Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what trials his Department is undertaking relating to the frequency of (a) appointments, (b) interventions and (c) workcoach support provided to (i) young people and (ii) people with neurodivergent conditions.

As referenced in the Get Britain Working White Paper the Universal Credit Conditionality Evidence (UCCE) Project is currently running two large, randomised control trials testing the impact of varying the frequency of interventions, and the channel for providing support in Universal Credit; a full process evaluation and impact assessments will be published once complete.

The Department is committed to refreshing our evidence base and recently published its Evidence and Evaluation Strategy 2025. Goal 1 (enable people to get into work and to get on at work, ensuring employment opportunity for all) outlines how research and evaluation will inform our Labour Market reforms.

The department currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.

Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. This includes targeted support for young people who are NEET (not in education employment or training) or at risk of becoming NEET.

Outside of DWP provision, our new voluntary, locally-commissioned, Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Participants are supported to have conversations with prospective employers, removing the need to go through complex application processes. The employment adviser works with both the employer and the participant to ensure that the transition into work is smooth and that the workplace is inclusive.

The programme is being led by local authorities across all of England and Wales and is rolling out throughout this year and early 2026. Local Authorities are required to offer Connect to Work through two models of Supported Employment – Individual Placement and Support and Supported Employment Quality Framework. The latter framework has been specifically designed, and has a proven track record, to support individuals with learning disabilities or who are neurodivergent to get into sustainable employment.