds including:

• additional flexible Adviser support in the first 13 weeks;

• weekly signing and additional Adviser support between 13 and 26 weeks;

• intensifying the level of Adviser support for 18 - 24 year olds between 6 and 10 months (effectively applying the existing Adviser resource over 4 months instead of 6);

• providing over 100,000 additional opportunities including: Future Jobs Fund (FJF) jobs; work-focused training, internships and routes into work;

From April young people will be required to take up one of the offers by the 10 month point of their claim.

Offers include:

• Jobs options, supported by a £1,000 subsidy for the employer. We have also created thousands of extra jobs in the community through the FJF;

• Training – from short courses to prepare for jobs in particular sectors up to full time courses lasting 3 - 6 months;

• Work experience in the form of internships and places on the Community Task Force.

Download leaflet

www.dwp.gov.uk

Government paper "Realising Ambitions" available for download

On 7 December 2009 Rachel Perkins, Paul Farmer and Paul Litchfield delivered their independent report on mental health and employment “Realising ambitions: Better employment support for people with a mental health condition” to the Department for Work and Pensions.

You can download the report from our Work and Employment/Evidence and Policy pages here.

Reforming the "sick note"

The current medical certificate (or 'sick note') makes fitness for work a black and white issue - either an individual is fit to work or they are not. In doing so it masks the reality that with simple adjustments many people could be supported to undertake work while specific conditions are being treated. For the individual this can lead to a detachment from the workplace and a drift towards inactivity (and probable poverty and social exclusion). For employers it means bearing higher costs associated with sickness absence.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is consulting on reforms to the current medical certificate to ensure that it better informs individuals and their employers about when and how it is appropriate to support someone back to work.

Read more here

Shift Line Managers' Resource updated

Shift has published an updated version of the Line Managers' Resource, a document that gives practical advice to managing and supporting people with mental health conditions in the workplace (download here).

The resource is written for managers and recognises that workplace settings are vast and very diverse. It offers practical advice on managing and supporting people who are experiencing stress, distress and mental health conditions.

You can use it both to learn good practice in preparation for when an employee or employees are off on mental health grounds and to support their return to work.

The resource aims to directly address the fear, ignorance and stigma around engaging with someone experiencing mental health problems. The key message is that it is important to talk openly and with trust. The guide suggests practical steps that you and your employees can take together to: 

• match the job requirements with the employee’s capabilities
• maintain regular contact with staff to identify any problems early
• talk at an early stage of distress to prevent the problem escalating
• keep in touch during sickness absence to offer support and plan for the return to work
• achieve a successful return to work
• manage a long-term illness whilst remaining in work, and
• access sources of support and information.

The accompanying website (http://www.shift.org.uk/employers) also provides advice and information for employees to help them to assess their own needs and plan for meetings with their manager. 

This resource has been developed by Shift, the Department of Health’s programme to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding people with mental health conditions in England. It is part of Shift’s Action on Stigma initiative aimed at supporting employers to promote good mental health and reduce discrimination. This resource is a revised edition of the original Line Managers’ Resource (LMR) published in 2007. The original LMR was itself an update of the Mind Out for Mental Health Line Managers’ Resource published in 2003. 

Shift have produced this resource in partnership with the Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions, Health and Safety Executive, Cross-Government Health Work Wellbeing Delivery Unit and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. 

Find out more about these partners: http://shift.org.uk/employers/aboutus

Employment specialists required for survey

Rachel Perkins, Director of Quality Assurance and User/Carer Experience at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, has been asked by the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions to undertake an independent review into how more people with mental health problems can be supported into work.  The findings from this survey will feed directly into the work Rachel is currently undertaking within the review. 

The Trust would be very grateful if you could spare a maximum of 10 minutes to complete the survey and to please pass this email and the link to the survey to other Employment Specialists you know so they can maximise possible responses. 

Closing date is 10 August 2009. 

Link to survey 

Job Vacancy

Employment Outreach Support Officer
ref: BRO415

Company: Broomleigh Housing Association

Salary: £25,970

Contract: Temporary

Location: Bromley

Close date: 22/04/2009

Interview date: 29/04/2009

Description: To identify and recruit individuals from the Cray Valley region and Orpington including individuals from the Gypsy Traveller communities and to support them in resolving issues preventing them from accessing employment and/or learning opportunities
Click here for full Job Description

Conditions:

Extra information: You will undergo a CRB check for this position. This is a full time post working 36 hours/week on a fixed term contract for 24 months.

