APPENDIX 2
Letter to the Chairman from the Westcountry
Training and Consultancy Services (EDP 02)
Dear Mr Kirkwood,
I read recently in Disability Now that
you were chairing a committee which was interested in New Deal
for Disabled People (NDDP). It was given in the context of Outset's
recent insolvency.
In general, I do hear negative comments about
the way NDDP was contracted and the uneven results. However, there
are many positive things to be said and it is this which I would
like to draw to your attention.
As an NDDP Job Brokerage contract holder we
have successfully placed over 700 people across the South West
which is, as you know, predominantly rural. We have been able
to help people of all ages and disabilities to find a range of
work.
We have found that people with a range of impairment/ill
health have successfully found jobs.
It is true that the current contract is stressful
to manage due to the funding regime. This was clear from the start
and the management of all organisations were aware of the position.
We have found it has placed considerable pressure and stress on
the management which arguably may have been better deployed elsewhere
but we planned our services on this basis, costed on a realistic
full-cost recovery budget based on our experiences of P.A.S. Pilot.
Outset, as a pilot, also had this experience, it is arguable however
that other organisations were disadvantaged in not doing so and
have found that the risk and cost does not "pay off".
This has resulted in an uneven service across the country. It
should now be recognised that these services require a sophisticated
approach which inevitably requires proper funding. I know that
many organisations have "subsidised" their price through
E.S.F. funding and even LSC funding, using this programme as an
add-on. It is important to establish the real cost from wherever
the funding is accessed. The payback to the Treasury should more
than cover the costs.
I attach some of the many letters[1]
we have had from successful clients which show how beneficial
the service is to them. If the funding included some client capacity-building
component, more people may be able to take advantage. Based on
our experience we estimate that 10% of clients receiving Incapacity
Benefit would then have the help and support they need to enable
them to enter or re-enter employment, with all the social and
personal benefits this brings, in addition to the economic benefits.
One additional but related point WTCS Limited
is a private SME. We are as committed as any voluntary organisation
to promoting diversity and assisting disadvantaged people. The
current emphasis on the role of the voluntary sector feels disadvantageous
to us. Effectiveness is more important than sector isn't it?
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
We look forward to hearing the deliberations of your committee.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Burnett
Director
21 October 2002
1 Not printed. Back
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