Evaluation of the Work Choice Specialist Disability Employment Programme
Findings from the 2011 Early Implementation and 2012
Work Choice is a Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) commissioned specialist disability employment programme. It provides employment support to disabled people who cannot be supported through mainstream employment programmes and their employers.
It was introduced in October 2010 and replaced two previous programmes, WORKSTEP and Work Preparation. Work Choice aims to have a greater focus on those who need specialist support, including those with learning disabilities and mental health conditions.
Findings of the report include:
- Overall, both participants and employers involved with Work Choice were positive about the support they received from the programme. Participants and providers all reported that the programme had a positive impact in terms of participants’ ability to secure and maintain employment.
- A combination of factors were found to influence access to the programme, including many that may potentially reduce access for those with the highest support needs. These factors included DEA and provider assessment of the probability that a disabled person would be able to work at least 16 hours a week within six months (the standard length of the pre-work support module). While DWP has made changes to guidance aiming to address this issue, this did not appear to have significantly altered practice.
- The decision to refer some Employment and Support Allowance claimants placed into the Work Related Activity Group straight to the Work Programme once the outcome of their Work Capability Assessment was known, may effectively block their access to Work Choice. While there is DWP guidance in place to facilitate transfers from the Work Programme to Work Choice where appropriate, there was very little evidence of this occurring.
- There did not appear to be clear evidence on the benefits of financial support for employers within Work Choice, with some reports that long-term subsidies may block progression to open employment. Findings from a review of the Work Choice wage incentive for young people were also mixed.
- In the comparison of Work Choice and Work Programme delivery, providers reported that there was less contact time on the Work Programme, and overall the support delivered was less personalised. Work Choice was reported to offer proactive, intensive and tailored in-work support to participants and their employers, with Work Programme in-work support reported to consist mainly of telephone support to participants.
- Providers articulated a strong view that mainstream provision was not able to offer adequate support for some disabled people, particularly within the current funding model. The vast majority of providers and all of the Jobcentre Plus DEAs interviewed identified a definite need for a specialist disability programme alongside mainstream provision. It is therefore recommended that DWP continue to fund and develop specialist disability employment support as a separate specialist area of provision.
- The Work Choice funding model includes a 70 per cent service fee with a 30 per cent outcome-based element, and this balance was welcomed by providers. The service fee element was felt to be important for a specialist programme because of the support requirements of the participant group. The inclusion of an element of outcome-based funding was also felt to support a focus on achieving job outcomes.
- There appeared to be some tensions between elements of the DWP commissioning approach and its use within a specialist disability employment programme. These include the use of outcome-based funding, which may drive undesirable provider behaviour such as rejecting participants considered unlikely to achieve employment. DWP does appear to have considered some of these factors within the approach it used to commission Work Choice, although some of the issues identified by the evaluation continue to be potentially problematic. This suggests a need to further review the commissioning approach used for specialist disability provision.
You can download the report, a summary and an easy read version at www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-work-choice-specialist-disability-employment-programme-rr846?=9