1. Part of the Department for Work and Pensions Phil Harrison Employer and Partnerships Manager WESSEX NEWS Update 2 – July 2011 Welfare Reform in Wessex Contents: Jobcentre Plus transformation Government announces £3m extra for disabled people’s organisation Welfare Reform Update Get Britain Working Updates Supporting the young into work & Other Wessex News in Brief Other News Welcome to the second edition of WESSEX NEWS. In this second edition of our newsletter you will read more about the Work Programme and a progress report of what is happening in Wessex is included. We have also seen announcements about the extension of Work Experience to 16/17 year olds and a £3m fund to support the delivery of services to disabled people. I will continue to keep you informed of all the key changes affecting the way in which we deliver our service and I hope you will find the content of this newsletter helpful. Feel free to send your comments and suggestions for future editions.

2. Jobcentre Plus transformation What is happening The Government has set out an ambitious programme of reform and transformation for the support offered to people out of work. The introduction of Universal Credit and Work Programme will provide significant challenges and opportunities for Jobcentre Plus. We will become a leaner organisation which delivers a more flexible service making the most of customer preference for the telephone and internet. Achieving this involves making better use of our estate, to ensure we are getting best value for money. Following discussions with our staff and their representatives to determine what criteria should be used, it was announced on 13 May 2011 that we are to close a number of our contact centres and benefit processing centres. What sites are affected in Southern England Group? They are Exeter and Totton Benefit Centres and Yeovil Maternity Allowance Delivery Centre. We anticipate that the sites will start to close early next year and that staff will be offered alternative employment at a different location. These closures will not affect the service we offer. Customers do not have direct contact with our benefit processing sites – benefit enquiries are dealt with in our contact centre network. Our contact centre network is virtual, meaning that calls are routed to the next available agent no matter where they are in the country.

3. Government announces £3m extra for disabled people’s organisation On 11 May 2011, the Government announced an extra £3m for disabled people’s grassroots organisations to better deliver services disabled people really need. Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller said: "Disabled people should have choice and independence in how they live their lives. Organisations run by, and for, disabled people play a vital role in making sure they have their voices heard at every level. Grassroots organisations are the experts in their local communities. That is why we are investing £3million to help these organisations play an even greater role in shaping the decisions that will affect their lives”. As part of the scheme, user-led organisations will be able to bid for a share of money for specific projects that will make a significant difference to their development and sustainability. The fund will be discretionary and User- led organisations will have a say in how it will be administered and the criteria for receiving a grant will be. When can bids be made? User-led organisations will be able to bid for the extra money from July 2011. To read the full briefing go to DWP newsroom website using the link below £3m extra for disabled people’s organisations

4. There are three major elements to the Government’s plans for changes to the Welfare Bill and welfare to work systems What is in the Welfare Reform Bill? Information on what is included in the Welfare Reform Bill can be found on the following link Welfare Reform Bill Get Britain Working/ Work Programme Updates will be provided as information is received see Get Britain Working Incapacity Benefit Reassessment An IT system upgrade has been introduced from 23rd May which should enable Jobcentre Plus to save time and money when reassessing the 1.5 million Incapacity Benefit (IB) customers within the laid down timescales. Currently 11,000 letters per week are being issued to customers to start the reassessment process. How will the reassessment affect customers? For the latest information about IB reassessment as well as the latest stakeholders information pack go to Incapacity Benefit – reassessing claims - DWP Universal Credit DWP will be responsible for organising the Delivery of Universal Credit. It has now been decided that this will best be delivered using existing resources and deploying the best operational units within Jobcentre Plus and HMRC, to begin the transition to Universal Credit from October 2013 Where can I find out more about Universal Credit? For the latest briefing notes go to the following link Universal Credit briefing notes - DWP Welfare Reform Update

5. What is Get Britain Working? Get Britain Working includes a number of measures to support Jobcentre Plus customers, including pre-Work Programme Support, the Work Programme, Work Experience and Sector – based work academies. As part of the pre-Work Programme Support, Mandatory Work Activity will give those customers identified as most in need of support, an opportunity to develop skills and behaviours that we know are widely valued by employers and that can help them in looking for employment. Who are the Wessex Providers? Working Links and Prospects cover Dorset and Somerset while JHP Group Ltd and Rehab-Jobfit cover Swindon and Wiltshire Who will deliver Mandatory Work Activity? Rehab-Jobfit has the contract for Wessex. This went live on 23 May. The district has been allocated 427 places over a 12 month period. So far 3 referrals have been made. What’s happened so far? DWP are still working with all the preferred bidders to finalise the contracts. Jobcentre Plus is continuing to engage with all the preferred bidders including those across the Southern Group to establish a close working relationship and to ensure they have a full understanding of the local labour market and to develop the appropriate processes for referring customers. An event was held in Swindon on3 May which gave the preferred bidders who will be working in the Southern Group an opportunity to meet the Southern Group Director, Paul Williams, and to network with all the Jobcentre Plus District Managers and their senior managers. The Work program contract has been finalised in Wessex and started on the 13 th June 2011 Get Britain Working Update

