1000’s of sick and disabled individuals to get life-changing assist into work

A brand new £338 million funding into the Connect to Work programme will ship localised, tailor-made assist to over 85,000 people who find themselves sick, disabled or face complicated limitations to work in 15 areas throughout England.

The scheme supplies intensive, personalised assist together with particular person teaching from employment specialists, job matching companies, and ongoing assist for each members and employers to make sure sustainable employment outcomes.

In throughout 300,000 individuals throughout all of England and Wales are set to profit over the subsequent 5 years. To entry assist, sick and disabled individuals and people going through complicated limitations to work can self-refer or they are often referred by varied routes together with healthcare professionals, native authorities, and voluntary sector companions.

With 2.8 million individuals out of labor resulting from ill-health – one of many highest charges within the G7 – it’s a part of the Government’s plan to get Britain working once more and ship an 80% employment price by overhauling jobcentres, tackling financial inactivity by native plans, and delivering a Youth Guarantee so each younger particular person is both incomes or studying.

Among these out of labor, over one in 4 cite illness as a barrier – greater than double the 2012 determine of 1 in ten – highlighting the pressing want for tailor-made employment assist that removes limitations confronted by disabled individuals and people with well being circumstances.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall stated:

For too lengthy, thousands and thousands of individuals have been denied the assist they should get again to well being and again to work.

It’s unhealthy for his or her residing requirements, it’s unhealthy for his or her households, and it’s unhealthy for the economic system.

That’s why we’re taking decisive motion by investing thousands and thousands of kilos so sick or disabled individuals can overcome the limitations they face and transfer out of poverty and into good, safe jobs as a part of our Plan for Change.

The growth is backed by a £338 million money injection with the most important interventions introduced as we speak together with:

• Up to £71.9 million for Central London Forward – supporting 16,800 individuals throughout the City of London.
• Up to £47.1 million for the Local London Sub-Regional partnership – offering tailor-made assist to 12,350 individuals throughout 9 boroughs in east and outer London.
• Up to £35.3 million for South Yorkshire – serving to 9,950 members throughout Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, and Doncaster into work.
• Up to £30.7 million for Greater Essex – supporting 7,800 individuals throughout Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock, and Essex into good jobs.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard stated:

I would like South Yorkshire to be a spot the place all of us thrive. Where poor well being doesn’t maintain us again. And work performs an enormous half. It’s not nearly wages – it’s about dignity, satisfaction, and the safety that comes from figuring out you possibly can assist your self and your loved ones.

Right now, greater than 140,000 individuals throughout South Yorkshire aren’t in work. But lots of these individuals desperately wish to have a job, wish to present for his or her households, and contribute to the way forward for our communities. Which is why I’m proud that South Yorkshire is without doubt one of the areas throughout England and Wales delivering Connect to Work.

It’s a programme designed to assist these with disabilities, long-term well being circumstances, or from deprived backgrounds, into good, safe jobs. And I’m even prouder that Connect to Work is a part of the nationwide Pathways to Work mission, which we pioneered proper right here in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire’s on the forefront of tackling these challenges nationally, and we’re more and more a mannequin for different locations throughout the nation.

Connect to Work is already reworking lives throughout England, with early supply areas demonstrating the actual distinction focused employment assist could make.

In West London, the place £42.8 million was allotted earlier this 12 months to assist 10,800 individuals, members are already discovering work with the assistance of specialist coaches who perceive the complicated limitations they face.

Awais Ashraf, a Connect to Work participant in West London, stated:

My well being suffered with the lack of a member of the family, which led me right into a interval of melancholy and nervousness, and meant I misplaced my employment just below two years in the past.

My JCP Workcoach referred me to Connect to Work. I obtained a mix of assist – from recommendation and instruments in self-managing my well being situation to figuring out what expertise I already had and may very well be transferred to a different position.

I’m now working as a Teaching Assistant & figuring out I’ve my Employment Specialist supporting me whereas I’m in work can also be a fantastic reassurance.

Cllr Tom Hunt, Chair of the LGA’s Inclusive Growth Committee, stated:

The Government’s resolution to supply grant funding to councils and mayoral areas to ship Connect to Work is a optimistic step. Evidence exhibits that councils are greatest positioned to know and reply to the wants of their communities, and the LGA has lengthy known as for a extra native method to serving to individuals again into employment.

Connect to Work will allow councils and mayors, working with companions, to design tailor-made assist for people who find themselves at the moment out of the labour market resulting from well being circumstances, incapacity, or complicated wants. This not solely facilitates supporting individuals transfer nearer to work but in addition helps scale back wider social and monetary pressures on communities and companies, which helps scale back long-term welfare dependency, and creates stronger and extra productive, resilient native economies.

Today’s announcement comes lower than 24 hours after the Universal Credit Bill obtained Royal Assent.

Coming into pressure in April subsequent 12 months, it’ll make the welfare system fairer by rebalancing Universal Credit to cut back the incentives that discourage work and gasoline inactivity. It will even improve the speed of the usual allowance of Universal Credit, for round 4 million households, placing an additional £725 of their pockets by 2030.

The new funding additionally builds on WorkNicely, a joint programme by DWP and DHSC, which went dwell in October final 12 months, backed by £64m funding. It is reworking how individuals with well being circumstances are supported again into work by higher integration between well being companies and employment assist and can attain 56,000 individuals throughout the 15 pilot websites by Spring 2026.

This method prevents individuals from falling out of labor, reworking employment companies, and offering specialist assist to assist essentially the most deprived again into good jobs.

Additional Information

On Universal Credit (UC) Act:

The Universal Credit Standard allowance is ready to be round £250 increased in 2029/30 for a single grownup aged 25 or over than an inflation solely improve.

The UC Act legislates for:

• Rebalancing of UC well being and normal components together with lowering the well being top-up for brand new claims to £50 per week from April 2026.
• Ensure that every one current recipients of the UC well being component – and any new claimant assembly the Severe Conditions Criteria and/or that has their declare thought-about beneath the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) – will obtain the upper UC well being cost from April 2026.
• Increasing the UC normal allowance above inflation for the subsequent 4 years – price an estimated £725 in money phrases by 2029/30 for a single grownup aged 25 or over.
• Exemptions from reassessment for these with essentially the most extreme, lifelong circumstances.
• Make consequential adjustments to the Income associated Employment and Support Allowance (ESA-IR) to make sure that any individuals nonetheless in receipt of ESA-IR who transfer to UC after April 2026 will obtain an award that goals to keep up parity with an equal UC award.