The Department introduced around 1,000 Pathways to Work Advisers in March 2025 so that customers with Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) could be offered this voluntary support. Many of these customers had received little or no employment-focused contact for extended periods. This offer of support is made to all those assessed as LCWRA, not only those who have had LCWRA status for a long time.

Since April 2025 across Great Britain more than 100,000 customers with LCWRA have accessed voluntary Pathways to Work Adviser support (1). Recent published analysis shows that customers who received Additional Work Coach Support, the approach which Pathways to Work Adviser support builds on, were 40% more likely than a similar group of customers with LCWRA who did not receive support to be in work after two years (2). This published impact analysis is the best available evidence on the effect of this support.

With around one million young people not in education, employment or training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. In Scotland, health, skills, careers and employment support are partially devolved to the Scottish Parliament, resulting in a mix of Scottish and UK-wide control. Our officials work closely with those in the Scottish Parliament, sharing best practice on providing employment support to disabled people.

We set out our plan for the Pathways to Work Guarantee in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. The Scottish Government received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual.

Youth Hubs, Youth Guarantee Gateway, work experience and training, jobs grant are available across Great Britain. This includes the expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain, and the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, to provide earlier and more intensive support to 16–24-year-olds on Universal Credit. Our investment will create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn including 300,000 additional opportunities to gain workplace experience and training and up to 200,000 additional employment opportunities, through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers hiring 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job. The apprenticeship system is devolved in Scotland.

We recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.

We know that work is good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. This Government is committed to giving disabled people and people with health conditions, including people living in Somerset, the confidence that working will not trigger a reassessment and a potential loss of benefits.

We have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work. These include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Access to Work grants and Connect to Work, as well as initiatives joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and WorkWell.

Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are creating a more joined-up health and employment journey for customers. This includes exploring how people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be supported to access a range of services that improve wellbeing, independence and, where appropriate, support them to move closer to or remain in work.

As part of this, we are testing a voluntary support offer for some PIP-only customers. PIP Case Managers can refer eligible customers to a virtual hub (telephone only at present), where support is tailored to their circumstances and focused on addressing barriers to wellbeing and independence. This may include signposting to services such as the National Careers Service, and Citizens Advice, and relevant national and local support services, depending on their circumstances. The support offer is currently being tested in a limited number of areas while we learn what works best for customers.

In Jobcentres around 1,000 (full time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisers, provide personalised one-to-one support to disabled customers and people with health conditions to help them identify and overcome obstacles which may stop them from moving towards or into work or to access employment and wider skills support, and our employment programmes.

The Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP, seeks to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.

The Review, which is considering how the assessment could ensure people access the right support at the right level, will publish its final recommendations in the autumn.

The government is increasing funding for employment support to over £3.5 billion by 2028-29, helping people to access the skills they need to progress, tackling inactivity and ensuring more people are in better jobs.

£3.5 billion employment support budget by 2028-29 is intended to fund:

1. Pathways to Work employment and health support for disabled and health-impaired claimants.
2. Support for long-term unemployed people.
3. The Connect to Work programme.
4. Youth Guarantee Trailblazers.
5. Inactivity Trailblazers.
6. Additional programmes helping sick and disabled people move into work.

We are currently unable to provide funding allocations by individual employment programme because these are still being refined and may change during the year. They may therefore not reflect the final operational budgets.

Some expenditure is paid in arrears, meaning that figures provided at this stage could be misleading when viewed in isolation. Actual expenditure for significant employment support programmes will be published in the Department’s next Annual Report and Accounts.

A list of special advisers is published each year in the Annual Report on Special Advisers.

The Department for Work and Pensions has not appointed any Delivery advisors to date.

This Government is committed to delivering an employment support system that is personalised to individual needs.  All jobseekers are entitled to tailored and flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job‑search support.

Participants with vocational qualifications receive personalised support tailored to their individual skills, qualifications and employment goals. This can include support with identifying suitable vacancies, developing sector-specific skills and qualifications where appropriate.

Our reforms to the Jobs and Careers Service will place greater focus on career advice and progression and better matching of people’s experience and qualifications with employer’s needs.  Through Jobcentre Plus, and from October 2026 the JCS, employers can access tailored recruitment support, including vacancy promotion, candidate matching, and recruitment campaigns. This helps ensure employment support reflects current employer demand and enables individuals to identify opportunities where their vocational skills and qualifications can be put to effective use.

The Department also offers the Restart Scheme which provides 12 months of personalised and tailored support targeted at those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more and in the Intensive Work Search regime. Providers support participants to break down their employment barriers by developing a bespoke action plan built on understanding their employment history, skills and needs.

Neurodivergent people can access a range of employment support to help them to find secure meaningful work, stay in work and progress in their career.

