Download or read book Can the Work Programme work for all user groups written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee and published by Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-05-21 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Work Programme has the potential to work well for relatively mainstream jobseekers but is unlikely to reach the most disadvantaged long-term unemployed people. The Government spent some £248 million less on the Work Programme than anticipated in 2012/13, due to providers' under-performance in a "payment-by-results" programme. In the short term, the Committee urges the Government to use the unspent Work Programme budget to: extend proven, alternative provision for disadvantaged jobseekers, such as the Work Choice programme for disabled people; extend and continue to promote Access to Work to help disabled people overcome the practical difficulties of starting a job; and provide further support for individuals who complete their two-year attachment to the Work Programme without finding sustained employment. The Committee also highlights that people with the severest barriers to work, such as homelessness and serious drug and alcohol problems are often not ready for the Work Programme and need support first to prepare for it. It recommends that DWP pilots ways of providing this additional support to prepare these groups for effective engagement with the Work Programme before they are referred. In the longer-term, the Committee calls on DWP to consider moving away from the current differential pricing model, which is based on the type of benefit a participant is claiming, to a much more individualised, needs-based model. The Report recommends that DWP should assess how a needs-based pricing structure could determine the appropriate level of up-front funding and the types of services required to support individual jobseekers.
Download or read book House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee The Work Programme in Wales HC 264 written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Welsh Affairs Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2013-11-04 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Work Programme is the latest government-contracted employment programme, which aims to support long-term jobseekers into work and off unemployment benefits. Launched in June 2011, the Work Programme replaced a number of previous welfare-to-work programmes and consolidates employment support for a very wide range of jobseekers into a single mainstream programme. Providers, who are predominantly commercial companies, provide support to participants, and receive payments for finding participants sustained employment. In Wales one in nine people who joined the Work Programme in its first two years found sustained employment (defined as 13 or 26 weeks). This is the lowest rate in Great Britain, though not much lower than the average. The Committee's conclusions include: Working Links Wales and Rehab Jobfit-the two providers operating in Wales-must ensure that both they and their subcontractors have specific measures in place to support lone parents; and that Work Programme participants in Wales-unlike those in England-cannot access European Social Fund training and skills courses which is hampering the performance of the Work Programme in Wales and ultimately the opportunities available to the long-term unemployed. Similarly, DWP must enable participants to exit the Work Programme if required in order to access Jobs Growth Wales. The key issue here seems to be that there is a lack of flexibility in and between the various programmes set up to get people into work, and that this lack of flexibility appears to be more marked in Wales
Download or read book New Perspectives on Health Disability Welfare and the Labour Market written by Colin Lindsay and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-08-18 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together researchers from the fields of social policy, economics, sociology and clinical psychology, this book offers new evidence on the inter-related problems faced by disability claimants, and identifies important lessons for policy. Explores how reducing the level of UK benefit claiming among those with health limitations has been a priority for successive governments Argues that current policy fails to reflect the evidence that people on long-term disability benefits face a complex combination of barriers to work and social inclusion Demonstrates that there is a need for continuing inter-disciplinary research on the nature of the ‘disability benefits problem’ and the efficacy of current policy solutions and public services
Download or read book Debates in Charity Law written by John Picton and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-14 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charitable organisations occupy a central place in society across much of the world, accounting for billions of pounds in revenue. As society changes, so does the law which regulates nonprofit organisations. From independent schools to foodbanks, they occupy a broad policy space. Not immune to scandals, sometimes nonprofits are in the news for all the wrong reasons and so, when they are in the public eye, regulators must respond to high profile cases. In this book, a team of internationally recognised charity law experts offers a modern take on a fast-changing policy field. Through the concept of policy debates it moves the field forward, providing an important reference point for developing scholarship in charity law and policy. Each chapter explores a policy debate, setting out the fault-lines in play, and often offering proposals for reform. Two important themes are explored in this edited collection. First, there is a policy tension in charity law between its largely conservative history and the need to keep up-to-date with social change. This pressure is felt acutely along key fault-lines, such as the extent to which a body of law which developed before the advent of legislated human rights is able to adapt to a rights-based world, and the extent to which independent schools – historically so closely linked with charity – might deserve their generous tax-breaks. The second theme explores the law from the perspective of a good-faith regulator, concerned to maximise the usefulness of charities. From the need to reform old organisations, to the need to ensure that charities enjoy the right amount of regulatory freedom in a world of payment-by-result contracts, the book critically charts the policy justifications for regulatory intervention, as well as the costs that such intervention might bring. Debates in Charity Law will be of interest to both academic researchers and students of the non-profit sector, looking to understand the links between law, social change and regulation. It will also help and guide nonprofit employees and volunteers, showing how their sector is shaped and moulded by the law.
