Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 116
We welcome the fact that DWP has recruited 13,500 additional Work Coaches in response to...
Recommendation
We welcome the fact that DWP has recruited 13,500 additional Work Coaches in response to the pandemic. DWP should continue to assess whether the number of Work Coaches is sufficient, and commit to recruiting more in the future if demand rises. It should also ensure that there are enough Jobcentre Plus staff with specialist skills. The Department recently announced the recruitment of 315 new Disability Employment Advisers, which is welcome, but it should assess whether this number is enough and commit to hiring more or upskilling existing Work Coaches if necessary.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states it has increased Disability Employment Advisers and regularly reviews their numbers and functions to ensure adequate capacity. However, it does not make a specific commitment to recruit more Work Coaches if demand rises or to hire more/upskill DEAs if necessary, as recommended.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
116
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
We have recently increased the number of Disability Employment Advisers and we regularly review the number and the functions of the role to ensure we have capacity to deliver the support required to customers who require additional time and expertise to move forward into work.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