Person spec: Click here for person Specification

Selection criteria: No Selection Criteria required

Extra information:

Documents:

 Application Form (Word) | Application Guidance Notes |

Job Vacancy

Work Placement and Employment Officer
ref : BRO416

Company: Broomleigh Housing Association

Salary: £21,967

Contract: Temporary

Location: Bromley

Close date: 22/04/2009

Interview date:12/05/2009

Description: To manage a high quality service bringing work placement and employment opportunities to employment programme participants
Click here for full Job Description

Conditions:

Extra information: You will undergo a CRB check for this post. This is a part time vacancy for a fixed term of 24 months. You will work part time Tues - Fri, 29 hours/week

Person spec: Click here for person Specification

Selection criteria: No Selection Criteria required

Extra information:

Documents:

Application Form (Word) | Application Guidance Notes |

Keep Britain Working!

Johnson And Purnell Respond To Dame Carol Black Report

More people being helped to stay in work rather than drifting into extended sick leave is the focal point of a package of initiatives announced today by Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell and Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

The announcements come in response to Dame Carol Black's groundbreaking report into the health of Britain's working age population, which was published in March.

The package will support disabled people or those who become ill to return to, or stay in work, by helping them manage their condition and get the right help to keep their jobs. 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.

Other proposals include:

• 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.

Alan Johnson (right) said:

"Sick leave costs an estimated £100 billion per year - but helping people stay in work doesn't just have an economic imperative, it has a moral and social one too. Poor health can prevent people fulfilling their potential, leaving them more likely to slip into poverty and social exclusion.
"That is why we have set out a comprehensive framework to help support employers and the NHS encourage individuals back into the world of work as soon as possible.
"I'm particularly pleased to announce a review of the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce, which will benefit staff and help drive up the quality of care for patients."

Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell (right) said:

"Now more than ever it's important to help people who are sick to stay in work so that they can support themselves and their families.

"These proposals will help do just that. Everyone has the right to work and we want to design a fair system which supports people so they can work when they are able.
"We also plan to extend the help available for small businesses so they have the tools they need to be able to support employees with health problems carry on working if they can or return to work as soon as they are ready."

Dame Carol Black (right), National Director for Health and Work said:

"I welcome this response and am glad to see that the Government has taken on board my recommendations and is committed to action. I am especially pleased the fit note and the Fit for Work pilots will be implemented along with support for small businesses.

"I believe the measures unveiled by the Government will help make our society a healthier and happier one, where everyone recognises the link between good health and good work.  "But to ensure it happens we need to work together to change attitudes and behaviours. The Government has taken this first important step, but we need to work in partnership, with business leaders, employers and individuals all having a role to play."

In response to the Government's announcement that it will impliment Dame Carol Black's proposals, Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer (right) said:

"Many people with mental health problems want to work, but lack of support both in work and during sickness absence present considerable barriers in allowing people to remain in employment. Currently, people can be signed off work and lose contact with their workplace altogether, making it increasingly difficult to return. Mind welcomes the Government's plans to turn 'sick notes' into 'fit notes', which if properly implemented, should allow people to remain in work while managing their recovery and prevent them from becoming alienated from working life.
"However, GPs aren't occupational health experts, and a person who is able to do work-related tasks necessarily able to cope with the working environment. GPs will need to be extremely sensitive to ensure that people's needs are properly assessed. For the system to work, doctors and employers need to cooperate closely so that healthcare and employment support work together to retain a mentally healthy workforce."

Workplace wellbeing expert Water (for Work and Home) has praised the government's endorsement, and their managing director, Ben McGannan (right) said:

"We welcomed Dame Carol Black's review earlier this year as it moved the issue of health in the workplace up the agenda for government, health professionals and businesses. But the Government endorsement shows a real commitment to address health issues at work. In particular, their commitment to funding for health and wellbeing measures in the workplace and the proposed introduction of the Business Health check tool acknowledges the benefits of the essential preventative measures that can have such a positive impact on the nation's workforce. 175 million working days were lost to illness in 2006 and the cost of employee sickness to British business is £13 billion a year, so, as it says in the review, good health is good business."

Employers must work on mental health

As the first of the Government's measures to get people back to work have been recently introduced, Mind reveals shocking new evidence that employers are not willing to take on people who have experience of mental distress and that they are failing staff by not providing adequate mental health support.

Unemployment is expected to hit 2 million by the end of the year and with employees anxious about the security of their jobs, Mind fears that employers are not doing enough to protect the wellbeing of their staff.

A snapshot poll by Mind found that:

• 58% had to leave a job because of lack of mental health support
• 31% had been sacked or forced out of a job after disclosing a mental health problem
• 26% had been demoted after disclosing a mental health problem
• 1 in 4 had job offers withdrawn after disclosing a mental health problem which is illegal under the Disability Discrimination Act

Mind believes that many employers are not working hard enough to support and retain their staff resulting in people being forced out of jobs and getting caught in the benefits system. Over 200,000 people with mental distress flow from work onto benefits every year, and more action is needed to ensure that employers help people to remain in work.