Download or read book HC 481 Improving Access to Work for Disabled People written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Work and Pensions Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2014 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to Work (AtW) is an important element of specialist employment support for disabled people. It is unique in providing help to people already in, or about to start, mainstream work. It has the potential to be an extremely effective model, helping to address the substantial gap between the employment rate for disabled people and that of the rest of the population. Where it works well, it transforms the lives of disabled people, many of whom would be unable to work without it.There is strong evidence that AtW currently supports only a minority of disabled people whom it might benefit. There is a misperception that the sole purpose of AtW is to provide physical aids, equipment and transport for people with sensory impairments and physical disabilities; consequently relatively few people with other types of disability, and different support needs, currently use the programme. In scaling up the programme DWP needs to address this imbalance. Its priority should be supporting a much greater number of people with mental health problems, and intellectual, cognitive and developmental impairments, including learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. AtW's focus should remain on removing barriers to employment for the full range of disabled people who can benefit from it. DWP should make a strong and evidence-based case to HM Treasury for substantial additional funding for AtW and then aim to increase take-up through much more high profile marketing, and proactive promotion of AtW, including through Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches and contracted employment services providers.
Download or read book Connecting People with Jobs Activation Policies in the United Kingdom written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2014-07-15 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report examines recent activation policies in the United Kingdom aimed at moving people back into work. It offers insight into how countries can improve the effectiveness of their employment services and also control spending on benefits.
Download or read book Disabled People Work and Welfare written by Grover, Chris and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2015-07 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to challenge the idea that paid work should be seen as an essential means to independence and self-determination for the disabled. Writing in the wake of attempts in many countries to increase the employment rates of disabled people, the contributors show how such efforts have led to an overall erosion of financial support for the disabled and increasing stigmatization of those who are not able to work. Drawing on sociology and philosophy, and mounting a powerful case for the rights of the disabled, the book will be essential for activists, scholars, and policy makers.
Download or read book Handbook of Social Policy Evaluation written by Bent Greve and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Handbook uses methodologies and cases to discover how and when to evaluate social policy, and looks at the possible impacts of evaluation on social policy decisions. The contributors present a detailed analysis on how to conduct social policy evaluation, how to be aware of pitfalls and dilemmas and how to use evidence effectively.
Download or read book Mental Health and Work United Kingdom written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2014-02-10 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report on the United Kingdom looks at how the broader education, health, social and labour market policy challenges are being tackled.
Download or read book Employer Engagement written by Jo Ingold and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2024-03-12 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Active labour market policies aim to assist people not in work into work through a range of interventions including job search, training and in-work support and development. While policies and scholarship predominantly focus on jobseekers’ engagement with these initiatives, this book sheds light for the first time on the employer’s perspective.
Download or read book Contracting out Welfare Services written by Siobhan O'Sullivan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-02-23 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contracting-out Welfare Services focuses on the design and overhaul of welfare-to-work systems around the world in the light of the radical re-design of the welfare system; internationally based authors utilise a national/program case study, considering employment services policy and activation practices. International contributors bring a global comparative perspective to the subject Contributors are all experts in their field, who also draw on a much longer intellectual legacy Uses employment services as a case study to advance understanding in relation to a host of broader principles and concepts Each paper included within the text uses a national/program case study, and each considers employment services policy in general, and activation practices in particular
Download or read book Understanding Social Security written by Jane Millar and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2018-04-30 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The political and economic landscape of UK social security provision has changed significantly since the 2008 financial crisis. This fully revised, restructured and updated 3rd edition of a go-to text book covers all the key policy changes and their implications since the elections of 2010 and 2015. With contributions from leading academics in the field this book critically examines the design, entitlement, delivery and impact of current welfare provision. The first half of the book examines social security across the lifecycle from Child Benefit to retirement pensions. The second half focuses on key issues in policy and practice including new topics such as the realities of life on benefits in an era of austerity, and the pros and cons of Universal Basic Income. • Framework supports teachers and students, encouraging analytical thinking of issues and providing pointers to related sources • Authoritative and evidence-based arguments • Clear section and chapter summaries, overviews, questions for discussion, website resources and a bibliography • Includes tables, charts and text boxes for clarity, interest and appeal This book is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Social Policy taking modules on Social Security Policy, Poverty and Inequality, Income Support and Welfare Reform, as well as Social Work students and those on other Social Science degree programmes.
