The government’s “biggest reforms to employment support for a generation” must not overlook people in recovery from substance use
The Forward Trust welcomes the ambition and initiatives set out in this white paper, and we hope to see charities and social enterprises at the forefront of the design and delivery. Action is critical for government to support people with addiction and mental health issues that contribute to long -unemployment, along with tackling insecure work, zero-hour contracts, low pay, and inflexible jobs that trap people in a cycle of dependency on Universal Credit.
This is the government’s first significant intervention to achieve an ambitious 80 per cent employment rate, and while The Forward Trust welcomes the additional £240 million investment and focus on Trailblazers and the Connect to Work programme it must keep its eye on hard-to-reach people.
We are pleased to see there is an expansion of Individual Placement and Support services through Connect to Work. However, it should build upon their supported employment programmes for people who want to work but are also participating in Substance Misuse Treatment schemes.
We know that many people living with addictions – or with health issues – want to work. With the right support, it can be transformational for individuals and their employers.
The Forward Trust agrees that Job Centre Plus (JCP) transformation is essential to raise the employment rate. From the ground up it’s imperative that JCP managers and work coaches collaborate with charity expertise through faster and more flexible local commissioning and partnering on specific initiatives such as job and careers fairs and self-employment events.
We also welcome the Youth Guarantee to provide opportunities for 18-21 year olds. To get this right, we must learn from previous programmes and focus on aspirational careers advice, training, focusing on skills, behaviours, oracy and creative thinking for the world of work, intensive-in-work support and a commitment to the Good Work Standard by employers.
Similarly, the Trailblazer areas are also welcomed. We would urge that consideration is given to how Combined Authorities and Local Government will continue to fund and commission these in the future through devolution deals.
Finally, self-employment and business start-up must be seen as a critical pathway for some individuals into economic activity. It provides a creative path when others are challenging, particularly for individuals in long-term unemployment.
Crucially, we recommend greater alignment between employability and skills programmes so that adults in particular can improve their skills, knowledge, resilience and behaviours to access sustainable employment and careers.
We will continue to work with the government to help create conditions for sustainable, productive workforce of the future.