Employment & Support Allowance: Evaluation of pilots to support Work-Related Activity Group customers with an 18 to 24 month re-referral period

This document describes an evaluation of three pilot programs—Jobcentre Plus (JCP), Work Programme (WP), and Healthcare Provider (HCP)—aimed at helping individuals with complex health conditions progress towards employment. Conducted by the Learning & Work Institute and NatCen Social Research for the Department for Work and Pensions, the evaluation used a Randomised Control Trial, surveys, and interviews to assess the programs. The JCP and HCP models showed positive impacts on employment and soft outcomes like motivation, while the WP model was less effective. Key features of effective support included personalization, flexibility, and skilled staff. Despite some success, the pilots faced challenges in delivery, such as staffing and training issues, and had limited impact on actual employment rates, with in-work support being notably weak. The evaluation suggests that while the pilots provided valuable support and were well-received, improvements are needed in employer engagement and support provision, especially for specific health conditions and in rural areas. **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: Department for Work and Pensions
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Randomised control trial (RCT)
• RCT methods: No RCT methods listed
• Process methods: Individual interviews
• 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: January 2019

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