Guidance

077/22 Multiple projects supporting one participant

Updated 29 February 2024

Who should read

Beneficiary organisations, ESF Division, Greater London Authority, Intermediate Bodies

Purpose

Clarification note where multiple projects, all funded by ESF, are supporting the same person, and therefore which projects can claim the associated result.

Background

More than one project may support an individual participant, especially where that participant has multiple needs, each being met by a different project.

A participant will have a participant record in each project. In previous guidance the MA has confirmed that in these cases, the projects assisting that participant should work together, and agree which project will claim the ‘result’ associated with that individual. The same result for an individual participant cannot be counted more than once by different projects, even where multiple projects have contributed to that participants outcome.

At programme level it means the same individual will be `counted twice’. Although this is allowed it is not encouraged, and under these circumstances we recommend the following

• with regards to immediate results, if the person achieves a qualification or gets a job then only one project can claim the result. In terms of who should claim the result then that is up to the projects concerned. We would advise that it should be that the project who is most obviously attributable to the result should claim
• ideally if two projects are `working together’ it is best for them to have a plan to agree how they are going to handle results MI

For example

• the two projects will need to prepare and agree a written plan or agreement that sets out and explains how they will ensure that there will be no double-counting of the same immediate results

Both projects cannot claim a job outcome, even if both projects feel they contributed to the same result. This also applies to claiming a result if the participant exits and moves into employment, training, education (depends what their results are) within 4 weeks of exiting.

Please note, any progression result would need to comply with the guidelines or requirements relating to this type of result.

• the project will need to copy their contract manager into any plan or agreement and the projects must be prepared to show and explain the agreement to any auditor or ESF MA official, for example, (OTSV)

For eligibility checks and gathering of eligibility verification evidence, each project will need to conduct their own separate eligibility checks and gather their own separate verification evidence in the normal way and hold these as normal.

You cannot `share’ the eligibility and verification process by referring to checks done by the other project, checks must be conducted separately by each project.

Action

Each project should verify eligibility for each individual participant they recruit if they are not part of the same operation.

The eligibility and results data evidence requirements remain for each project and each would need to follow the guidance or hierarchy models where appropriate to do so.

For example, unless they are working as part of a single project consortium with an identified lead partner, each project will each need to verify eligibility.

Contact

If you have any queries, please email esf.2014-2020@dwp.gov.uk