Recommendation 24

The Department is working to enhance its evidence base and explore the impact of potential changes to its support model. It has carried out research to identify which aspects of work search review meetings between work coaches and claimants make them effective, including the effectiveness of different means of interaction for different groups of claimants. Where possible using randomised control trials, the Department is also assessing alternative arrangements for delivering its services. Specifically, it is testing the impact on outcomes for claimants when it allows work coaches to choose the channel of communication (face to face, telephone or video) for their weekly meetings with claimants, and when it reduces the frequency of appointments for some claimants in the first 13 weeks from weekly to three-weekly. The Department expects the results of these trials to be available between June 2025 and November 2026.52