Is It Time to Restructure 'Failing' Jobcentres?

A new report [sorry, this was new in July 2014] for the Policy Exchange suggests that Jobcentres should be restructured because they are failing to help people find long term work. The report Joined up Welfare shows that just over a third (36%) of people using jobcentres find sustained work. Many people find themselves in and out of employment largely due to having barriers such as a health condition or a mental health issue.

The current system fails to deal with overlapping problems from outset. Policy Exchange states: “People are sometimes referred to a range of different services that operate independently of each other. For example, someone suffering from a lack of training, mental health issues and who has been out of work for a long period of time might receive support from six different providers. This is confusing and expensive”.

The Joined up Welfare report proposes a radical new structure centred around the specific needs of the individual. The main points of this proposed new approach include:

• Employment services provided by the Jobcentre should become a specialist support service, separate social enterprise which should be allowed to compete with the private and voluntary sectors as well as other public bodies.
• Creation of a Citizen Support service which would effectively act as the primary and central hub for accessing government services, enabling advisors to identify an individual’s specific barriers to work and suggest providers that could help meet that person’s needs.
• Budget allocation direct to the individual claimant, which would then be channelled to the provider of choice who is paid on the outcomes they achieve.
• One specific point of contact to act as an individual’s ‘case holder’. That lead provider will then coordinate specialist support suited to that person’s unique needs.

Full report (PDF 60pp)

Hazel’s comment:
Good employment advisers in the “old days” acted in just the manner being proposed. There was never any point in forcing someone into work if they had a sick wife/child, debts they could not manage, personal health problems or similar.
Short-term work placements look good on the statistical returns but my proudest memory is of being stopped in the Broadmarsh Centre in Nottingham by a man who said, “You won’t remember me but two years ago you found me a job. I need to thank you and tell you I’m still there.”
I did remember then – I’d worked my socks off for an unskilled man who wanted to work now that his caring responsibilities had ended.

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