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Parents
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Consultation on whether the Skills Health Check should be mandatory for lone parents
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Early 2008
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Consultation was undertaken on whether Lone Parents should be mandated to Work Related Activity as part of the 2008 Green Paper ('No-one Written Off-July 2008')
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|
Review of how to extend right to request flexible working to parents of older children
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Spring 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Introduce group seminars for lone parents nationally
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April 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Jobcentre Plus will aim, where possible, to guarantee lone parents who are willing and able to work a job interview with an employer
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April 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Support and guidance from a personal adviser available for all lone parents who have moved into work
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April 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
National roll-out of the In Work Emergency Discretion Fund
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April 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Pilot of the provision of up-front child care costs in London
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April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Extend In Work Credit to all lone parents
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April 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Pilot of In Work Credit and retention package for lone parents
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April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Legal duty on local authorities in England and Wales to secure sufficient child care to meet the needs of their local communities, in particular those on low incomes and with disabled children, takes effect
|
April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
New Deal for Partners strengthened by increasing number of Work Focused Interviews
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April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Introduce quarterly Work Focused Interviews for lone parents in the last year before their child reaches the age where they are no longer entitled to Income Support
|
From October 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Lone parents with a youngest child aged 12 or over will no longer be entitled to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone parent
|
October 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
12 Jan 2010 : Column 835W
12 Jan 2010 : Column 836W
|
Extend Work Trials for up to six weeks for those taking part in the New Deal for Lone Parents
|
Late 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Child maintenance disregard in main income related benefits to rise to £20 per week
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By end 2008
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Fully introduced
|
|
Lone parents with a youngest child aged 10 or over will no longer be entitled to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone parent
|
October 2009
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Skills screen for all new lone parent Income Support claimants as part of work-focused interview, and encourage attendance at full Skills Heath Check
|
2009-10
|
This will be considered as part of planning for the national implementation of an integrated employment and skills service for Jobseeker's Allowance customers in 2010-11
|
|
Child maintenance disregard in main income related benefits to rise to £40 per week
|
From April 2010
|
On track
|
|
Lone parents with a youngest child aged seven or over will no longer be entitled to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone parent
|
October 2010
|
On track
|
|
Every school in England to be an extended school
|
2010
|
On track
|
| | | |
|
Jobseekers
| | |
|
Back to Work Seminar pilots
|
Early 2008
|
Implemented March 2009
|
|
Flexible New Deal procurement activity begins
|
Spring 2008
|
Commenced April 2008
|
|
Pilot a Better Off in Work Credit
|
October 2008
|
Introduced in Yorkshire and the Humber in October 2008.
|
|
Contracts awarded and contract start-up activity
|
Early spring 2009
|
Successful Flexible New Deal bidders announced May 2009 and start up activity commenced. Contracts signed with 14 Flexible New Deal Providers in August 2009
|
|
Changes by Jobcentre Plus to implement new Jobseeker's Allowance regime
|
April 2009
|
Phase 1 was completed in April 2009 (Phase 2 will be completed in April 2010)
|
|
First customers referred to contracted Flexible New Deal
|
October 2009
|
First customers referred to Flexible New Deal providers on 2 October (service delivery started in all contract package areas from 5 October)
|
|
Potential extension of a Better Off in Work Credit
|
2009
|
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his pre-Budget report statement of 9 December 2009 that the Better Off in Work Credit will be rolled out across the country
|
|
Skills screen for all new Jobseeker's Allowance customers
|
2009-10
|
Fully introduced
|
|
In trial areas, pilot mandatory Skills Health Checks for long term Jobseeker's Allowance customers
|
2009-10
|
In the 12 Jobcentre Plus districts involved in trialling Integrated Employment and Skills services, Jobseeker's Allowance claimants who have not attended a Skills Health Check on a voluntary basis by week 26 of their claim are mandated to do so
