Guidance

Jobs Guarantee: Delivery Partner Guidance

Updated 6 May 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

1. Introduction

Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee provides a fully subsidised 6-month paid job to eligible 18 to 21 year olds who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Through the Scheme, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will fund 100% of eligible employment costs for 25 hours a week at the relevant minimum wage for a maximum of 6 months, alongside wraparound support to help Participants succeed on the Scheme and transition into sustained employment.

The Jobs Guarantee will begin delivery in 6 Phase One areas from April 2026, providing jobs and support to more than 1000 young people across: Birmingham and Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Essex, Central and East Scotland, Southwest and Southeast Wales.

This guidance is intended for Phase One Delivery Partners delivering in one of the 6 areas. Delivery Partners will be responsible for providing support to participants referred by DWP, working with employers to source Funded Employment, matching young people to Funded Employment and administering the Scheme.

This guidance sets out details on how the Scheme will be delivered, how DWP will work with Delivery Partners and expectations of Delivery Partners. The detail provided in this guidance relates only to Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee. The guidance covers:

1. Delivery of the Scheme. This section covers the Participant’s journey on the Scheme, the related requirements of Delivery Partners, the support provisions, the requirements related to the funded employment, and special cases and considerations.

2. Grant funding. This section provides detail on eligible expenditure and the process for claiming and evidencing eligible costs, including validation and evidence procedures.

3. Grant management. This section provides details on how grant performance will be managed, including details on the monthly returns and quarterly reviews.

This guidance should be read alongside the Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) and any other documents or material provided by DWP to support delivery partners. Nothing in this document takes precedence over what is included in the GFAs signed by DWP and the Delivery Partners.

2. Contact Information

The exact email you should use will be shared with your GFA. Every Delivery Partner will have access to the following contact details:

Inbox	Description
District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox	This email address will be used to contact your Jobcentre Plus District Co-ordinator.
Payments Team Shared Inbox	This email address will be used to contact the payment team, to provide evidence of spending and facilitate the employer wage and onboarding cost payments process.
Partnership Manager Shared Inbox	This inbox will be used to contact your Partnership Manager, who will be your main point of contact at DWP.
DWP Jobs Guarantee Shared Inbox	Can be used where other methods of communication have failed.

3. Table of Terms

Term	Definition
Administration Costs	Cost incurred by the Delivery Partner to administer the Scheme.
Delivery Partner	The lead organisation that is awarded the grant under the scheme. Referred to as the Grant Recipient in the GFA.
Delivery Plan	The document produced by the Delivery Partner as part of their application, as appended at Schedule 2 Pt A of the GFA.
DWP Flexible Support Fund (FSF)	FSF awards are discretionary payments, made by DWP, aimed at improving a claimant’s job prospects and are subject to eligibility.
DWP Work Coach	DWP staff based in a Jobcentre who provide employment support to DWP benefit claimants.
Employer Onboarding Costs	Costs for employers’ costs associated with hiring the young person, for example Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or a uniform.
Employer Wage Costs	Are the costs subsidised by DWP to cover the wages of Participants, and associated employer National Insurance Contributions and minimum Pension Contributions, up to 25 hours per week at the relevant minimum wage.
Funded Employee	An eligible young person who is in a job under the Scheme.
Funded Employment	A job that fulfils the requirements in the GFA and is funded by the Scheme.
Grant Funding Agreement (GFA)	The legal agreement between DWP and the Delivery Partner.
Initial Meeting	The first meeting between a Participant and the Delivery Partner.
Intensive Work Search Regime (IWSR)	Those claiming Universal Credit who are required by DWP to take significant action to find work or increase work hours. Applies to those that are unemployed or working below the Administrative Earnings Threshold (as defined in the GFA), includes some with limited requirements
Jobcentre Plus District Co-ordinator	The single point of contact for each Delivery Partner for their Jobcentre Plus District.
Keeping Customer Interactions Safe (KCIS)	The Digital Service used by DWP to report all unsafe interactions involving customers.
Meaningful Work	For work to be meaningful, the job must be equivalent to a job not funded by the Jobs Guarantee and must not involve significant (no more than the equivalent of 20% of contracted hours) classroom or online training beyond that provided to regular employees.
Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)	A statutory framework in the UK used by police, probation, and prison services to assess and manage the risks posed by violent and sexual offenders.
Participant	A young person taking part in the Scheme following referral.
Participant ID	The unique reference number provided for each Participant, from DWP. This number should be used in all communications about the customer.
Partnership Manager	Your main contact at DWP.
Payments Team	The team at DWP who will manage all payments related to the Jobs Guarantee.
Potential Participant	A young person who is being considered for the Scheme or has been referred but has not yet attended their initial meeting.
Scottish Government Job Start Payment	A payment provided in Scotland to help young people with the costs associated with the transition into employment, after a period out of paid work.
The Restart Scheme	Up to 12 months intensive support to help individuals claiming Universal Credit into sustained work.
The Youth Guarantee	The UK Governments offer to support for young people aged 16 to 24 to earn or learn.
The Scheme	Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee.
Referral	The handing over of an eligible young person to a Delivery Partner under the scheme.
Wraparound Support Costs	Costs associated with delivering support to Participants.

