Mark Stamper

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(No Transcript)
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Mark Stamper Development Manager, A4e
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Purpose

• Purpose of Today's session
• To give a brief introduction to A4e
• Overview of the Work programme, Context and
  progress to date
• Changing customer conditionality and the Work
  Programme
• Changing customer experience and expectations
• A4es Work Programme Principles, minimum service
  levels and delivery model
• Discussion and Questions
• Feedback on customer retention, progression and
  conditionality how can we ensure continued
  engagement and pragmatic approaches to
  conditionality.

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A4e Introduction

• A4e was founded in 1991
• We currently employ over 3,000 people
• Currently largest single supplier to the DWP
• A4e deliver services from over 250 community
  locations
• A4e works with a network of over 100,000
  employers
• A4e has a supply chain of over 700 strategic and
  delivery partners
• Last year A4e and its partners
• assisted 17,681 into work
• helped 10,695 people gain a qualification
• worked with 13,523 employers

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Work Programme Context and Progress to date

In June 2010, the Government announced radical
reform welfare to work services and launched the
Work Programme. The Work Programme has
consolidated and replaced many of the existing
programmes delivered by providers such as A4e. 40
Prime Contracts awarded nationally, to 18
providers. One of a range of welfare reforms
spanning both active and inactive benefits and
Employment and Skills
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Work Programme Context and Progress to date (2)

• The Process
• Commissioning
• Contract Award 5 A4e Prime Contracts, 5
  Sub-contracts
• Where we are now Implementation/ Go live
• The Programme
• Key changes where have we come from what's
  the difference?
• Flexibility Black Box delivery Work Programme
  Vs New Deal
• Changing customer groups and barriers
• Length of programme and earlier intervention
• Payment by results and risk sharing
• Focus on sustainability
• What is the WP designed to achieve
• Key challenges to successful delivery

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Changing Customer Conditionality and the Work
Programme

• The Work programme is a mandatory programme upon
  referral at key stages of a benefit claim
  Customers will be required upon referral to
  engage for up to 2 years.
• Increased flexibility and length of support is
  conditional on customers engaging proactively
  We will provide much better back to work support
  for hundreds of thousands of people and their
  families. But in return we will expect them to
  use that support and if they refuse they will
  lose their benefits. Chris Grayling
• Work programme is not the first source of support
  for customers they will already have been
  through the Jobcentre Plus support pathways
  without moving into employment (Est. 8 of
  claimant flows).
• Claimants who have been on previously inactive
  benefits will be subject to a stricter regime
  (ESA WRAG, JSA) if found fit for work.

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The Providers Role in Sanctions

• There are 2 Types of Sanction
• Compliance Doubts customers who fail to comply
  with reasonable activity requests
• Entitlement Doubts Customers who are not
  fulfilling the basic requirement of their
  Jobseekers Agreement.
• Providers are expected to raise concerns with
  DWP/JCP Decision Making Authority if customers
  demonstrate characteristics of either category
  above it remains the decision of JCP to apply
  any sanctions after considering all available
  information.

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Challenges Conditionality poses to providers

• Customers are on Work programme for 2 years
  either on befits or in employment it is in our
  interest to maintain engagement
• Providers are only paid when customers sustain
  work disengaged or sanctioned customers will
  effect performance
• Sanctioned customers are unlikely to re-engage
  positively
• How to make a mandatory programme feel
  voluntary through customer experience and
  flexibility though still under strict work
  first principles
• Getting the balance right
• Its not just our decision raising customer
  awareness of behaviors leading to sanction from
  the start My Work programme Agreement

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Changing Customer Experience and Expectations

• Bringing together our knowledge of the customer
  and the aims of the Work
• Programme, we have set out the following work
  programme principles
• Job first for customers
• Focus on what customers can do rather than what
  they cant do
• Advisors work with customers throughout their
  journey to stable employment
• Identify and support customers by the challenges
  they face not the benefit they are on.
• Support and challenge the customer to become
  ready for work and into work
• Support the customer to manage a health condition
  not eliminate it
• Actively manage the employer base
• Proactive links to other initiatives Skills,
  Enterprise, local agendas

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Changing Customer Experience and Expectations

• Customers who are able to work but do not engage
  - their journey programme will become
  increasingly tough
• Show each customer why their lives are better in
  work than not working
• We will believe in the customer more than they
  will believe in themselves
• It will always be better for customers to work
  than to remain on programme
• We will have an honest and direct relationship
  with the customer
• We do not expect to go live with the finished
  operating model on Day 1
• We will be highly structured, but flexible in our
  approach

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Changing Customer Experience and Expectations (2)
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Stage 2 - A4e 5 Building Blocks of Sustainability
The core requirements to move away from benefits
dependency
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Stage 3 - Growing and Inspiring - Development
Programmes
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Changing Customer Experience and Expectations (2)
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In Summary

• The Work Programme and the wider benefit system
  will expect more from customers but will give
  more flexible support in return.
• Customers will be made aware and reminded that
  they are under mutually agreed obligations when
  on the programme.
• It is in the providers interests that customers
  remain engaged, progress into work and remain
  there.
• Customer circumstances will form a pivotal role
  in the sanctioning process especially before
  Universal Credit is introduced a pragmatic
  approach is needed.

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• Thank You
• Final Points Questions
• Mstamper_at_a4e.co.uk 0778 633 8462