Our specialist programme, Connect to Work, has been designed using well-evidenced Supported Employment models. It is for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or complex non-health related barriers to work, and has a specific pathway for people who are neurodivergent. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals, help address barriers to employment and seek good labour market matches for participants. The advisor stays with them once in work, supporting both the participant and the employer and ensuring a successful start into work. In the South Midlands, participants can apply through the South Midlands Connect to Work webpage: Connect to Work – South Midlands Authorities.

There are also around 1,000 (full time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisers in jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales, providing personalised one-to-one support to disabled customers and those with health conditions. Disability Employment Advisers also help work coaches and Pathways to Work Advisers to tailor their support to customers’ needs.

In England, the National Careers Service supports disabled adults and those with special educational needs as a priority group. People can access careers information and advice through the website, webchat and telephone line, as well as in-depth advice and guidance from professionally qualified careers advisers through the community-based offer.

As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are creating a Jobs and Careers Service, with an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Support will be more inclusive and tailored to individual needs to help people find, progress and stay in work. This includes our digital tools, known as the Work Hub, designed to help everyone access online support, including an online AI work assistant, CV builder and a new job search tool. We are also upskilling our colleagues to deliver high-quality, personalised employment support through our Get Britain Working Coaching Academy.

The Department for Work and Pensions offers a range of employment support. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify skill gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.

For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of more intensive support, including bespoke action plans.

Possible factors contributing to unemployment in Leicester East include:

• Large number of new residents that have either no work experience or struggles to communicate effectively in English.
• An increase in young people who were students, that have now graduated, or those that are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Additional support in Leicester East includes:

• Tailored skills and careers support through partnership working with the National Careers Service.
• Promotion of local apprenticeship opportunities via the One Stop Shop portal and apprenticeship hubs.
• A co-located "one stop shop" offering employment, skills, ESOL and complex-needs support through partners including Connexions and Leicester Adult Skills & Learning.
• Strong use of Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which have helped over 2,300 people across Leicester and Leicestershire secure placements.
• Enhanced support for young people, particularly those not in education, employment or training (NEET), through collaboration between Jobcentres, Connexions, local authorities and Leicester City FC.
• The Leicester City Youth Hub provides employability, training, wellbeing and mentoring support, including tailored help for care leavers, with input from local employers and community organisations.

The Department for Work and Pensions offers a range of employment support. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify skill gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.

For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of more intensive support, including bespoke action plans.

Possible factors contributing to unemployment in Leicester East include:

• Large number of new residents that have either no work experience or struggles to communicate effectively in English.
• An increase in young people who were students, that have now graduated, or those that are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Additional support in Leicester East includes:

• Tailored skills and careers support through partnership working with the National Careers Service.
• Promotion of local apprenticeship opportunities via the One Stop Shop portal and apprenticeship hubs.
• A co-located "one stop shop" offering employment, skills, ESOL and complex-needs support through partners including Connexions and Leicester Adult Skills & Learning.
• Strong use of Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which have helped over 2,300 people across Leicester and Leicestershire secure placements.
• Enhanced support for young people, particularly those not in education, employment or training (NEET), through collaboration between Jobcentres, Connexions, local authorities and Leicester City FC.
• The Leicester City Youth Hub provides employability, training, wellbeing and mentoring support, including tailored help for care leavers, with input from local employers and community organisations.

The Department for Work and Pensions offers a range of employment support. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify skill gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.

For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of more intensive support, including bespoke action plans.

Possible factors contributing to unemployment in Leicester East include:

• Large number of new residents that have either no work experience or struggles to communicate effectively in English.
• An increase in young people who were students, that have now graduated, or those that are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Additional support in Leicester East includes:

• Tailored skills and careers support through partnership working with the National Careers Service.
• Promotion of local apprenticeship opportunities via the One Stop Shop portal and apprenticeship hubs.
• A co-located "one stop shop" offering employment, skills, ESOL and complex-needs support through partners including Connexions and Leicester Adult Skills & Learning.
• Strong use of Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which have helped over 2,300 people across Leicester and Leicestershire secure placements.
• Enhanced support for young people, particularly those not in education, employment or training (NEET), through collaboration between Jobcentres, Connexions, local authorities and Leicester City FC.
• The Leicester City Youth Hub provides employability, training, wellbeing and mentoring support, including tailored help for care leavers, with input from local employers and community organisations.

Under the Get Britain Working Trailblazers programme, 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Welsh Government are delivering a range of activities through Economic Inactivity and Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, including new employment and skills services, support for employers, and improving how existing services work together. Up to £80m of funding was available to Economic Inactivity Trailblazers for 6 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Welsh Government from April 2025 – March 2026 and a further £80m of funding is available from April 2026 – March 2027.

