Work Coaches are vital to getting people into jobs and supporting people to earn more. They are central to a number of the measures announced at Budget, including stepping up Jobcentre support for parents, disabled people and people with health conditions.

We are reviewing our internal plans to ensure we grow our capacity appropriately and effectively, this will include further recruitment to support delivery of these measures.

Work Coaches are vital to getting people into jobs and supporting people to earn more. They are central to a number of the measures announced at Budget, including stepping up Jobcentre support for parents, disabled people and people with health conditions.

We are reviewing our internal plans to ensure we grow our capacity appropriately and effectively, this will include further recruitment to support delivery of these measures.

Work Coaches are vital to getting people into jobs and supporting people to earn more. They are central to a number of the measures announced at Budget, including stepping up Jobcentre support for parents, disabled people and people with health conditions.

We are reviewing our internal plans to ensure we grow our capacity appropriately and effectively, this will include further recruitment to support delivery of these measures.

Work Coaches are vital to getting people into jobs and supporting people to earn more. They are central to a number of the measures announced at Budget, including stepping up Jobcentre support for parents, disabled people and people with health conditions.

We are reviewing our internal plans to ensure we grow our capacity appropriately and effectively, this will include further recruitment to support delivery of these measures.

We are constantly seeking feedback from Work Coaches across the business on any changes that might impact claimants.

The Department have always made it clear these sites are temporary, linked to the Plan for Jobs, and the interventions needed due to impact of the pandemic, and that we would look to decommission them at the appropriate time and move back into business as usual – as set out in two updates to Parliament on 23 March 2021 and 20 July 2022.

To that end, the Department’s governance process, and decision to decommission the temporary Jobcentres listed in the Written Statement of 8 February 2023, was finalised on 10 January 2023.

The Department shared the decision to decommission the temporary Jobcentres with the relevant staff for the sites listed in that Written Statement as soon as it was ready to do so – this took place via co-ordinated announcements at 9am on 8 February 2023.

The Department’s Workplace Transformation programme business case published in March 2022, did not include the cost of the temporary Jobcentre estate. The costs associated with the temporary Jobcentre estate were considered under its own additional Face to Face Capacity Programme. The funding secured from HMT was time limited for the current Spending Review period only.

The Department is always working with Work Coaches and JCP local area managers on any change. It is too early for us to evaluate the impact on claimants at this stage.

Further to question 132435 answered in the House of Commons on 30 January 2023 and question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department has not made any formal announcements to staff regarding decommissioning temporary Jobcentres as part of its ongoing review of the Jobcentre estate.

The review is in progress and the Department will communicate outcomes with Jobcentre staff when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact them. MPs will be contacted should a decision regarding a Jobcentre estate be made that could affect their constituents.

A full list of the temporary Jobcentre sites can be found on GOV.UK.

Further to question 127881 answered in the House of Commons on 24 January 2023, the Department can confirm that it continues to review its Jobcentre estate with a view to start returning to its pre-pandemic size.

Once the Department is ready to provide more information on proposed closure locations, and dates, it will share the news with staff first and I can assure the House that all MPs will be contacted when a decision has been made on any sites that may impact on their constituents.

A full list of the temporary sites can be found on GOV.UK.

The Department has publicly committed to returning the Jobcentre estate to its pre-pandemic size, restated in a Written Ministerial Statement in July 2022. The Department is currently reviewing the ongoing business need for these temporary Jobcentres.

The Department will provide more information in due course.

DWP engages with staff and their Union representatives routinely where there are material changes in the duties and functions of staff. We recognise the importance of the role that meaningful consultation can play, as the Way to Work campaign does not represent a change to the role of the Work Coach we did not undertake discussions with PCS Union prior to its announcement.

We continue to monitor the operation of all our policies and processes to ensure they remain clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and have carefully considered the impact of implementing Way to Work on Jobcentre staff.

We continue to monitor the operation of all our policies and processes to ensure they remain clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours and have carefully considered the impact of implementing Way to Work on jobcentre staff.

Our Jobcentre teams are committed to ensuring all claimants receive the best possible support to meet their individual circumstances. Jobcentre caseload sizes are closely monitored at both a national and sub national level to allow DWP to plan workforce numbers required. The frequency of interventions Work Coaches undertake with claimants is determined by the individual circumstances of the claimant, the duration of their claim, and the level of support required at that time. Maintaining an effective Work Coach diary is a joint responsibility between a team leader and the Work Coach; and is managed collaboratively through regular discussion and agreement.

