Thousands more out-of-work benefit claimants to get personalised support

• Support Conversations expanding to a further 27 Jobcentres across Great Britain, bringing the total to 33 sites.
• Disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits are being offered a one-to-one, voluntary, hour-long conversation to discuss their support needs and identify extra help. This support is personalised and could link people to help with their health, debt, skills, employment and housing.
• Part of the government's wider £3.5 billion investment to help disabled people and those with health conditions into work over the Parliament.

Up to 40,000 disabled people and people with health conditions will benefit from expanded access to personalised support, as the government rolls out Support Conversations across a further 27 Jobcentres taking the total number of sites to 33.

Support Conversations are voluntary, hour-long sessions designed to help people identify and overcome the barriers stopping them from moving into work or into meaningful activity (such as volunteering) and is part of the commitment the Government made in last year's Pathways to Work Green Paper

Unlike standard Jobcentre appointments, Support Conversations take a holistic approach, covering not just employment, but housing, debt, skills, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation services. Support Conversations are delivered by Healthcare Professionals, Pathways to Work Advisers, and Disability Employment Advisers, and are available face to face, by video, or by telephone.

They are open to those who are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment and people furthest away from the labour market - assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).

These are people who for too long were written off and denied support. But this government's expansion of Support Conversations is giving people they help they need and builds on the landmark deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work Advisers, who have already helped more than 65,000 sick and disabled people get one step closer to work.

Minister for Employment Dame Diana Johnson said:

Too many disabled people and people with health conditions face barriers that stop them from accessing the support and opportunities they deserve.

That is why we are expanding the number of sites delivering Support Conversations from 6 to 33 Jobcentres across Great Britain, giving up to 40,000 people personalised help tailored to their circumstances. 

Getting more people into good work is central to our Plan for Change and Support Conversations will help us do exactly this.

This expansion builds on testing already live in six sites where support conversations are being delivered by healthcare professionals and disability employment advisers. Early testing indicates customers feeling "listened to" and "supported."

Neil, a Disability Employment Adviser in Bournemouth said: 

"Support Conversations are a great opportunity to spend an hour focused on the claimant and their needs. 

"We all know that many people face a whole range of challenges which need to be overcome as part of their individual journey back to work and talking through those challenges with a DEA is an important first step.

"Support Conversations confirm that the most valuable resource we have is the time that we spend with our claimants."

Saimha, a Healthcare Professional in Preston said:

"Support Conversation is about providing compassionate, informed, holistic, person-centred support to disabled people and those with health conditions. Every interaction is an opportunity to make someone feel heard, safe, and supported.

"Every person's health journey is unique and support conversation is an opportunity to identify the range of barriers people are facing in their day to day life and signposting them to the relevant services that can help, encouraging people to take positive steps towards improving their lives."

This expansion forms part of the government's Pathways to Work offer and its broader £3.5 billion employment support package, which includes:

• Connect to Work, which delivers tailored, personalised, local support that will help 300,000 people into work by the end of this parliament.
• The national expansion of WorkWell, backed by £259mn, helping up to 250,000 people with health conditions to stay in or return to work.
• Allowing sick or disabled people to try work without the immediate fear of reassessment through the Right to Try.
• The deployment of 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers who've already helped tens of thousands of people the previous Government wrote off.

The government will continue to test the success of Support Conversations through healthcare professionals and disability employment advisors as part of this expansion, with Pathways to Work Advisers also carrying out these Support Conversations for the first time. 27 sites have been confirmed so far, with a further six sites to be confirmed shortly.

The expansion directly supports the government's Plan for Change and its mission to raise living standards across the UK by helping more people into work and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Notes to editors

• Support Conversations are currently offered to people awaiting a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) who have registered a health condition or disability that impacts their ability to work and those assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).
• The conversations are entirely voluntary.
• List of confirmed sites (note 6 further sites to be confirmed shortly):