Thousands of people who are already stuck in the benefits trap will be affected by the introduction of the Work Capability Assessment today. Many will be pushed onto Job Seeker's allowance, placing all the emphasis on the individual to find work yet no pressure is applied to employers to recruit people with mental health problems. People with experience of mental distress have the highest want to work rate of any disabled group, and although 9 in 10 want to work, the government's own research has shown that fewer than 4 in 10 employers are willing to take them on.

Speaking on lack of support in the workplace, one service user told Mind:

"I went to HR and explained several times I was ill, being bullied and felt suicidal. They didn't know what to do, and they did nothing. I had several meetings to talk about what was happening, and nothing came of it. They were totally ineffective. I was telling them I was suicidal. I could have ended up dead, and they would have borne some responsibility for that.

"It's so simple to do it properly. It's not rocket science, talking to people and finding out what can be done to help. I hated that job, the environment, how I had been treated and I left."

Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer (right) said:
"The vast majority of people with mental health problems want to work, but they face enormous challenges in finding and staying in employment. People with mental distress face a double dose of discrimination - they are discriminated against when they apply for jobs and discriminated against when they are in a job. Mind hears of terrible examples of bullying in the workplace, people being passed over for promotion or even demoted. For many people, it's not unwillingness to work, but rather stigma, misunderstanding and mismanagement that stop people from enjoying fulfilling working lives."

"While we welcome the government's commitment to provide extra support to get people back into employment, it won't work without requirements being put on employers. If businesses refuse to adapt their practices then people with mental health problems will not fit easily into the government's welfare reform proposals."

"Businesses must recognise that the health and welfare of their employees affects their bottomline and that looking after staff who are experiencing mental distress makes economic sense, especially in the current financial climate."

Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive of Employers' Forum on Disability, said:
"The Government needs to be looking at this issue from both sides of the fence and build plans that reflect the needs of both employers and employees. Employers need to be given an insight into how they can apply best practice and managers need to be supported so that they have the confidence to help employees experiencing mental distress."

Mind is calling for:

• A stronger message from Government on their expectations of employers
• A duty on employers to carry out mental health risk assessments of their workplaces, policies and practices
• Measures to change employer discrimination through better enforcement of legislation and or appropriate incentives
• A right for employees to request flexible working on mental health (or health/disability) grounds and to qualify for disability leave.
• The implementation of the proposals of the Dame Carol Black review to help to improve early intervention and retention and through joined up case management

One step from benefits to work

It will now be easier for people to move from benefits into work, as they will only have to make one call to update their details, ensuring they are getting the right in-work entitlements and that it pays to work.

Ministers announced the national roll-out of this initiative at a Jobcentre Plus centre in Clapham, London. This follows a successful pilot between Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and local authorities to speed up the benefit and credit claims process for customers who move in and out of employment.

Stephen Timms (right), Financial Secretary to the Treasury said: "The pilots have shown that people are more confident in the 'one stop' approach to claiming benefit and tax credits we have been trialling. This will smooth the transition of people from work to benefits and back again. In the modern work marketplace that will be a welcome boost to employers, the economy and most importantly the individual customers themselves."

DWP Minister Lord McKenzie (left) said: "We hope by speeding up the process for benefit and credit payment in this way more people will be encouraged to take up opportunities for short term work where in the past they might have been put off by a lengthy process of informing all the relevant bodies.

"By providing a single point of contact for customers seeking support when either in or out of work, we can provide a more efficient service to our customers as well as reduce the likelihood of overpayments.

"Along with tax credits and the national minimum wage we are committed to making work pay, giving people the chance to support themselves and their families."

Previously, each relevant department had to be notified separately about a change in work circumstances - the DWP for out of work benefits, HMRC for tax credits and the local authority for housing benefit. Now DWP, through Jobcentre Plus will collect this information once and share it with HMRC and the local authority, reducing the time it takes to make the appropriate alteration to a worker's benefits by up to 15%.

The phased, national roll out of this cross government initiative is expected to be completed over the next 18 months. The first fourteen areas to benefit will be Borders, West Dunbartonshire, Clackmannanshire, Inverclyde, St Helens, Gateshead, North East Derbyshire, Sunderland , Kings Lynn & West Norfolk, Guildford, Plymouth, Caerphilly, Southwark and Tower Hamlets.