6. Work Experience Work Experience is one of the additional support measures that Jobcentre Plus can use to help individuals into work prior to them becoming eligible for referral to the Work Programme. This offer was first launched in January 2011 for 18 – 21 year olds. In April, under a Budget announcement this was extended to young people 18 – 24, with an additional 80,00 placements to be available for young people to March 2013 making 100,000 placements in total. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister further announced on 12 May 2011 that the Work Experience programme will also be available to those 16/17 year old recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions and Business Innovation and Skills expect these extensions to be deliverable later this year once the required amendments to regulations are made. For signposting to the appropriate Account Manager please contact me in the first instance – Gill Stockley on 01305 328108 or e-mail gill.stockley@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.ukgill.stockley@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk Will more employers in Wessex sign up to Work Experience? Our Account Managers are actively engaging and negotiating with employers to increase the opportunities for Work Experience across the district. What’s the situation in Wessex? In Wessex we currently have 102 employers signed up to Work Experience. Swindon JCP achieved a fantastic 23 Work Experience starts in June while Taunton JCP had the 100 th start in the district. A Swindon employer took on a customer who turned out to be so good they offered her a job despite officially not having a post! An employer in Dorset provided the following comments ‘ When your Work Experience candidate came to us, she was enthusiastic, willing to learn and was an asset from day one. We did not have a position available. It was only because of her willingness to work that I created a part-time post for her of 20 hours per week. She is now working full-time from June 2011. I can fully support this initiative and would recommend it to other employers’. Get Britain Working Update contd

7. Sector – based work academies These are one of the Get Britain Working measures and part of the wider Jobcentre Plus Employer Offer ( England only ). They will be driven by sector demand to meet the requirements of our customers and employers. Sector-based academies will last for a maximum of 6 weeks and consist of three elements : pre-employment training; a work experience placement; and a guaranteed job interview. The pre-employment training element will be delivered by Further Education Colleges and other Skills Funding Agency contracted training organisations. The eligibility criteria will be kept simple to 18+ customers claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Employment Support Allowance ( work related activity group ) and who are close to the labour market. These sector- based work academies are scheduled to go live in August 2011 and currently Jobcentre Plus are working with employers to determine the most appropriate offer to meet local needs. Get Britain Working Update contd Enterprise Clubs Enterprise Clubs are an initiative to help people who are out of work and are considering starting their own business or becoming self-employed. They will be available to our customers from the start of their benefit claim. Amongst the services they might offer are: the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and self-employed people; guidance through the process of setting up in business, from writing a business plan to awarding a start up grant; office services (including internet access); and advice about benefits and in-work support. Enterprise Clubs will also help those people who have just started their own small business. New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) in Wessex We have had bids in for the mentoring services for NEA and assessment of applications for Wessex District have taken place. The successful applicant will be notified mid July. NEA will go live in this district from 1 August 2011.

8. Supporting the Young into Work -The Government will invest £60 million over the next three years to support the most vulnerable young people in finding work. On 12 May the Prime Minister committed to : Increase the capacity of Jobcentre Plus to support the 5,000 most disadvantaged 16 to 17 year olds claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance on grounds of hardship. Give these claimants access to the Work Experience and Work Clubs under the Get Britain Working measures. Provide more early access Work Programme places to vulnerable 18 year olds who are likely to be struggling to make the transition from education to work. A new £10 million per annum Innovation Fund to give delivery organisations, in particular the voluntary and community sector, a real chance to develop innovative solutions to help disadvantaged people, particularly young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training ( NEET ). The announcement also referred to existing plans for Jobcentre Plus to deliver from August this year the 50,000 pre employment training and work experience places through sector-based work academies as mentioned earlier. Supporting the young into work & Other Wessex News in Brief What else is happening in Wessex? Wiltshire Work Grant Work Grant, a unique partnership project between JCP, Wiltshire Council and 15 local employers was launched in February 2011. It is aimed at people who have been claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for two years or more. The partnership have created and filled jobs for 40 very long term unemployed, halving the number of people claiming JSA for two years or more from 90 to 45.Workshops have been run to support people to take up these opportunities and successfully adapt to the changes in their circumstances. Employers have offered exceptional support to their employees which has been a huge factor in it’s success. The Skills Agenda – Bournemouth & Poole College & Wiltshire College began delivering their employability programme from 20 June. Sarah Gough and her team are currently identifying what all of the colleges in Wessex district will be delivering from August 2011.

