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Written Question
Jobcentres: Armed Forces
Friday 15th March 2024

Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of employing an Armed Forces Champion at every Jobcentre.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services.

Although there is no specific assessment carried out, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Armed Forces
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Wentworth and Dearne)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Armed Forces Champions are employed in Jobcentres.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department’s Armed Forces Champions model is based around champions being allocated to Jobcentre Plus Districts, rather than individual Jobcentres. This means that there is at least one Armed Forces Champion role allocated to each Jobcentre Plus District supported by a Group network, with resources in the network targeted where there are geographically particularly high levels of demand.

Staff Roles

Staff in Post

ABM FTE

Armed Forces Champion Lead

10

10

Armed Forces Champions

50

40

Grand Total

60

50

Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)

Notes:

  • Data is correct as of 29th February.
  • Data for Armed Forces Champion staff has been derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM).
  • Staff in post and ABM FTE (Full Time Equivalent) have been rounded to the nearest 10.
  • The number of staff that are Armed Forces Champions and Armed Forces Lead is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Armed Forces
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what metrics his Department uses to measure the impact of armed forces champions in Jobcentres.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre Plus District, who provide specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community and build Work Coach capability in our Jobcentres. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services.

Although there is no specific metrics used, the Department regularly evaluates the role to ensure we deliver the best service possible and we have had, and continue to receive, positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.


Written Question
Veterans: Aerospace Industry and Defence
Tuesday 20th February 2024

Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has plans to take steps to encourage more veterans to work in the defence and aerospace industries.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Veterans who need support from the department in finding employment are able to get support from their Work Coach. For those who might need extra specialist support, we have a network of Armed Forces Champions spread throughout the Jobcentre Plus network.

The Armed Forces Champions have specific responsibilities for supporting members of the Armed Forces community, including building staff capability within their districts, personally handling some claims, supporting veterans into work and helping resolve complex cases where necessary. Every Work Coach is trained on how to provide tailored and personalised support to members of the Armed Forces community and their families, working in partnership with their Armed Forces Champions.

Veterans have early voluntary entry to the Work and Health Programme. Other employment support may be available to veterans depending on their circumstances, including specialist local support provided by the third sector which the department may be able to refer them to. Veterans generally enjoy successful employment outcomes when they leave the services, and the Career Transition Partnership has published annual statistics on those they have supported.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Training
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training his Department provides to Jobcentre Plus staff on the communication needs of autistic people.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances.

Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey when they join the DWP. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each claimant as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs.

In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to Autistic awareness which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:

  • adapt how you communicate verbally
  • adapt your body language
  • show empathy
  • adapt your environment

Written Question
Jobcentres: Training
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Jobcentre Plus staff have received training on the communication needs of autistic people.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all customers to meet their individual circumstances.

Since the national roll-out of Universal Credit (2016) all DWP Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey. The learning provides staff with the knowledge and skills to enable them to treat each customer as an individual regardless of additional or complex needs.

In addition to this, DWP offer a learning product specific to autistic awareness, which is available to all work coaches on an ‘at point of need’ basis. The product includes:

  • adapt how you communicate verbally
  • adapt your body language
  • show empathy
  • adapt your environment

We do not keep information on how many work coaches have used this particular product.


Written Question
Youth Services: Staff
Thursday 22nd June 2023

Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Youth Hub work coaches are employed by his Department as of 19 June 2023; and how many were employed on the same date in (a) 2022 and (b) 2021.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Youth Hubs are part of the wider DWP Youth Offer which also includes the Youth Employment Programme and Youth Employability Coaches. Youth Hubs across Great Britain bring together employment support from a Jobcentre Plus Work Coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people into work. The support offered in a Youth Hub is dependent on local needs and includes skills, training, employment provision and dedicated support services.

Due to changes in claimant needs new Youth Hubs may open, and existing Youth Hubs may close. The number of open Youth Hubs and their required Youth Hub Work Coach resource may therefore fluctuate, as claimants access wider Youth Offer support.

The figures included offer a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) of Youth Hub Work Coaches. As some Youth Hub Work Coaches may work part-time in a Youth Hub, or across multiple Youth Hubs, we do not expect this number to be equivalent to the number of Youth Hub sites.

Role

ABM FTE

May-23

May-22

May-21

Youth Hub Work Coach

100

140

140

Source: DWP’s internal Activity Based Model (ABM)

Notes:

  • Data is correct as of end of May 2021, 2022, and 2023.
  • Data is drawn as at the end of each month. Therefore, the end of May figure has been used for 2021 and 2022, and for consistency the same has been used for 2023.
  • Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. They have been rounded to the nearest 10.
  • The number of Youth Hub Work Coaches is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.
  • Youth Employability Coaches and other Jobcentre staff may also work from Youth Hubs which is not reflected in this data.


Written Question
Jobcentres: Staff
Thursday 30th March 2023

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential for Work Coaches or other Jobcentre Plus staff to support employers to job carve, to create roles suitable for single parents seeking to balance work with parenting responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It is for employers to consider the specifics of job design. This government however recognises the importance of flexible work for parents and is supporting the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill throughout its journey in Parliament.

Childcare is also important for working parents. We have just announced a generous new offer for parents needing childcare to work, to be rolled out starting this year. We are increasing the Universal Credit childcare cap to £951 for one child (up from £646) and £1,630 for two children (up from £1,108). We will also be paying parents on Universal Credit childcare support up-front when they are moving into work or increasing their hours, rather than in arrears, removing a key barrier for low-income families.

In addition, from April 2024 we will be increasing the free childcare available to working parents in England in a staged rollout, so that by September 2025 all working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3 years old will be able to access 30 hours free childcare per week.


Written Question
Training: Older People
Tuesday 28th March 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps with his Cabinet colleagues to provide free courses to workers over 50 who feel they would benefit from training to (a) build their confidence and (b) ensure their skills are suited to the modern workplace.

Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK Government already offer a wide range of skills focused programmes such as Sector-based Work Academies, Skills Bootcamps and Apprenticeships. As part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Free Courses for Jobs supports people of all ages find work or a new career.

At budget, the Chancellor announced returnerships, which is a new offer targeted at the over 50s, which will bring together the government’s existing skills programmes, focusing on flexibility and previous experience to reduce training length.

Work Coaches and other Jobcentre Plus staff are equipped with knowledge about local labour markets and training opportunities, to support older people looking to move back into employment, and support such as Midlife MoT’s and mentoring circles aim to build older customers confidence in their skills and ability to seek work.


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Publications
Tuesday 14th March 2023

Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 152229 on Universal Credit, what steps his Department is taking to advertise Touchbase to Universal Credit claimants.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Touchbase is a weekly email newsletter from the Department for Work and Pensions which provides links to new and updated information on GOV.UK and other websites. It is the primary communication channel for DWP to a wide range of external stakeholders from diverse organisations across the UK who work with, support and advise our customers.

While Touchbase is not produced for Jobcentre Plus staff or Universal Credit claimants, DWP has a comprehensive internal communications programme which ensures that colleagues across the organisation are aware of the department’s priorities and the individual initiatives to deliver them.

The topics covered in Touchbase will routinely be part of this internal communications programme.