Work and Health Programme Pioneer
Launched on 13 September, Work and Health Programme Pioneer is latest phase of Universal Support. This £53 million Government-funded support provides specialist employment support for people in Wales, London and Southern Region who are looking for work.
Local London Work and Health Programme Pioneer, is designed to provide support to help people get into work quickly, whether they are receiving benefits or not.
Referrals can be made for people in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield, Greenwich, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest by local Jobcentres as well as Maximus UK who are contracted by Local London, acting on behalf of the nine boroughs to deliver the scheme in this part of London.
⇒ Get in touch with Maximus UK about Work and Health Programme Pioneer.
How the support works
Advisors at Maximus and Jobcentre will use their local network to identify residents who want to find work but are not currently being assisted by work coaches. Those identified as being eligible to join the programme will then be referred to Work and Health Programme Pioneer.
After initial assessment, participants will be allocated an employment advisor who will work closely with them on their journey into employment. Participants will be introduced to suitable employers based on their preferences, strengths and any lessons learned from previous work experience, to ensure they find a job that is right for them.
They will then receive wrap-around in-work support provided by their employment adviser in person and online as they start and sustain employment, which may include debt advice or help with networking or housing, and will include frequent engagement with their employer.
This is different to traditional employment support, as it aims to get participants into suitable employment at the earliest opportunity and is then followed up by highly personalised support to overcome challenges as they arise, rather than having to train before being allowed to start employment.
⇒ Contact Maximus UK about Work and Health Programme Pioneer.
Plans for the future
Universal Support will ramp up over time, expanding to support at least 50,000 people a year from 2025/26, and will include help with issues like managing health conditions, debt, and navigating any workplace adjustments required to accommodate individual needs.
The investment comes as the government is consulting on changes to the Work Capability Assessment, with proposals to ensure it is delivering the right outcomes for supporting those most in need. The consultation represents the next step in welfare reform, reflecting the rise of flexible and home working and better employer support for disabled people and people with health conditions – as well as new government help including Universal Support.
Read the DWPs press release
Discover our other employment support
Our employment programmes have helped over 20,000 local people find work, many of whom were furthest from the job market and facing barriers to entering employment.
⇒ Local London Work and Health programme
⇒ Local London Works
⇒ Local London Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) – ended March 2023.