4. Delivery of the Scheme

4.1. Referral

This chapter explains the process for the referral of young people from DWP to the Delivery Partner under the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. The key stages of the process are:

• identification of eligible and suitable young people by the DWP Work Coach
• booking an initial meeting between the young person and the Delivery Partner
• attendance at the first meeting by the Participant
• notification of attendance by the Delivery Partner
• the process for rebooking the first meeting or if the young person fails to attend

Eligibility

To be eligible for referral to the Jobs Guarantee, the DWP Work Coach will determine that at the point of referral the claimant:

• has been on Universal Credit for 18 continuous months in the IWSR
• is aged between 18 and 21 (age is assessed at point of referral and Participants may turn 22 while on the Scheme)
• has had less than the equivalent of 50 hours of earnings over the last 18 months, and is not currently employed
• is not Gainfully Self-Employed
• resides in one of the Phase One areas
• has the right to work in the UK. This does not negate the requirement for employers to complete all normal right to work checks when employing a young person under the Scheme

Before the DWP Work Coach refers the young person to the Delivery Partner, they will confirm that they are eligible.

There may be instances where individuals aged between 22 and 24 are referred under the Scheme where there is spare capacity. In these cases, these individuals will still be expected to meet all other eligibility criteria.

While DWP will check if a Potential Participant is in work or about to start work as part of the eligibility check, there may be some Potential Participants who move into employment or self-employment, or receive a job offer between referral and starting the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. If you believe the Potential Participant is in any form of employment, or has a formal job offer, you must complete the ‘Jobs Guarantee Scheme – COC’s/Failure to Participate Form’ and send this to your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox with the subject ‘Eligibility of Referral – Participant Unique ID’. A job interview or submitted job application should not be considered a formal job offer.

Suitability

Following the DWP Work Coach determining that the young person is eligible, they will assess suitability for the Scheme.

If a young person is deemed not to be suitable, they will not be referred to the Scheme at this time. In most cases, where the young person is deemed not suitable for referral to the Scheme, they would be considered for referral again at a later stage once the reason they were not referred no longer applies. The reasons a young person may not be considered suitable for the Scheme include:

• they have received an offer of employment and are due to start a job shortly
• they have a temporary easement in place with DWP, meaning they are not currently expected to undertake work search activities, for example immediately following the death of a loved one
• they are awaiting the outcome of a Gainfully Self-Employed Assessment
• they are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment or the results of one
• they are currently on another employment support programme, for example Restart

This list is not exhaustive.

Once the DWP Work Coach has confirmed that the young person is both eligible and suitable for the Jobs Guarantee Scheme, they can progress with referring the young person to the Delivery Partner for their area.

Delivery Partners will be expected to accept all referrals from DWP and cannot add their own eligibility criteria. If you have any concerns about the suitability of a Potential Participant, you must complete the ‘Jobs Guarantee – COC’s/Failure to Participate Form’ and send it to your district single point of contact shared inbox to raise the issue. The subject of the email should be ‘Suitability of Referral – Participant ID’.

Booking the Initial Meeting

Following the Work Coach assessing that the young person is eligible and suitable for the Scheme, the DWP Work Coach will agree that the young person will be referred to the Scheme and book the first meeting between the Delivery Partner and the Potential Participant.

