Minister of State for Employment (): I wish to update the House on the Written
Statement tabled on 27 February 2023.
Earlier this month the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
started testing a second phase of the Additional Jobcentre
Support pilot. The first phase went live on 27/02/23, following a
proof of concept. It tested how enhanced daily work-focused
support, across two weeks, can further help eligible Universal
Credit claimants in the Intensive Work Search regime into
employment.
Evidence shows that the longer a person is out of work the harder
it is for them to return. A claimant’s likelihood of securing
employment declines after 13 weeks, so we are focussing this
support on those who remain unemployed or with low earnings after
13 and 26-weeks of claiming Universal Credit.
The second phase will provide an additional week of daily support
after the claimant’s first assessment period. This new earlier
intervention will test the impact of a week of skills and
employability focused support.
This builds on the first phase of the pilot which, in addition to
this extra week of support, continues to test how enhanced daily
work-focused support, across a two-week period, can further
support eligible Universal Credit claimants into employment.
As with phase one, phase two of the pilot continues to provide
additional one to one work search conversations with work coaches
and work search support sessions to help claimants. The Claimant
Commitment, which sets out each claimant’s agreed work-related
activities, will be regularly reviewed and activity will be
focused on specific steps to support people to move into work.
Claimants will receive prior notice of the requirements they will
be expected to fulfil. Eligibility remains unchanged and those
with reduced requirements remain out of scope, including those:
• Awaiting a Work Capability Assessment;
• Required to undertake less than 20 hours a week of work search
activity;
• Who are Gainfully Self-Employed;
• Who have no work related requirements;
• With an easement in place; and
• On a full-time provision offer.
The second phase will be tested in the existing 60 pilot sites
across Central Scotland, Surrey & Sussex, West Yorkshire,
Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire. Over the coming months, the
pilot will expand further into more jobcentres.
DWP remains committed to providing tailored work-focused support
to help move claimants into appropriate and sustainable work,
where they can then experience the many benefits of employment.