ESA replaces Incapacity Benefit

Yesterday marked the end of Incapacity Benefit for new claimants and the era of writing people off and marks the dawn of a new benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, designed to give people the support they need to improve their health, their skills and look for work.

The new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is tailor made for disabled people and people with ill-health and is part of the Government's radical welfare reforms, which aim to get 1 million people off incapacity benefits by 2015.

From today new claimants who cannot work due to ill-health or disability will be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Within weeks of making a claim, customers will have their capability assessed by an expert health professional through the new Work Capability Assessment. The new assessment is designed to look at what people can do rather than what they can't - and will ensure that those who can work are given the help and support they need to get back to work and will make sure that no-one is written off and consigned to a life on benefits.

People who are assessed as having the severest disabilities or health conditions will go into the 'support group' and get more money - the poorest of receiving a minimum of £102.10 per week. Everyone else will go into the 'work group.'

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell (right) said:

"In the 1990s people were written off on Incapacity benefit with no help to overcome their problems or support to get them into work. It is even more important during an economic downturn that we increase support for people not take it away."

"The introduction of Employment and Support Allowance, which marks a significant landmark for the delivery of our welfare reforms, will offer the help and support disabled people and people with ill health are telling us they want in order for them to get back to work."

Employment and Support Allowance replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support on the grounds of incapacity for new claimants only. Incapacity Benefit and Income Support continue in payment for existing customers.

ESA claimants who are assessed as being able to prepare for work, will be required to engage in a back to work programme and assigned a personal adviser who will help them overcome any specific barriers to work, including having a skills check and getting involved in work experience opportunities. People identified as being in the 'support group' can engage with these back to work programmes on a voluntary basis.

Purnell: Targeted support for those with mental health issues to stay in work

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 rather than move onto benefits, announced James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (08/10/08). 

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.

Crucially, the support will be available when it is needed, waiting in reserve to respond quickly when mental health deteriorates or problems emerge. From autumn a programme will be piloted in London to test the demand and monitor the effects.

Announcing the pilot in a speech to the Social Market Foundation (SMF), James Purnell said:

"Depression, anxiety, phobia and severe stress often take a heavy toll on individuals and their families, yet stigma and ignorance still surround these often hidden conditions. In the UK mental health problems cost the economy of Great Britain more than £40 billion each year - nearly two-thirds of this is the impact on people's ability to work.

"We know work is generally good for people's health and well-being so we need to take steps to intervene earlier and support people before it is ever a serious issue.

"Statutory Sick Pay alone costs employers over £1 billion each year- the Government and employers must work together to bring that cost down by recognising that work can in fact aid recovery and give people their independence back.

"The Pilot I am announcing today will direct money specifically to this problem, looking to help people with mental health issues to manage their conditionthe The and remain in work rather than slip onto benefits."

Speaking at the SMF, James Purnell also welcomed a report the think tank has issued looking at how more people with mental health issues can be helped back into work.

James Purnell said:

"The SMF report mirrors many of our own recommendations from previous reports and agrees that we should focus on what patients can do, rather than what they can't.

"We are sure in the future we can successfully integrate our Fit for Work pilots better into communities by challenging local areas to pioneer these services, and pool funding from across health, skills and work budgets to give them critical mass."

Steps into Employment - Students Needed!

The Steps into Employment (WorkNet Orpington) course is very low on students, and urgently requires applicants to enrol as soon as possible.

Please contact Wendy Alder either by e-mail: WAlder@orpington.ac.uk or phone on 0208 302 7668 (Wednesday & Thursdays only) to discuss possible students and how we can accommodate their attendance.

We are very flexible in our approach to the clients you support and will do our best to enable them to attend and achieve a recognised qualification.

For full details on the course please click here

Would you like Mediation Training?

A possible two-day Mediation Training course has been earmarked for November/December 2008, depending on the number of interested applicants.

The cost of this training is £300 per head, and will cover the costs of actors for role-plays.

Please contact Roger Butterworth at rogerbutterworth@hotmail.com no later than the 18th September if you are interested in attending.

Download flyer (PDF)

Bradford & Bingley sign for Charter

Bradford & Bingley plc has become the latest employer, and the first FTSE company, to sign the Charter for Employers who are Positive About Mental Health.

Led and supported by employers, the MINDFUL EMPLOYER^® initiative is aimed at increasing awareness of mental health at work and providing support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.

Latest news release

Mindful Employer website

Mindful Employer news release

Led and supported by employers, the MINDFUL EMPLOYER^® initiative is aimed at increasing awareness of mental health at work and providing support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.

Latest news release

Mindful Employer website

Mental health and employment: Meeting the challenge

THE DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

Mental health and employment - meeting the challenge

Report from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Peter Hain)

Download as a PDF file