Annex A
A summary of the evaluation findings from
DWP Research Report No. 156 `Short-term effects of compulsory
participation in ONE'
Clients from ethnic minority groups were:
— less likely to say that they had
attended a personal adviser meeting
(Lone parent clients: 73 per cent. compared with
81 per cent. of the white group)
(Sick or disabled clients: 58 per cent. compared
with 69 per cent.)
— However these clients were significantly
more likely to report having received advice about jobs (Sick
or disabled clients: 18 per cent. compared with 12 per cent. of
white.)
The numbers are too small for detailed analyses
of individual ethnic groups and the findings must therefore be
tentative. There were some patterns that emerged which suggest
that Pakistani clients may have received a worse service than
their white counterparts. Among lone parent clients, only 3 per
cent. of Pakistanis and black Caribbeans had discussed in-work
benefits compared with 19 per cent. of white clients. This variation
persisted when other factors were controlled. Pakistani lone parent
clients were also less likely to have attended a Personal Adviser
meeting (66 per cent. compared with 81 per cent.) while, in the
sick or disabled clients group, Pakistani clients were less likely
to mention a feature of ONE that they disliked (34 per cent. compared
with 49 per cent.). These variations did not prove statistically
significant when other factors were controlled. It may be that
the ethnic variation is reflecting the different characteristics
of Pakistani clients or it may be that the numbers are too small.
The proportion of Black Caribbean lone parent clients who had
discussed in-work benefits was also relatively low (3 per cent.)
but otherwise, these clients tended to fare as well as white clients
on most measures.
Another reason for caution is that clients from
ethnic minority groups tended to be clustered in a small number
of areas and some of the differences noted may have been partly
attributable to variations in the procedures adopted in these
localities. However, this was not the sole explanation. The variations
still persisted when the analysis was confined to the three benefit
office areas with high concentrations of ethnic minority clients.
7 February 2002
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