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.

Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are provided with point of need learning which includes the Armed Forces Covenant to provide support for service leavers and their families together with signposting to specialist organisations and charities.

The Department supports Armed Forces customers through a network of Armed Forces Champions operating across Jobcentre districts, groups and areas. Armed Forces Champion support is not always delivered through a dedicated resource in each district, with many areas receiving support through group or area-level arrangements covering multiple districts. As a result, a district with no locally recorded Armed Forces Champion resource may still have been receiving Armed Forces Champion support.

The department recognises the challenges that people aged 50 and over with health conditions can face when seeking to access employment. We value the wealth of skills and experience that people aged 50 and over bring to the workplace and the economy and are committed to supporting them to find work through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility and progression.

We provide additional, dedicated support in jobcentres for those who are aged 50 and over and in receipt of benefits. This includes 50PLUS Champions, who ensure that the specific needs of midlife workers are recognised and met. This can include IT training to help people to engage with digital services. Our Midlife MOT and local Employer and Partnership Teams also provide tailored guidance and connect people with health, skills, and financial support, and with employers.

We also have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals with health conditions to stay in work and get back into work. These include support from work coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in jobcentres, Access to Work grants and the Connect to Work programme, as well as initiatives joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and WorkWell.

As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we are creating a Jobs and Careers Service, with an enhanced focus on skills and careers, available to all. Support will be more inclusive and tailored to individual needs, regardless of their barriers to work, to help them find secure, meaningful work, develop new skills and progress in their careers.

The Department for Work and Pensions is working with the Ministry of Defence to agree the timetable for implementing this commitment. In the meantime, preparatory work is underway to develop the guidance, learning and resources Jobcentre Plus staff will need to provide accurate information and signpost interested jobseekers to Armed Forces career opportunities. Further details will be set out once the implementation timetable has been agreed.

The department does not hold central records on the loss, resale, or suspected misuse of Flexible Support Fund (FSF) funded equipment. Information is captured at individual customer level and is not collated nationally for reporting purposes.

Work coaches must ensure all awards made under the FSF are reasonable and represent good value for money in terms of improving employment prospects and reducing the time spent on benefits.

Following an FSF award, work coaches are expected to undertake appropriate follow-up activity to ensure support has been used as intended. Where concerns arise, work coaches may seek further information from the customer and, where appropriate, consider recovery of funds. Independent post-award checks provide an additional layer of assurance.

DWP recognises that some disabled candidates may benefit from reasonable adjustments during recruitment and as such promotes practices that support fair and accessible recruitment, including the provision of interview questions in advance, the use of clear language and flexibility in assessment methods where appropriate. DWP's Learning Disabilities Project is also working with employers and specialist organisations to identify barriers to recruitment and develop practical guidance that supports more inclusive employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities.

The information provided reflects the current position for internship programmes within the scope of the Department's central oversight arrangements other than the Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme.

The DWP takes part in the Care Leavers Internship Scheme (CLIP) which is a Going Forward into Employment (GFIE) scheme led by the Department for Education. It offers care-experienced people aged 18-30 an 18-month placement in one of the participating government departments.

The DWP does not have confirmed numbers for the Care Leaver Internship Programme for 2026 and it is currently at the matching stage for potential interns with DfE.

This year the DWP took the lead in running the Autism Internship Programme (AIP) previously known as the Autism Exchange Internship Programme (AEIP) which was run by the Cabinet Office up to and including the year 2025.

The AIP is an 8-week internship programme and is open to Autistic young people providing them with opportunities to build employability skills inside the Civil Service.

This year DWP are supporting 20 interns through the AIP.

The Department keeps Jobcentre staffing requirements under regular review. Resource demand is regularly assessed using a range of operational measures, including claimant volumes and caseloads, and recruitment plans are reviewed accordingly.

The Department does not use parliamentary constituency boundaries as the basis for workforce planning. Recruitment decisions are made according to operational demand and service requirements across Jobcentres. This includes Jobcentre Plus offices serving the Leicester area, where staffing levels and workforce requirements will continue to be monitored and reviewed to ensure customers receive the support they need.

DWP recognises the importance of providing learning to enable all work coaches, to meet the needs of all our customers’, including those with dyslexia.

New to role Jobcentre Plus work coaches receive role specific learning, which:

• provides a definition of dyslexia and explains the impacts this may have on customers
• provides awareness of undiagnosed hidden disability
• ensures learners understand both their Public Sector Equality Duty responsibilities, and how to support customers’ additional needs
• enables staff to signpost customers to appropriate external specialist support.

All Work Coaches have access to and are supported with online point of need learning, which includes recognising the challenges faced by jobseekers with dyslexia and signposting to appropriate external support.