|
|
Training allowances for long term Jobseeker's Allowance customers to attend intensive employability focused training of up to eight weeks
|
2009-10
|
This came into effect in April 09 on a national basis (originally trialled in the west midlands)
|
|
Pilot mandatory basic skills and job-focused training courses for Jobseeker's Allowance customers who have been on benefit for six months
|
2009-10
|
The Pilot for mandatory basic skills and job-focused training courses for Jobseeker's Allowance customers who have been on benefit for six months is due to commence in 2010 (pending the legislative process)
|
| | | |
|
Health conditions and disabilities
| | |
|
Publication of the review of the health of Britain's working age population led by the National Director for Health and Work, Dame Carol Black
|
Early 2008
|
'Working for a healthier tomorrow: Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population' was published in March 2008. Government responded to the review in November 2008 with the publication of 'Improving health and work: changing lives'
|
|
Pathways to Work available across Great Britain to anyone on incapacity benefits
|
April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Return to Work Credit of £40 per week tax free for a year available to everyone eligible who moves into work
|
April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Introduction of the Employment and Support Allowance
|
October 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Introduction of mandatory Pathways to Work interviews and the new Work Capability Assessment for existing Incapacity Benefit customers who are under 25
|
2009
|
Introduction of mandatory Pathways to Work interviews achieved to timescale. Interviews are taking place between November 2009 and March 2011. Existing incapacity benefits customers under 25 will be assessed using the Work Capability Assessment when they are migrated to Employment and Support Allowance from October 2010
|
|
Remove Housing Benefit learning restrictions for short term Incapacity Benefit customers to allow them to study full time
|
2009
|
Yet to be introduced. Exploratory work is ongoing
|
|
Skills screen for Employment and Support Allowance customers soon after the start of claim, and where appropriate a mandatory Skills Health Check at a later point in claim
|
2009-11
|
This will be considered as part of planning for the national implementation of an integrated employment and skills service for Jobseeker's Allowance customers in 2010-11
|
| | | |
|
Young people not in work, education or training
| | |
|
Extend early entry to the New Deal for 18 year olds with a previous history of not being in work, education or training on a voluntary basis
|
April 2008
|
Fully introduced
|
12 Jan 2010 : Column 837W
12 Jan 2010 : Column 838W
|
Extend a mandatory early entry to the Flexible New Deal for 18 year olds who have not been in work, education or training for six months
|
April 2009
|
Fully introduced
|
| | | |
|
Commissioning and Local Employment Partnership
| | |
|
Publish the Department for Work and Pensions Commissioning Strategy
|
February 2008
|
Published February 2008
|
|
Pilots to test enhancing links between housing organisations and Jobcentre Plus services
|
2008
|
Pilots commenced 2008 and due to conclude spring 2011
|
|
The new Working Neighbourhoods Fund, jointly sponsored by Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Communities and Local Government will help to focus support and encourage enterprise in areas with high unemployment
|
2008-11
|
Fully introduced
|
|
Local Employment Partnerships to help 250,000 people into work
|
End of 2010
|
The Local Employment Partnerships milestone was achieved by the end of August 2009 and has been extended to 750,000
|
| | | |
|
Benefit reform
| | |
|
Publish further details of our approach to benefit reform
|
2008
|
Commitment met
|
| | | |
|
Older workers
| | |
|
Review of default retirement age
|
2011
|
We announced in 'Building a society for all ages' that we are bringing forward the review of the Default Retirement Age to 2010. In October the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions issued a joint statement calling for evidence on retirement ages to be submitted by 1 February 2010. This evidence will be used to inform the Default Retirement Age review
|
|
UK Commission for Employment and Skills operational
|
April 2008
|
Operational from April 2008
|
|
Trial aspects of an integrated employment and skills service, including; new screening process for basic literacy, numeracy, language and employability skills; new adult advancement and careers service; Skills Health Check; and Skills Accounts for benefit customers
|
2008-09
|
The first integrated employment and skills trial began in September 2008. Since then trials have been under way in 12 Jobcentre Plus Districts
|
|
Suite of robust operational targets for Jobcentre Plus and the Learning and Skills Council, to underpin the shared Department for Work and Pensions/Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills objective of delivering sustainable employment and progression
|
2009
|
The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are in the process of finalising robust data measures relating to the commitment made in the 'Command Paper Work Skills, June 2008' that in 2010-11 over 100,000 people will be helped to gain sustainable employment and to achieve a recognised qualification
|
|
New adult advancement and careers service fully operational
|
2010-11
|
On track
|
|
Integrated employment and skills system fully operational
|
2010-11
|
On track
|
