Contents

1
To navigate please use the contents links or the
buttons in the top right hand cornerTo exit
please press the Escape (Esc) key on your keyboard
Issue 2
Contents Editorial now lets talk
money Residential Training for People with
Disabilities European Social Fund 2007
2013 Crisis Loans Ensuring Access to Quality
Service Welfare Reform Green Paper In work,
better off next steps to full employment Further
Information
2
Editorial
Welcome to the second edition of Partnerships
Matter the e-newsletter produced by Jobcentre
Plus East of England for its partners. My thanks
to all of you that took time to contact me with
feedback. I was very pleased to hear that so
many of you had found Partnerships Matter useful
and had circulated it amongst your own networks.
I hope you continue to find articles of interest
to you and your organisation. In this edition
we learn about the new Department for Work and
Pensions campaign now lets talk money which is
aimed at supporting people that are financially
excluded find out about the Residential Training
colleges that provide training to disabled people
and learn about the Governments Green Paper in
work, better off, next steps to full employment.
Of interest to many of you will be the
forthcoming European Social Fund procurement
opportunity. To help you plan for this process
you will find inside a timetable listing the
various stages of the process.
You may not be aware of Leonard Cheshires Ready
to Start programme and its Stelios Disabled
Entrepreneur Award. Entry is available for
people who identify as a disabled person involved
in the day to day running of a UK registered
business in which they have at least a 40 stake.
The business must have a turnover of at least
10,000 pa and have been trading for a MAXIMUM of
three years. Closing date for applications is 14
September. The winner will receive 50,000.
Further information can be found at
www.disabledentrepreneur.org
I am keen that Partnership Matters is an
interactive document and would be grateful to
hear any feedback about this edition or any areas
of our business you would like to hear more about
in the future. My email address is
jackie.tinkler_at_jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Jackie Tinkler External Partnership
ManagerJobcentre Plus
3
now lets talk money
now lets talk money is a government campaign
that will help people who may not know that they
can get free face-to-face money and debt advice
and do not normally have access to affordable
credit, or basic bank accounts. The campaign
funded by the Treasury will run to April 2008 as
part of a 126 million Financial Inclusion Fund
and will be delivered by the Department for Work
and Pensions.
The campaign will be marketed to organisations
that work on a regular basis with financially
excluded people, and to the people themselves
making them aware of the services available.
Marketing activity is split into two elements
Mailing - targeted at more than 13,000
intermediary organisations (e.g. advice agencies,
credit unions, housing associations etc), giving
more detail of what the campaign is all about,
and how they can become involved. Advertising -
aimed at encouraging financially excluded people
to seek the help they need. This will be in the
form of posters on phone boxes, bus stops etc
radio adverts inserts in local press and door
drops.
In conjunction with the image (see left) and
others, the advertising will use the message
below
Picture An image from the Now Lets Talk Money
campaign
Tansy Miller, the Stakeholder Manager for now
lets talk money East of England, comments, The
people who most need help are often the least
likely to ask for it because they lack confidence
about financial matters, and some have language,
social or cultural barriers. They often do not
understand the impact that financial exclusion is
having on their lives or feel nervous about
approaching a bank or money advisor for advice.
So if you work with people who need help to open
a bank account or understanding finance and would
like free training and resources on how to
identify, help and refer people with money
problems please get in touch with me via the
website www.nowletstalkmoney.com Ill be
delighted to hear from you.
4
 
