welfare reform - theopportunities for job creation and

supporting people into employment

Tracy Fishwick

Welfare reform…in a nutshell

• Get more people in to work / off benefits…– Carrot VS Stick– Work Programme

• Make work pay– Universal credit

• Save money– Benefit caps, benefit cuts, make it harder to claim,

have more people in work (or off benefits…)

Welfare reform where to begin…?

housing benefits

Council tax

Universal credit

child benefits, tax credits

DLA / PIP reforms

Work programmeSanctions

We could spend a day on the fact that…• The majority of the ‘welfare’ budget is pensions• 45% of households get some form of DWP benefit• 59% of reforms affect people in work – so finding work

is not the whole answer• 85% of disabled people on the Work Programme don't

move in to work• The impact of reform on local government / housing

associations; the link between a home and a job• Is welfare reform making it harder for people to work –

feeling more insecure, losing control, stigma, isolated

But my brief is to be up-beat!

• How opportunities can be created for new jobs

• How people can change their own lives• How we can do things outside the

‘mainstream’?• How we can INNOVATE as part of public

service reform

Innovate: individuals’ employability

Focus on the employer

Innovate: People helping people

DC Central Kitchen - reducing hunger with recycled food, training unemployed adults for culinary careers, serving healthy school meals, and rebuilding urban food systems through social enterprise.

Leverage: housing as a force for job creation

‘Proving Talent’ and Give us a Chance Consortia

enabling job creation, up-skilling local people, no grant money, all through contractor levy

Devo and the like

MyGo - the UK’s first employment centre especially designed for young people ; collaboration between EOS Works Ltd, Tomorrow's People, public sector ‘white labelled’

Opportunities for VCS?•Relationships not transactions •Smaller, local contracts, commissions •Encourage risk – innovate, test, share ideas •Leverage – employers, business, infrastructure, civic leaders, housing •Specialist programmes e.g. part time working •Social action, people helping people, choice, volunteering•Collaboration with employers as well as pan-sector•Invest in evidence base and impact (not SROI)

jobsinnovators.orgnesta.org.uk/blog/four-steps-new-work-programme

Thanks

tracy@transform-lives.org

@inclusionNW

07769670753