Guidance

Intensive Personalised Employment Support provider guidance

DWP provider guidance for Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES).

• From: Department for Work and Pensions
• Published: 10 March 2021
• Last updated: 30 July 2025
  Show all updates

  1. 30 July 2025

     Updated ICE contact email in 'Chapter 14: Complaints' to contact@ice.gov.uk.

  2. 10 May 2023

     Chapter 3: 3.15 Providers advised not to share work coach details, 3.82 revised process added, Annex 3.2 updated. Chapter 4: Paragraphs 4.49 and 4.51 updated. Chapter 5: 5.03 Corrected name for Education and Skills Funding Agency, Corrected name for Supporting Families programme, paragraphs 5.27-5.33 updated. Chapter 7: 7.12 Thresholds amended following National Living Wage uprating for 2023/24. Chapter 8: Paragraphs 8.08 and 8.09 updated. Chapter 9: 9.29 Thresholds amended following National Living Wage uprating for 2023/24. Chapter 11: CHES replaced with CMPD Chapter 13: Paragraphs 13.09-13.13 updated

  3. 30 August 2022

     Updated Intensive Personalised Employment Support (COVID-19) provider guidance, chapters 1 to 14 (there's no chapter 12) and annexes 2 and 3.

  4. 10 March 2021

     First published.

This publication was withdrawn on 22 September 2025

The Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) programme has now closed for new referrals.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Chapter 1: Introduction and overview

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Chapter 2: Target groups, eligibility and suitability

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Chapter 3: Referral process, initial engagement and starts

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Chapter 4: IPES action planning

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Chapter 5: Working with Third Parties and Participant Support

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Chapter 6: Pre-Work and In-work Support

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Chapter 7: IPES Funding Model

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Chapter 8: Exiting the programme and outcomes

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Chapter 9: Performance management and compliance

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Chapter 10: Payment validation

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Chapter 11: Management information

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Chapter 12: Spare

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Chapter 13: Case conferencing

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Chapter 14: Complaints

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Annex 1: Marketing the provision

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Annex 2: IPES compatibility with other provision

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Annex 3: IPES definitions

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Annex 4: Forms and products

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Details

Measures and restrictions imposed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been changed or removed, with procedures and guidance returning to pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) versions.

Any exceptions to this will be highlighted within the guidance.