The DWP said the redeployment will provide voluntary help to people on Universal Credit with no requirement to look for work or engage with job help because of their condition
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed plans to offer skills and employment support to tens of thousands of individuals with mental health conditions, bad backs or high blood pressure.
This comes as a result of the redeployment of 1,000 specialist Jobcentre staff to assist those on sickness benefits. The DWP stated that this redeployment will provide voluntary assistance to Universal Credit recipients who are not required to seek work or engage with job help due to their condition – marking the first ever national initiative to support this group.
These work coaches, known as Pathways to Work advisers, are now stationed in every Jobcentre across Scotland, England and Wales. This fulfils the commitment made by the UK Government in March to intensify efforts to get more people into work.
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By the end of this financial year – April 5, 2026, the DWP aims to assist 65,000 people with Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity (LCWRA).
These specialists will collaborate with claimants to overcome obstacles to work and guide them towards additional employment and skills services.
These include IT and HGV driving, UK Government funded Connect to Work support, or on-the-job training in key sectors such as construction and hospitality, reports the Daily Record.
Recent figures reveal approximately 2.2 million people are claiming the country’s primary benefit, deemed too unwell to work, and have been abandoned without assistance or guidance – with roughly 1.3m due to mental health issues and 900,000 suffering from back pain, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal ailments.
With over 2.8 million individuals signed off as long-term sick – amongst the highest proportions in the G7 – the reassignment forms part of the Government’s strategy to get Britain back to work and achieve an 80 per cent employment target by transforming Jobcentres, addressing economic inactivity via local schemes, and implementing a Youth Guarantee ensuring every young person is either working or studying.
The deployment of extra work coach assistance has proven effective in helping individuals find employment, with recent studies showing LCWRA claimants who accepted this support were a third more likely to be employed a year afterwards, and twice as likely to access additional help.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “Two million people stuck on benefits with no opportunities, no help and no prospects is the shocking inheritance we must tackle.
“I’m determined to give people the skills they need to thrive in the modern economy, and help them move into good, secure jobs.
“These dedicated staff are key to unlocking work for tens of thousands of people as we get on with our plan to get Britain working, ensure our welfare system is fit for the future and deliver economic growth, as part of our Plan for Change.”
The offer is voluntary and will be extended to LCWRA claimants through their Universal Credit journal with bespoke appointments scheduled monthly.
The DWP has revealed that over 10,000 people have already accepted the offer, with thousands more anticipated in the upcoming weeks.
It’s crucial to note that those with the most severe and lifelong health conditions, as well as those treated under Special Rules End of Life, will not be contacted.
Advisers utilise this extra time to provide tailored support and activities to aid the claimants’ progress. This includes assisting individuals in identifying and overcoming barriers that may prevent them from moving towards or into employment.
Support could involve being directed to Government employment support programmes like Connect to Work, which offers personalised job-search assistance, employer engagement and on and off the job support, or WorkWell, which combines medical help with career guidance.
They might also be directed to work placement training schemes in sectors such as construction, hospitality, and manufacturing, or offered skills training in programmes such as IT or HGV driving.
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