Recommendation 26

HM Government Accepted

To ensure that there is adequate access to specialist advice for disabled people, all work coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) undergo comprehensive learning to support customers with additional and/or complex needs, particularly disabilities, and they continue to build on this in the workplace through accessing point of need learning products. The learning products are regularly reviewed, using findings from our post learning evaluation. Any opportunities to improve are impacted across all the learning products and changes made as quickly as possible. From April 2019, the DEA role was redesigned to deliver specialist health related coaching and support to work coaches and other colleagues in Jobcentre Plus to help them deliver more personalised support, tailored to meet individual needs. In addition, DEAs also directly support claimants for up to 13 weeks, where additional support can benefit the claimant. DEAs undergo comprehensive ongoing learning which continues at point of need throughout their role. This provides DEAs with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each claimant as an individual. DEAs are trained to discover and understand how a range of conditions might affect a person’s ability to look for and undertake work, using several methods to learn the facts from claimants. DEAs use a range of resources that are frequently updated including the District Provision Tool, a directory of the provision and support delivered by Jobcentre Plus, providers, local authorities, volunteer and charity organisations along with links and contacts to signpost claimants and colleagues to these services. This ensures that they can access the most up to date advice and expertise on a particular disability or health condition. DWP will keep the numbers of DEAs under review to meet the demands of people with disabilities and ongoing health conditions and ensure that the specialised employment support is available beyond the core offer. DWP is ensuring that every work coach in every jobcentre continues to get support from a DEA. Conclusion and Recommendation 27 With the withdrawal of the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA), there is no longer a dedicated self-employment support programme provided by DWP. Many people, including older people and disabled people, would benefit from the opportunity to start their own business as a way to engage with the labour market. DWP should evaluate the NEA and consult with external organisations who operate self-employment support schemes to design a new self-employment support programme that offers effective support and is inclusive of the needs of both disabled people and older people. (Paragraph 159) Response DWP does not currently plan to develop a new self-employment support programme. There is a range of external support available to help claimants move into self-employment or develop existing self-employment. Claimants who are self-employed for the first time are eligible for a 12 month start up period during which work coaches signpost them to national and local support such as business advice, mentoring and training. Self-employed claimants are also eligible for the Government’s small business support funded by the Department for Business and Trade. This includes the Start Up Loans scheme, run by the British Business Bank, which provide loans up to £25,000 to people who may otherwise struggle to get a commercial bank loan as well as 12 months business mentoring; the Business Support Helpline; and Local Growth Hubs in England, alongside Business Wales and Fair Start Scotland, which offer support, advice, and guidance to new and existing businesses. DWP’s Flexible Support Fund can, in certain circumstances, also be used to help claimants move into or develop their self-employment, for example to pay for the upfront costs of childcare or to provide training if there is no existing provision available. The Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Business and Trade are working to increase awareness amongst self-employed disabled people. Claimants who want to become self-employed can also receive support through DWP’s employment support programmes, Restart, the Work and Health Programme and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES), if they meet the eligibility criteria. Claimants who are over 50 are eligible for additional support from work coaches to help them into work, which could include support to become self-employed or to develop existing self- employment. The Department does not have plans to undertake a final evaluation of the New Enterprise Allowance programme. Conclusion and Recommendation 28 The move from ESF to UKSPF is of significant concern for external support providers. Whilst the Government’s eventual decision to lift the restriction on the use of the UKSPF for people and skills spending is welcome, there is still expected to be disruption due to comparatively less funding under the UKSPF, especially to the services th