Pathways to Work 02/06 Welcome Colin Billingsley jobcentreplus Liverpool and Wirral Pathways Implementation Manager

Pathways to Work 02/06 The Case for Change  Green Paper (published November 2002) set out a strategy for enabling people with health conditions to move into and remain in work  2.7 million people receiving Incapacity Benefit (IB) in May 2002  Duration on IB increasing – now averages 9 years compared to 3 years in 1985  Once people have been on IB for 1 year, their chances of returning to work diminish significantly

Pathways to Work 02/06 The Case for Change A million people claiming incapacity benefits say they would like to work 2 / 3 of IB claims due mainly to 3 moderate conditions: 35% mental health (stress, depression, anxiety), 22% muscular- skeletal (back/neck pain) and 11% cardio-vascular (Angina, blood pressure, respiratory illness) Medical research indicates work aids recovery/prevents further deterioration in many cases

Pathways to Work 02/06 The Case for Change  Most people don’t cite health as main barrier to return to work  Main barriers are:  Loss of confidence  Lack of skills  Lack of financial incentive

Pathways to Work 02/06 Process for New Customers  Mandatory Work Focused Interview (WFI) at Week 8 of claim  5 further WFIs at monthly intervals  Mandatory Work Focused Action Plan  Specially trained Incapacity Benefit Personal Advisers (IBPAs)  Screening and Exemptions to identify customers in most need of help  Earlier Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) and Capability Report

Pathways to Work 02/06 Choices  Immediate access to the full range of Jobcentre Plus provision, plus:  Condition Management Programme (CMP) – Focused on 3 groups of health conditions and delivered through local National Health Service (NHS)/Primary Care Trusts  Return to Work Credit (RTWC) – £40 per week for up to 52 weeks for customers taking a job paying less than £15,000 per annum  Day-one access to New Deal for IB customers moving onto Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)  In-Work Support

Pathways to Work 02/06 Key Elements of In-Work Support  Regular contact through an Aftercare Service  Help from a Job-coach  Support from a mentor  Occupational Health Support  More in-depth personal support  Financial advice and debt counselling

Pathways to Work 02/06 A Shared Agenda  NHS – Condition Management Programmes and GPs  Employers  Local and regional partners  Contracted providers  Voluntary Sector

Pathways to Work 02/06 Performance to-date  In the pilot Districts, job entries for sick and disabled customers have increased at a greater rate than in the rest of the country (including other rolled-out Jobcentre Plus offices) over the 2 years since  The number of customers leaving IB has increased at a greater rate than expected  Over 20% of customers attending an initial WFI go on to take up at least one element of the Choices package

Pathways to Work 02/06 Performance to-date  The following data is up to and including October 2005:  Around 8,000 customers enter Pathways per month – approximately 10% of these are volunteers  21,390 job entries  Choices starts – 19,600 – of which  CMP starts – 8,270  RTWC Awards – 12,290

Pathways to Work 02/06 Expansion Districts  The Jobcentre Plus Districts involved are:  Phase 1 – 31 October 2005: Cumbria, Glasgow, Lancashire West, Tees Valley  Phase April 2006: Barnsley, Rotherham & Doncaster, South Tyne & Wear Valley, Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Liverpool & the Wirral, Manchester Central, Swansea Bay & West Wales  Phase 3 – 30 October 2006: Eastern Valleys, Greater Mersey, Staffordshire

Pathways to Work 02/06 The Future  DWP published its 5 year strategy in February 2005 announcing changes to Incapacity Benefit, building on the success and momentum of Pathways to Work  A Pathways to Work type service will roll out nationally – timescale to be decided  In addition there will be: a more active role for employers; more back to work support provided by the NHS; healthier workplaces  Current timescales for new benefit uncertain - not before end 2008  Welfare Reform Green Paper was published January 2006

Pathways to Work 02/06 Positive Feedback from IBPAs “Pathways to work offers people a real chance to get back to work, knowing that they have the complete backing and support of an Adviser to help find a suitable job. This could include training or work preparation courses, to help build confidence, or support to manage their health condition so that they can return to work. Whatever the issue, we are here to help.” IBPA, Gateshead & South Tyneside District

Pathways to Work 02/06 Positive Feedback from Employers “Pathways to Work is about learning and teaching for both the employer and employee but it’s also about good practice and on going support. Disability, disadvantaged, disabled. Words that I had some experience of as my mother had cancer, suffered a stroke and then a heart attack. A few years ago I suffered an MI, or heart attack. When I returned to work, I was told I was half a man and they didn’t want me. I wish that Pathways to Work had been around when I was ready to return to work.” Philip Parkinson, Chief Executive, Philip Parkinson Healthcare

Pathways to Work 02/06 Further Information  Original Pathways to Work Green Paper (published November 2002)  Five Year Strategy (published February 2005)  Welfare Reform Green Paper (published January 2006)