Residential Training for People with Disabilities

Residential Training Colleges (RTCs) help long
term unemployed adults with disabilities secure
and sustain employment or self employment. This
is achieved through a tailored combination of
guidance, learning in the workplace, work
experience, training and approved qualifications.
The courses on offer are particularly useful for
people that have difficulties in accessing or
finding suitable vocational training close to
their homes. RTCs offer a comprehensive approach
to meeting individual training needs. This can
include psychological and counselling support
therapeutic support specialised learning
approaches employment preparation advice and
guidance and specially designed buildings and
facilities. Last year 67 of people from our
region found work as a direct result of attending
a residential course. There are ten RTCs across
the country, some providing specialist support
for people with sensory impairment. A list of
the colleges and links to their websites can be
found at on the direct gov website.
Michael had a motorcycle accident and injured his
hand. After three operations he was no longer
able to work as a chef. Needing a change of
career he attended an Open Day at The Queen
Elizabeths Foundation Training College in
Leatherhead, Surrey and opted for a Domestic
Appliance Servicing course. During his training
Michael went on a placement with the Beaumont
Group, this went so well that he was offered a
permanent job. Michael, who lives in Essex,
services catering machinery and covers a wide
patch from Brighton to Ipswich. Michael says My
instructor was very patient, and had tremendous
product knowledge. If anyone is interested in
the college I would recommend it. I learned all
the core skills I need for the trade.
5
European Social Fund 2007- 2013
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
anticipates being a co-financing organisation to
administer the European Social Fund. DWP priority
customers that will receive support are
ESF Procurement Timetable PQQ published
October 07 Briefing events October
07 Return of PQQ November
07 Announcement of short listed bidders December
07 ITT published December 07 Provider
workshops December 07 Announcement of
preferred bidders March 08 PTC contract
award April 08 Delivery Commences
June 08
Jobcentre Plus East of England Deprived
Wards Central Peterborough Dallow, Northwell
and Biscot Luton Cauldwell Bedford Victoria
and Kursall Southend Golf Green, Pier and Rush
Green Tendering Central and Northgate, Nelson
Great Yarmouth Mancroft - Norwich North Lynn, St
Margarets with St Nicholas Kings Lynn Harbour
and Kirkley - Waveney
There will be a two stage procurement process
Stage 1 Pre Qualification Questionnaire
(PQQ), this tests the bidders capacity to
deliver the required products Stage 2 The
Invitation to Tender (ITT), tests the bidders
ability to deliver the specific programme
Details of procurement opportunities with
Jobcentre Plus East of England can be found on
the Jobcentre Plus website. To ensure that you do
not miss tendering opportunities save this
website to your favourites and check it regularly.
 
For information contact Colin Hubbard at
E-OF-E-RO-ESF-TEAM_at_JOBCENTREPLUS.GSI.GOV.UK
   
 
6
Crisis Loans Ensuring Access to Quality Service
Each day Jobcentre Plus East of England manages
in excess of 7,950 face-to-face contacts and
21,400 telephone calls. Ours is a is a rapidly
changing organisation and as we strive to make
the services we deliver ever more modern,
flexible and convenient, we recognise that that
customer service we deliver can sometimes fall
short of the standards we normally deliver.
However, as an organisation committed to
delivering a quality service, we are addressing
the aspects of our services causing problems for
our customers and concerns for our
partners. Jobcentre Plus was presented with a
significant challenge, implementing a new
business model to process Crisis Loans during a
time when applications rose, 47,050 applications
April to June 2007 compared to 32,924 for the
same period in 2006. We have now come through
this difficult period and Social Fund is
generally performing well. 99 of all claims
receive call back within time limits, and
accessibility has doubled in the last 4 weeks.
Telephone Accessed Services Access to our
Contact Centres has improved significantly,
however we do recognise that some customers have
experienced problems contacting our Benefit
Delivery Centres (BDCs). To address this an
action plan has been implemented
Redirecting staff from other work to take
telephone calls in BDCs at times of peak
pressure Implementing a new service to
enable Crisis Loan applications to be taken over
the telephone Changing BDC opening hours
to 8.30 to 4.30 to align with Jobcentres so
allowing payments to be made when
customers need them Refining our Standard
Operating Models Reducing the pressure on
Crisis Loans by ensuring that payments of
Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and
Income Support are made accurately and
promptly
For more information please contact Tony Peck
Tony.Peck_at_jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
We are also looking at ways to improve our
telephony systems by investing in new technology.
At the same time we are reviewing our staff
training to ensure our staff have the necessary
skills to better support customers with specific
communication barriers. We believe these steps
will provide further significant improvements to
customer service.
7
Welfare Reform Green Paper
The Welfare Reform Green Paper In Work, Better
Off was published on 18 July 2007. It is open
for consultation until 31 October 2007. The
Welfare Reform Act 3 May 2007 introduces the
right to financial and return to work support for
benefit claimants alongside a responsibility to
look for work and engage in activities available
to help them move into work. The Green Paper
builds on the Act to ensure that those with
health conditions and disabilities are never
written off again. It reinforces the commitment
to the values of equality and opportunity and to
the principle of rights matched by
responsibilities, with work for those that can
and security for those that cant.
Progress on Reform in East of England In East of
England over 200, 000 more people are now in work
than in 1997, with more women, lone parents and
disabled people working than ever before.
However, there are over 360,000 people of
working age who have been on benefit for
over a year, many on incapacity benefits
concentrations of worklessness, often close
to thriving labour markets, and nearly half a
million households in which no- one is
working and 112,000 children are growing up
in such families.
The Green Paper outlines new proposals to help
those disadvantaged in the workplace to move into
work. A full copy of the Green Paper can be found
on the DWP website.
8
Further Information  
For further information go to  
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Partners/RegionalBusi
nessCommunity/EastEngland/index.html
Produced by Jobcentre Plus, East of England, part
of the Department for Work and Pensions