Job Start Payment Evaluation: Annex B - Qualitative Research

This document describes an evaluation of the Scottish Government's Job Start Payment (JSP) program, designed to help young people aged 16-24 and care-leavers up to 25 with the costs of starting new employment. The Diffley Partnership conducted the evaluation using qualitative methods such as surveys and interviews with recipients and stakeholders. The findings reveal that while JSP aids in managing initial employment costs and boosts confidence, it does not fully cover all needs, particularly for parents with childcare expenses. Challenges identified include low awareness among the target group, restrictive eligibility criteria resulting in high denial rates, and a complex application process. Recommendations for program improvement include increasing awareness, simplifying the application process, and revising eligibility criteria to better serve young job seekers. The evaluation aims to inform policy decisions to enhance the effectiveness of the JSP program. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: The Scottish Government (The Scottish Government)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Theory-based methods
• Theory-based methods: Other
• Process methods: Focus groups or group interviews; Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: September 2022

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes