Work and Benefit Changes Learning Disability Partnership Board

1. Work and Benefit ChangesLearning DisabilityPartnership Board Aidan Quigley Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) Jobcentre Plus CarlisleJune 2012

2. Background to Welfare to Work Reform In 2002 Jobcentre Plus was created by merger of Jobcentres and Benefits Agency; Help for those who can work and support for those who can’t work; All benefit recipients offered Work Focused Interviews; National review of sickness absence management leads to the introduction of the “well note”; All Incapacity benefit claims were reviewed from April 2011 and migrate to Employment Support Allowance ( ESA )

3. Changes from April 2011 • Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Income Support on the grounds of illness or disability are being phased out; • Individuals with an existing claim to these benefits will be reassessed by Jobcentre Plus between October 2010 and 2014; • From April 2011 full national reassessment commenced resulting in approx 11,000 cases reviewed each week; • The new Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is carried out by ATOS Healthcare Medical Services on behalf of Jobcentre Plus; • For some people assessment will be conducted using the information in the medical questionnaire or a face-to-face discussion with a healthcareprofessional.

4. Work Capability Assessment ( WCA ) • Limited capability for work medical questionnaire (ESA50) asks how an individual’s long term health condition or disability affects their ability to complete everyday tasks; • The contents of the ESA50 and any other evidence supplied is assessed by an ATOS Healthcare Medical Services health professional to decide if the customer needs to attend a face to face assessment; • The assessment by ATOS concentrates on what the an individual can do rather than focusing on what they can’t; • The healthcare professional assesses how well the customer can do things like walk, sit and stand up, use their hands, see and hear. • Individuals with mental health conditions and learning disabilities have an assessment based upon their mood, behaviour, the way they relate to the world around them and how they cope with things day to day.

5. Three options: after reassessment • Support Group: Those with the most severe disabilities or health conditions will not be expected to undertake any work activity and will get extra support on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). • Work Related Activity Group: Those who need more time to recover but need support to prepare for work will get help whilst claiming Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). • Fit For Work: Those found capable of work will be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) except for those who qualify for Income Support under another entitlement e.g. lone parents with children under 5 years of age.

6. Support for those joining Jobseekers Allowance • New measures have been introduced to help disabled people return to work; • These include the Flexible Support Fund; Get Britain Working and the Work Programme; • Other specialist help includes Residential Training Colleges for disabled people; The Work Choice programme and Access To Work.

7. The Flexible Support Fund • Flexible Support Fund supports Jobcentre Plus advisers to help customers to overcome barriers and help them move closer to work; • The Flexible Support Fund can be used to meet childcare costs; travel expenses; work clothing; work tools; job search activities and interview techniques; • Flexible Support Fund can also be used to develop & support local partnerships.

8. Get Britain Working Measures • The Get Britain Working measures are designed to provide tailored and flexible support through a Work Focused Interview by a Jobcentre Plus adviser; • Advisory interviews are mandatory for all Jobseeker Allowance (JSA) customers and for some customers claiming Employment Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support (IS); • Help includes Work Clubs; Work Experience; Enterprise Clubs; New Enterprise Allowance Scheme; European Social Fund programmes.

9. The Work Programme • The Work Programme was introduced from 1st June 2011; • It offers an integrated package of personalised support for a broad range of customers including those claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Employment & Support Allowance, Income Support and Incapacity Benefit. • The Work Programme is delivered by private and voluntary sector providers (A4E and Ingeous UK Ltd will deliver in Cumbria and Lancashire ); • Providers are given the freedom to support customers based on their individual needs and will be paid on sustainable job outcomes.

10. Work Choice • Work Choice was introduced nationally in October 2010; • It is designed for customers who have a severe or complex disability or health condition; • It offers three separate specialist modules comprising Work Entry Support, Short to Medium In Work Support, Long Term In Work Support; • Work Choice is delivered by private and voluntary sector providers (The Shaw Trust in Cumbria); • Help includes creating a development plan, assessing and tailoring support to meet specific needs, job search support and advice, personal and job skills support;

11. Future Changes • Disability Living Allowance ( DLA ) will be replaced by a new benefit called Personal Independent Payment ( PIP ) from 2014 • PIP will prioritise resources on individuals whose impairments have the most impact on their lives; • PIP will focus on individual’s ability to carry out a range of activities key to everyday life and will include a broader definition of mobility; • The care and mobility proxies of DLA will be modernised e.g. mobility as currently defined concentrates on an individual’s ability to walk, not their ability to get around more generally.

12. Assessment for PIP • The PIP assessment will be objective and evidence based which will lead to more consistency and transparency as the process will be easier to understand; • The assessment will focus upon the ability of an individual to carry out a range of key activities necessary for everyday life; • Initial proposals are to focus upon an individual’s ability to get around, interact with others, manage personal care and treatment needs, access food and drink; • Proposed activities that could be assessed include planning and making a journey, understanding and communicating with others; • A face- to- face, in- depth assessment by an independent healthcare professional approved by DWP will be an important part of the new process.

13. PIP Implementation • Planned introduction of PIP will be in 2013/14; • Existing DLA claimants will remain on DLA and will be reassessed from 2013; • Further decisions will be taken regarding the relationship between PIP and the new Universal Credit and whether extra support is required for those individual’s who qualify for both benefits.

14. Universal Credit • Universal Credit announced in White Paper on Welfare Reform in November 2010; • The main aims of the new benefit will be to enable people to keep more of their benefit when they want to go back to work and ensure people are better off taking up work; • Be simpler to administer and understand for customers; • It will replace Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, Income Based Employment & Support Allowance; • The Universal Credit will be introduced from October 2013;