effective action to end homlessness jobcentre plus and support for homeless people know the direction of travel
JOBCENTRE PLUS AND SUPPORT FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE: KNOW THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OVERVIEW The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently reviewed the employment support provided by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to homeless people. This review led to two main principles and a range of recommendations. The principles are: work can make a significant contribution to recovery and resettlement for homeless people joined-up service delivery is required to address the barriers to employment experienced by homeless people The recommendations include a continuous named JCP adviser, strengthening relationships between JCP advisers and keyworkers, colocation of staff and reciprocal training. In his speech at the annual Crisis conference in June 2011 1, Chris Grayling MP, the Minister for Employment, emphasised the freedom and flexibility that JCP staff will have to work with people who have needs around homelessness, and has urged staff in homelessness services to take steps towards ensuring that people get the right level of service. DWP believes that the figure of 13,500 currently recorded as a person without accommodation is a significant underrepresentation of the actual figure. This message has gone out to all JCP district managers who should be primed and ready to respond to approaches by local services. THE MESSAGE FOR CLIENTS Encourage clients to identify themselves to JCP as homeless ( a person without accommodation ) if they are sleeping rough, sofa surfing, living in squats, in temporary accommodation, are hostel residents, or in B & B accommodation provided by the local authority. If people s barriers to employment are not correctly identified by JCP, they run the risk of being put into the wrong Work Programme band which will reduce the availability of additional funding for specialist services; if this happens, it cannot be rectified later. Some people may feel uncomfortable about telling the JCP this, or if in temporary accommodation, not see themselves as homeless ; by identifying themselves as homeless they can receive a better service from Jobcentre Plus, including an 1 http://dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/ministers-speeches/2011/21-06-11.shtml 1
individual named worker and more appropriate support if they subsequently are referred to the Work Programme. Rules for benefits, and sanctions for breaking rules, may become stricter, so it is vital that an individual s JCP adviser has a thorough understanding of their circumstances and the barriers they may face. THE MESSAGE FOR KEYWORKERS AND MANAGERS Homelessness services need to takes steps to actively develop their relationships with local JCP offices and staff. Keyworkers: The aim is to achieve more consistent and effective support for homeless people by removing barriers between JCP and homelessness services. Keyworkers should engage directly with JCP advisers both as advocates for their clients, and in providing joined-up support for recovery and resettlement the aim is to move towards a case management approach. To make this work homelessness services need to play a part in ensuring that JCP can achieve this better service by getting actively involved in a client s engagement with JCP and by discussing concerns around stigmatisation openly with clients and being clear about the benefits of disclosure. Managers: Agencies are encouraged to contact their local JCP District Managers (see accompanying list) or Borough Partnership Managers to establish a top-level understanding of one another s services, improve awareness and disclosure of homelessness and start closer long-term working relationships (such as reciprocal training and in and out-reach services). Explore any potential to support JCP priorities by accessing funding from the Flexible Support Fund. If your service can take referrals from JCP, talk to them about having your service promoted to advisers (called a non-contracted provision service level agreement ). The recommendations arising from the DWP review are encouraging and should lead to people with histories of homelessness receiving a better service. 2
CASE STUDY EFFECTIVE JOINT WORKING Case study: Purfleet Trust Purfleet Trust 2 provides a supported volunteering programme for homeless men and women in King s Lynn and West Norfolk. Jobcentre Plus had been referring people to the service for some time, but many of the people referred were not at a point at which they were able to make good use of the service. Purfleet Trust contacted the Work Placement Manager at JCP, who visited the project; Purfleet Trust have now developed an induction and training programme tailored to the needs of the people being referred, and JCP advisers have a much clearer idea of the aims of the service and can refer more appropriately. Purfleet Trust are continuing to work with their local JCP office to explore ways that they can support one another s work. THE FLEXIBLE SUPPORT FUND Jobcentre Plus District Managers have access to the devolved Flexible Support Fund (FSF), which can be used for a number of purposes, including discretionary funding of projects and services that are not duplicated elsewhere and that can help Jobcentre Plus to meet its local priorities. The resources available are in the region of 150m per year, and examples of ways the FSF can be used include: to support effective local partnerships to develop and implement collective solutions for improving employment outcomes making links between public services including health, housing, transport, employment and skills, and organisations providing related support to clients, particularly the voluntary and community sector. purchasing other provision that is aligned with local priorities Some Jobcentre Plus districts advertise specific opportunities relating to particular client groups on DWP s website (below); others do not. If there are no opportunities listed in your area, it may still be worth contacting your JCP District Manager or Borough Partnership Manager to explore if there are ways that the FSF can be used to develop a service that meets local priorities. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/customer-delivery/jobcentre-plus/stakeholders-andpartnerships/partnerships/local-opportunities/ 2 http://www.purfleettrust.org.uk/index.htm 3
FEEDBACK DWP are very keen to hear of examples of effective or ineffective joint working between the voluntary sector and Jobcentre Plus, and also feedback from or about individuals who have disclosed themselves as a person without accommodation and the sort of service they have subsequently received. If you are responding on behalf of an agency, these are some of the things it would be helpful to know about: In which Jobcentre Plus District are you based or which Jobcentre Plus do you deal with most often? How would you rate your engagement with Jobcentre Plus? Very effective, Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory What are the reasons for your rating of engagement with Jobcentre Plus? What are your most effective means of promoting your services to Jobcentre Plus? What examples do you have of effective collaborative working arrangements with Jobcentre Plus? What are the key achievements of these arrangements? What more can be done by you and/or Jobcentre Plus to promote effective collaborative working arrangements? Homeless Link will collate all responses and forward them to the Department for Work and Pensions, who will use this information to identify areas of good practice and also where practice can be improved this information will contribute directly to future developments in providing support to homeless people at Jobcentre Plus. Unfortunately, Homeless Link and DWP are not able to intervene in individual cases. Please send any responses or comments to: jcpexperience@homelesslink.org.uk 4