The Department published an evaluation of Additional Work Coach Support: The impact of Additional Work Coach Support on the employment outcomes of LCWRA participants and Evaluation of Additional Work Coach Support. Additionally, we have published a study that assessed the feasibility of evaluating the impact of Access to Work: Feasibility of evaluating the impact of the Access to Work programme.

The Youth Guarantee aims to increase opportunities for 16-24-year-olds to make them work-ready and equipped to thrive. Success will be measured by improvement in employment outcomes, reduction in economic inactivity, and an increase in participation in education and training.

Evidence for the effectiveness of expanded Jobcentre support is primarily derived from the DWP Youth Offer Process Evaluation, which was published in October 2024. It found generally positive outcomes, with most participants reporting tailored and useful support; findings have since informed improvements to delivery, mental health referrals, and efforts to address local service gaps and barriers. We will monitor these outcomes nationally for all Youth Guarantee participants. This will build on already commissioned evaluation of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers and a planned full process evaluation of the Jobs Guarantee, the first phase of which is now underway. Evaluation plans for the Youth Jobs Grant and the Youth Hub expansion are also being developed.

The new Jobcentre support is based on these findings and offers young people on Universal Credit and looking for work tailored employment support and a structured path into a job, apprenticeship, work experience, SWAP, learning or training from their first appointment in the Jobcentre.

The DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) has made several attempts to contact and arrange an initial discussion with Evenbreak and remains keen to explore opportunities for closer collaboration. Whilst there has been no response DWP continues to actively promote Evenbreak and signposts colleagues and customers to the opportunities available.

There is significant potential to further strengthen engagement with Evenbreak and increase awareness of their offer across DWP networks. SRT would welcome the opportunity to develop this relationship further should engagement be established.

DWP is committed to supporting inclusive recruitment and improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities and health conditions. Through the Disability Confident scheme, DWP actively encourages employers to sign up and become Disability Confident members, helping to create more inclusive workplaces and broaden access to employment opportunities for disabled people and those with health conditions.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

When considering moving colleagues and services to an alternative location the Department considers a wide range of factors and evidence. These include the impact on customers, business needs, local labour market conditions, and the ability to maintain a geographical presence and service continuity to customers. Decisions also take into account building quality, lease events, and value for money.

Number of Established Jobcentres

31^st March 2025 is 633

13^th March 2026 is 630

The Department continually reviews its estate to ensure it meets the needs of customers and represents value for money, making changes where appropriate. The Department’s Workplace Transformation Programme is working closely with the Jobs and Careers Service to ensure that our physical spaces evolve to support more personalised, modern employment and skills services for customers. This includes exploring new approaches to workspace location, design and partnership working that enhance accessibility, collaboration and customer outcomes. Any future decisions regarding the Jobcentre estate will be communicated to Parliament in the usual way.

Please see link to published Average Working Days Lost figures: Civil Service sickness absence, 2025: report - GOV.UK.

The Department continually reviews its estate to ensure it meets the needs of customers and represents value for money, making changes where appropriate. The Department’s Workplace Transformation Programme is working closely with the Jobs and Careers Service to ensure that our physical spaces evolve to support more personalised, modern employment and skills services for customers. This includes exploring new approaches to workspace location, design and partnership working that enhance accessibility, collaboration, and customer outcomes. Any future decisions regarding the Jobcentre estate would be communicated to Parliament in the usual way.

The Department for Work and Pensions take any form of abuse and harassment (including violence-at-work incidents) of its staff very seriously. Robust controls are in place to mitigate the risk of unsafe interactions and eliminate violence-at-work as far as reasonably practicable, including security presence, risk assessments and training for our staff.

We review outcomes of our most serious incidents and consider any lessons learned to make improvements to our processes and training when necessary to help prevent reoccurrence.

DWP define assault as intentional physical contact which is directed at DWP or Partner employees (including Security Officers) in connection with working for DWP. Assaults range from minor to most serious. Actual assaults may include reports that resulted in no injury to those that result in major cuts and bruises.

Prior to 2025, regional breakdowns are not held centrally, to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost, however we can provide the national annual breakdown of JC assaults from 2015 to 2024 and a breakdown of JC assaults by region for 2025.

The following table provides the information requested for DWP reported assaults.

2025 assaults by region

Job Centre Work Coaches must uphold the highest standards of propriety and regularity. Under the Bribery Act 2010, it is a criminal offence to offer, give, request, or accept any financial or other advantage intended to improperly influence official duties. This includes gifts, cash, discounts, or hospitality.

