Jobcentre Plus

Jobcentre Plus helps more people into work, more employers to fill their vacancies, and provides people of working age with the help and support they are entitled to if they cannot work.

Context

Jobcentre Plus is a new business within the Department for Work and Pensions (the department that also includes the Pension Service, Child Support Agency, the Disability and Carers Service, and the Appeals Service).

In 2002, Jobcentre Plus replaced the Employment Service (which ran Jobcentres), and those parts of the Benefits Agency that provided services to people of working age through social security offices. The new service offers help in finding work and claiming benefits, all under one roof. (Most Jobcentre Plus offices are in buildings or on sites that used to be Jobcentres or social security offices.)

In many areas, Jobcentre Plus offices are already offering an integrated service, but it will take several years to integrate fully the entire local office network of Jobcentres and social security offices. Jobcentre Plus will be introduced everywhere by 2006. (In the meantime, services will continue to be provided in local social security offices and Jobcentres, which will be part of the Jobcentre Plus network.)

Jobcentre Plus has more than 1500 local offices; its field structure is made up of 85 districts contained within nine English regions, Wales and Scotland. (It also has a national directorate, Jobcentre Plus Direct, which brings together its network of telephone contact centres, which administer claims for many benefits over the telephone.) Jobcentre Plus is a key partner on the boards that manage the 47 local Connexions partnerships.

What does it do?

Jobcentre Plus aims to provide work for those who can, and support for those who cannot, by:

• Helping disadvantaged people into work, as a route out of poverty
• Providing financial support as a safety net for people of working age while they are out of work
• Addressing inequalities of opportunity
• Protecting the integrity of the benefit system
• Working with employers and partners to address failures in the labour market

All these activities underpin the overarching aim of the Department for Work and Pensions, which is to promote opportunity and independence for all.

Local Jobcentre Plus offices provide members of the public with advice on work, training and benefits; touch-screen 'Jobpoints' to view all job vacancies; job hunting advice and access to newspapers and the internet to check for jobs and training; and individual support from personal advisers.

How does the New Deal work?

New Deal is a programme funded by Jobcentre Plus and administered through Jobcentre Plus local offices. It aims to give unemployed people the skills to enable them to find lasting jobs by providing new opportunities to study, train and gain work experience.

There are several types of New Deal, including New Deal for Young People, which is for 1824 year olds. All young people aged 18-24 who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months have to participate in the New Deal (although some young people will be able to start earlier).

Young people first enter the 'Gateway' for one to four months. This is a period of intensive help and support in finding work, guided by a personal adviser from the Jobcentre Plus office.

The aim is to identify the practical steps a young person needs to take to gain confidence and experience, to develop their skills (or learn new ones), and to find work. These will be set out in an individual action plan. The personal adviser works closely with the young person to identify suitable vacancies and help them produce a CV or fill in application forms.

Where necessary, the personal adviser may arrange additional support, such as a short course or specialised support; the personal adviser can also pay for some costs associated with looking for work, such as long-distance bus or train fares.

If the young person does not find a job during the 'Gateway', the personal adviser draws up a package of training or work experience to help them back to work.

This will depend on the individual's particular circumstances but might include, for example, further training, practice for job interviews, practical help and advice about moving into self employment, or work experience with a local employer or voluntary organisation.

This period normally last for six months, but can last up to a year; the young person will continue to receive support from their personal adviser throughout this time.

Personal advisers may offer an employer a subsidy for six months towards the costs of taking the young person on; in most cases, this will be a permanent job and the young person will get paid the going rate.

Young people who refuse to take part in the New Deal may suffer a benefit sanction, such as having their jobseeker's allowance suspended.