9. Addiction Since April 2009, a referral process has been in place in Jobcentre Plus to refer customers who may volunteer information about their use of drugs, specifically heroin and or crack cocaine, to a treatment discussion. From 6 June 2011, this now applies to any drug and/or alcohol and to customers claiming any benefit. This support forms part of the wider pre-Work Programme and gives those who choose to take steps to address their addiction the time and space to focus on their recovery while continuing with their journey into work. Partnership Managers have had discussions with their local drug treatment providers. Other News Disability Living Allowance Reform In December 2010 – DWP published "Disability Living Allowance reform", a formal public consultation on proposed reforms to Disability Living Allowance (DLA). This document set out the Government's plans to replace Disability Living Allowance with a new cash benefit, called Personal Independence Payment (PIP). It will be introduced from 2013/14. In February 2011 consultation closed. More than 5,000 individual responses and over 500 responses from disability organisations were received. The Government published its response to the DLA Reform public consultation on 4 April 2011. In May 2011 an initial draft of proposals for the PIP assessment criteria were published together with an explanatory technical note which outlines plans for refinement and testing of the initial draft criteria. DWP is keen to hear views from disabled people and their organisations on this initial draft between now and 1 August 2011 Changes to Crisis Loans service hours If customers need financial help with an emergency or disaster they may be able to get a Crisis Loan. They will need to pay it back but there will not be any interest to pay. New – From 20 June telephone lines have been extended and are open from 8.00am until 6.00pm from Monday to Friday. The number to call is 0800 032 7952 or forms can be downloaded from the Directgov website

10. Passported benefits consultation An independent review into the provision of passported benefits under Universal Credit has been launched – and your views are needed. Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, has commissioned the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) to carry out the review. For the purposes of the review, passported benefits are defined as those benefits to which working age claimants of some DWP or HMRC means-tested benefits are automatically entitled, for example free school meals, free prescriptions and free dental treatment. The consultation was launched on 16 June and will run until 22 July 2011. The committee will prepare an interim report in September 2011 and a report of its findings in January 2012. If you wish to take part in the consultation please visit the link. Consultation page on the SSAC websiteConsultation page on the SSAC website Other News DWP Innovation Fund On 12 May 2011, Ministers announced a series of measures to help address youth unemployment. These included a new 'Innovation Fund' which will help us to test new delivery models to support our most disadvantaged customers. In simple terms, delivery organisations will partner with financial backers to develop a proposal. The proposal will be submitted to DWP for consideration and, if selected, the financiers will cover all the delivery costs and DWP will pay the financiers an agreed amount at the point the specified outcomes are achieved. £30 million over three years will be available under the Innovation Fund to pilot new delivery models. All of the Innovation Fund pilots will be fully evaluated to assess the potential for wider usage. The Innovation Fund Initial Application Form is now available on DWP website along with the prospectus which provides some introductory information and background on the Innovation Fund. Any queries should be directed to the following dedicated email address -innovation.fund@dwp.gsi.gov.uk-innovation.fund@dwp.gsi.gov.uk You can access the initial application form and view the prospectus on the DWP website Innovation FundInnovation Fund

11. Further information Tell us what you think If you have any comments regarding this update or indeed would like to raise any issues please contact Gill Stockley on 01305 328108 e mail at : Gill.stockley@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk Please note if you do not wish to receive this update or you would like it forwarded to an alternative address, please let me know. Useful websites : To access links in this document: Right click on link and select “open hyperlink” The DWP website contains general information about the government’s welfare reform agenda. DWP Adviser Welfare Reform Bill 2011 - DWP  Direct Gov website Direct Gov contains information about all JCP services and future changes  The DWP monthly electronic newsletter Touch base e-zine is available – to access right click on the link below and select open hyperlink Keeping in Touch If you are interested in becoming involved in, or would like further information on, any of the Get Britain Working measures including Work Clubs, Work Experience or Volunteering Opportunities please contact me.