As a general rule, staff should decline all gifts, including cash, vouchers, goods, or services.

All offers must be reported and recorded in the Departmental Gifts and Hospitality Register.

DWP complies with the requirement of the Immigration Act 2016 in requiring all of its employees in public-facing roles to speak English fluently, as outlined in the Government’s code of practice at www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice. This includes jobcentre staff and benefits advisers.

The Department carefully monitors the provision of translation and interpretation services for customers. It has not been possible to disaggregate expenditure on services for Jobcentres alone.

As part of its ongoing commitment to service accessibility, the Department provides Customer Computers in all Jobcentres. These devices feature operating systems equipped with integrated assistive technologies—such as screen readers and screen magnifiers—and are managed independently from the broader DWP IT infrastructure.

In addition to accessible software and operating systems, physical peripherals including specialised keyboards, headphones, and tracker-ball mice are available to meet reasonable adjustment needs.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is presently enhancing its customer equipment portfolio. The current range of customer computers will be upgraded to a new operating system that offers improved accessibility and enhanced adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Each device is configured so that the browser and operating system deliver comprehensive support for a wide variety of web accessibility tools, including but not limited to:

• Screen readers
• Text-to-speech applications
• Magnification tools
• Language translation resources

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

Our vision is for a Jobs and Careers service where people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs – digital where possible, human when needed.

We are testing a range of flexible and accessible delivery mechanisms. These include early assessment of user needs, determining the appropriate course of action; Self-service check-in stations; Strategically placed digital screens, displaying local job opportunities; A dedicated customer TechBar, providing digital support; Multifunctional Hubs, supported by conferencing functionality.

We are also testing bringing our core services directly to communities to meet underserved groups using mobile vehicles and pop-ups.

In addition to these wider digital changes are underway that will include the update and rollout of revised customer computer systems.

Furthermore, dedicated funding has been earmarked to support wider proof of concept testing including In-person transcription and summarisation; Real time translation capabilities; Video-based access to providers/suppliers.

The insight gained throughout these tests will help to shape our future service model.

Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are available within each Jobcentre district, providing specialist support to veterans. They will have completed the full work coach learning and had the opportunity to embed their learning prior to becoming an Armed Forces Champion, and they are provided with point of need learning which covers the knowledge and skills to provide tailored support for armed forces leavers, including signposting to specialist organisations and charities.

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services.

All Jobcentre Plus staff new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support customers which includes learning for armed forces leavers. The learning provides an overview of armed forces leavers and assists colleagues in understanding what help is available to them, their spouse/partner when resettling into civilian life.

DWP Work Coaches receive comprehensive learning to support vulnerable customers. Their learning journey includes a module on armed forces leavers.

To ensure DWP staff continue to work from, and deliver, our public facing services in a safe and secure environment, it has been necessary to close Shirebrook Jobcentre since September 2024 while the Department continues to assess the overall condition of the building.

As part of the Department’s business continuity measures, there has been no interruption to services as staff have continued to work from offices in the area, and where needed, customers are being seen at Mansfield Jobcentre.

The Department is committed to exploring all the available long-term delivery options for jobcentre services in the Shirebrook area and will provide an update for the Member of Parliament for Bolsover as soon as it is able to do so.

The table below shows the monthly number of full-time equivalent Work Coaches working in Jobcentres since July 2024:

Notes:

• Work Coach Full Time Equivalent (FTE) data supplied is from July 24 to April 25. This is the most up to date Data held.
• The number of Work Coaches has been derived from DWP's Activity Based Model (ABM). This model gives an estimated FTE based on a point in time estimate by Line Managers, as recorded on our internal systems each month.
• Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 FTE.
• The number of Work Coaches refers to staff involved in conducting regular engagement with claimants, hence the data does not include Work Coach Team Leaders or Disability Employment Advisers.
• Work coaches include both UC Full-Service Work Coaches and Existing Benefits Work Coaches.
• The number of staff employed is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

As part of staff on-boarding and induction into DWP, staff complete learning for customers with sight loss. The learning provides the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, and an overview of the support available to customers including the challenges that individuals with sight loss may face.

Work coaches in Jobcentres also have a point of needs learning products, allowing them to support blind and visually impaired customers.

Access to Work support workers undergo learning which provides details of the funding that is available to support customers with sight loss. This includes the funding of lenses, colour tests and tinted glasses for health conditions, such as Irlens Syndrome (not for general sight loss) when a prescription is given from an optometrist for corrective vision.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of job centres on economic growth.