Colin Billingsley

1

• Welcome
• Colin Billingsley
• jobcentreplus Liverpool and Wirral
• Pathways Implementation Manager

2

• 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

3

• 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

4

• The Case for Change
• Most people dont cite health as main barrier to
  return to work
• Main barriers are
• Loss of confidence
• Lack of skills
• Lack of financial incentive

5

• 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

6

• 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 Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• In-Work Support

7

• 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

8

• A Shared Agenda
• NHS Condition Management Programmes and GPs
• Employers
• Local and regional partners
• Contracted providers
• Voluntary Sector

9

• 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 2002-2003
• 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

10

• 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

11

• Expansion Districts
• The Jobcentre Plus Districts involved are
• Phase 1 31 October 2005 Cumbria, Glasgow,
  Lancashire West, Tees Valley
• Phase 2 - 24 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

12

• 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

13

• 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

14

• Positive Feedback from Employers
• Pathways to Work is about learning and teaching
  for both the employer and employee but its 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 didnt 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

15

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