Way to Work is a new concerted national drive to help half a million people claiming benefits into jobs by the end of June 2022, supporting them to take their next step to building a more secure and prosperous future. While we have more people on company payrolls than before the pandemic, latest figures show there are around 1.2 million vacancies across the economy, including many in key sectors.

Through Way to Work we will work with employers and claimants to support people into work more swiftly. This isn’t a new sanctions policy.

What’s changing is the time people have to limit their search for jobs in their preferred sector. Claimants with skills and experience for a specific type of role will be permitted up to four weeks to secure employment in that sector rather than the previous 13 weeks. Sanctions are only ever used where someone fails to comply with reasonable and appropriate commitments that have previously been agreed, without good reason. These steps are agreed with the claimant, outlined in the claimant commitment and followed up during discussions with Work Coaches.

If, after 4 weeks, claimants refuse to widen their job search and apply for a broader range of roles, attend interviews or take up paid work outside of their preferred sector without good reason, then they may be referred for a sanction.

Sanctions are only used when jobseekers fail to meet their agreed requirements or refuse to take up or stay in employment without good reason. The latest statistics show the sanctions rate at 2.37% which is below pre-pandemic levels.

The Department has published the list of temporary Jobcentres on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/temporary-jobcentres-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic and, in the next week, opening dates will be included for those sites that have already opened. The Department will continue to update https://www.gov.uk/guidance/temporary-jobcentres-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic as more sites open. The date a site opens is dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, lease signing dates, planning approvals and completion of the building work required.

There have been 23 Jobcentres that were fully closed using a circuit break between the beginning of the pandemic and Sept 30 2021 as a result of possible direct workplace transmission. Circuit breaks are tight restrictions and/or closures designed to stop the spread and bring the number of cases down. The Department has prioritised the safety of our workforce and claimants throughout the pandemic.

The Department is committed to providing the best possible support for all claimants to meet their individual circumstances.

Jobcentre staff undergo a comprehensive learning journey which includes self-paced and facilitated classroom based learning, incorporating complex needs of individuals, to equip staff when engaging with claimants on the autistic spectrum.

Supporting information is also available in Guidance which incorporates all complex needs of different vulnerable groups, together with a short bitesized learning product which was launched as part of Autism Awareness Week in April 2019. All of which is available at the point of need for each individual personal requirement.

Support is also provided by Disability Employment Advisers and Work Psychologists. Work Coaches can refer individuals to personalised provision and support, such as the Work and Health Programme (available in England and Wales) or Fair Start Scotland (devolved programme available Scotland).

The Department encourages and supports its staff, including Work Coaches, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We do not, however, record the number of staff who have been vaccinated.

There are three mental health training products available for Work Coaches in job centres.

Since August 2018 mental health training has been included in the fundamental learning journey which is available to all new staff or those new to the role. This product is designed to improve learners’ understanding of mental ill health and states where to find further information regarding mental health for themselves and the customer.

During their initial technical learning, Work Coaches complete training in two sessions as part of their complex needs learning. In the first session Work Coaches cover a range of complex needs and the routes to take to support customers and themselves. They discuss what signs may alert them to a customer struggling with their mental health and how they can support them. In the second session Work Coaches consolidate what they learned in the first session by considering an example, recapping on the support they would offer to customers who have mental health issues.

There is further mental health training that has been specifically designed for Work Coaches which ideally takes place at around week 26 of their learning journey. In this learning, the Work Coaches explore their impact on customers, the steps needed to build relationships and learn how to respond appropriately to unexpected customer behaviour. This learning includes the opportunity for the Work Coach to practice the skills they have learned during the training.

The rollout of this specific Work Coach mental health learning began in November 2017 and was completed for existing work coaches in March 2018. In 2020, DWP paused this specific mental health training to divert resources to learning related to covid-19 impacts. Our ambition is to re start this training in 2021/22.

Information and updates on temporary Jobcentres is currently being developed for GOV.UK, with plans to publish later in March. It should be noted however that, due to commercial sensitivities, information about any temporary Jobcentre can only be published once a lease is signed.

DWP is exploring potential options to take premises, on a temporary basis, predominantly in large metropolitan areas where we expect to see increased demand for the Department’s services. The Department has opened three temporary Jobcentre sites to date in Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne and Crawley.

DWP is currently negotiating leases for a significant number of retail and office properties, in major centres, that meet the planning requirements for a jobcentre, with public access, good transport links and accessibility for both colleagues and customers. Location plans cannot be confirmed until commercial negotiations for each site conclude, however as leases are signed we will write to local MPs and provide the details of all sites on GOV.uk.