Download or read book The Impacts of Welfare Conditionality written by Peter Dwyer and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should a citizen’s right to social welfare be contingent on their personal behaviour? Welfare conditionality, linking citizens’ eligibility for social benefits and services to prescribed compulsory responsibilities or behaviours, has become a key component of welfare reform in many nations. This book uses qualitative longitudinal data, from repeat interviews with people subject to compulsion and sanction in their everyday lives, to analyse the effectiveness and ethicality of welfare conditionality in promoting and sustaining behaviour change in the UK. Given the negative outcomes that welfare conditionality routinely triggers, this book calls for the abandonment of these sanctions and reiterates the importance of genuinely supportive policies that promote social security and wider equality.
Download or read book Youth Marginality in Britain written by Blackman, Shane and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2017-06-28 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tabloid headlines such as ‘Anti-social Feral Youth,’ ‘Vile Products of Welfare in the UK’ and ‘One in Four Adolescents is a Criminal’ have in recent years obscured understanding of what social justice means for young people and how they experience it. Youth marginality in Britain offers a new perspective by promoting young people’s voices and understanding the agency behind their actions. It explores different forms of social marginalisation within media, culture and society, focusing on how young people experience social discrimination at a personal and collective level. This collection from a wide range of expert contributors showcases contemporary research on multiple youth deprivation of personal isolation, social hardship, gender and ethnic discrimination and social stigma. With a foreword from Robert MacDonald, it explores the intersection of race, gender, class, asylum seeker status and care leavers in Britain, placing them in the broader context of austerity, poverty and inequality to highlight both change and continuity within young people’s social and cultural identities. This timely contribution to debates concerning youth austerity in Britain is suitable for students across youth studies, sociology, education, criminology, youth work and social policy.
Download or read book Social Policy written by Spicker, Paul and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2014-03-20 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Policy: Theory and practice is a fully revised, updated and extended edition of a bestselling social policy textbook, extensively reworked and adapted to meet the needs of its international readership. The book lays out the architecture of social policy as a field of study, binding the discussion of theory to the understanding of social policy in practice. It aims to provide students and practitioners with a sense of the scope, range and purpose of the subject while developing critical awareness of problems, issues and common fallacies. Written in an accessible and engaging style, it explains what social policy is and why it matters; looks at social policy in its social context; considers policy, the role of the state and the social services; explores issues in social administration and service delivery; and focuses on the methods and approaches of the subject. For practitioners, there are discussions of the techniques and approaches used to apply social policy in practice. For students, there are boxes raising issues and reviewing case studies, questions for discussion and a detailed glossary. The book’s distinctive, path–breaking approach makes it invaluable for students studying social policy at a range levels, professionals and practitioners in the field of social policy.
Download or read book The Impact of Networks on Unemployment written by J. M. Hurst and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-10-12 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates why networks, some with joined-up governance remits, appeared ineffective in handling neighbourhood unemployment even in periods when the national unemployment levels dropped. It deploys a multi-theoretical and methodological framework to investigate this empirical puzzle, and to test and analyse the causal factors influencing network outcomes. Chapters examine network concepts, network theories, outcome indicators, the historical infrastructure and management of unemployment policy, and governing network trends in post-war urban regeneration interventions. Comparative network case studies offer empirical evidence and a high degree of local variation. Mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative approaches), including social network analysis, uncover formal and informal networks, and eighty-six interviews in two English local authorities with persistent unemployment, give voice to network practitioner experiences. Findings explain why sub-optimal network outcomes prevail and operational difficulties persist on the ground. Students and academics, professionals and activists can use the results to challenge network governance theories and the policy status-quo.
Download or read book Work Programme written by Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Work and Pensions Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2011-05-08 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Work Programme will be implemented nationwide from June 2011, and will replace the range of existing programmes to help benefit claimants find jobs. It will be delivered on a regional basis by a framework of prime contractors, the majority of which will come from the private sector. These prime contractors will be paid by the Government based on their results in achieving sustainable employment for jobseekers. Prime contractors are expected to subcontract service provision to specialist local organisations, including voluntary sector providers. There is a risk that, even under the payment-by-results model, Work Programme providers might focus on the clients they assess as being easier to help. The Committee recommends that the Government keeps the payment model under review and assesses the outcomes for all participants. The Work Programme creates a significant financial challenge for prime contractors. This might lead to some clients receiving lower quality support and to significant costs to the Government in responding to service failures. The Government should put contingency arrangements in place to ensure the continuity of provision for clients. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should remind prime contractors that a key aspect of their role is to bear financial risk, rather than passing it on to subcontractors disproportionately. Contracting arrangements need to ensure that subcontractors are fairly managed and that prime contractors are able to hold subcontractors to account for poor performance. The DWP must establish robust and independent arbitration and sanctioning arrangements.
