DWP will deploy work coaches to combat ill-health and worklessness

The Government will introduce work coaches in order to help more people who are out of work due to sickness or disability, regain employment.

As part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Plan for Change, which will remove barriers to employment, 1,000 work coaches will be deployed.

Around 65,000 people with disabilities and illnesses will receive voluntary assistance, including help in writing CVs and interviewing techniques. The coaches will also direct people to other DWP employment and support programmes.

A survey by the DWP found that 44% disabled people and those with a chronic health condition believed it did not offer enough support to those who were out of work due to a disability or ill health.

The DWP Perceptions Survey found that 35% disabled people and people who have a health condition believe the government department doesn’t provide enough support for people of working age out of work to help them return to work.

Total 44% of people with disabilities and health conditions did not believe that the DWP would help them reach their full potential in the workplace.

Nearly 2/5 of disabled and health-related people (39%) do not trust DWP’s ability to provide services that take into account the needs of its clients.

Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: “Many disabled and sick people can and want to work with the proper support. We know that people benefit from good work – their living standards, their mental and physical well-being, and their ability to be independent.

She added, “We are determined to fix Britain’s broken benefits system by reforming it and providing proper support for people to get into and succeed at work. This will help us get Britain back to work and achieve our ambitious 80% employment rate.”

Ben Harrison, director at the Lancaster University think-tank, the Work Foundation, said that the move should be broadly welcomed.

He also warned: “As welfare funds are under increasing pressure, ministers should resist the temptation of thinking about these changes as carrots and stick to force people into employment. Instead, they should focus on de-risking the return to work for those that can, while protecting those who cannot, their living standards, well-being and dignity.

To build trust among disabled people and those who have long-term illnesses, the government must provide more secure and sustainable job opportunities. It should also include more flexible working options to manage health conditions. A recent Department for Work and Pensions report showed that 25 percent of people who are unemployed and receiving disability and health benefits could work if they were able to do so from home.

“But prevention is better than cure. It’s important that the government works with employers to stop people from leaving the workforce in the first instance. Work Foundation research suggests that early intervention can help support one out of ten workers who leave their jobs within four years after experiencing a medical issue. In order to help these workers stay in employment or return to it, the government should work with their employers to improve access to occupational healthcare services, rights to flexibility working, and to strengthen sick pay,” Harrison said.

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