The DWP Work Coach will phone your agreed referral point to book the first meeting. Delivery Partners must have processes in place to support these arrangements and be available from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday to accept these calls. Alternative arrangements to facilitate this process can be discussed with your Partnership Manager.

In the call:

• the DWP Work Coach will inform you they are calling to arrange the Initial Meeting with you, on behalf of the Participant and provide their name
• the DWP Work Coach will inform you of any accessibility requirements for the Potential Participant’s first appointment with you
• a date, time, method and location (if appropriate) for the Initial Meeting between you and the Potential Participant must be agreed. The DWP Work Coach will then enter this information onto the relevant DWP system and provide confirmation to the young person
• you will provide practical information, such as if the meeting will be face-to-face, details of the meeting location or online facility, and any documents the Potential Participant should bring to the first meeting.
• no other information will be provided. Further details of Potential Participant will be provided in the referral form

The Referral Form

Once an initial telephone referral has been made to agree the initial meeting, the DWP Work Coach will issue the ‘Jobs Guarantee Scheme Referral Form’ to you via your agreed inbox. The referral form will contain further details about the participant including:

• date of Birth
• Universal Credit (UC) Claimant ID (to be used as a reference number to contact DWP)
• contact details (address, telephone number and email address)
• details of UC work search requirements (if less than 25 hours per week)
• details of UC work search travel requirements (if less than 90 minutes)
• any agreed easement on working patterns
• accessibility requirements for your first meeting with the participant

If the participant has provided their agreement to the DWP Work Coach the form will also include:

• work history
• qualifications
• barriers to work (excluding MAPPA restrictions)
• skills
• employment sectors of interest
• an attached CV if the DWP Work Coach has a copy

Following receipt of the Referral Form, it is your responsibility to ensure that reasonable adjustments are in place to allow Participants with complex needs to attend their first appointment (for example translators), so that all referred young people have full access to the Jobs Guarantee Scheme.

Once the Referral Form has been received by the Delivery Partner, an email reply must be sent to acknowledge receipt to your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox with the subject as ‘Receipt of Referral Form – [Participant ID]’.

The Initial Meeting

The Initial Meeting is the first meeting between you and the Potential Participant. It should take place at the time, date and location (if relevant) arranged in the initial Referral Telephone Call with the Work Coach. Where possible, Initial Meetings should be held in person, where this is not possible or appropriate they can take place online or over the phone.

The initial meeting will count as the first day a Participant is on the Scheme. Once a Participant has attended the Initial Meeting at the correct time, confirmation of this should be communicated via your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox using the process outlined under ‘Confirming Referral’.

Requirements

At the start of the Initial Meeting, you must check your Potential Participant’s identity to ensure that you are satisfied that the person you are engaging with is the correct person. To do this, you may decide to ask them to state, or physically provide, a combination of their personal information, that you feel provides appropriate security assurance to confirm identity, such as:

• full name
• address
• date of birth
• other information, such as details that were included within the original referral from DWP
• details you hold in your records
• other means of identification, such as a passport, driving licence, or utility bill may be provided

You should also confirm that there has been no change in circumstances that affect the Participant’s suitability and eligibility for the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. Such as a change in employment or self-employment status. Should you have concerns about a participant’s suitability or eligibility for the scheme you should refer to the processes above.

At the initial meeting you should communicate, in writing, the following to participants:

• relevant health and safety instructions
• your complaints procedure
• your responsibilities under the Data Protection Act (DPA) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• your contact details
• any other information relevant to the Participant for example Participant’s expected standards of behaviour

The Initial Meeting should be used to understand the support needs of the Participant, including what elements of your support offer they will need to enter and sustain employment on the Scheme. You should also seek to understand the employment interests of the Participant and use this information to inform the job matching process. Prior to ending the meeting, you will need to discuss next steps with the Participant, including details of future meetings.

Confirming Referral

Participant attended

Following the completion of the Initial Meeting you must record the date of the meeting on your own internal systems. Evidence should be retained that the Participant attended the meeting, acceptable evidence could include a Site Attendance Register, or signed induction paperwork (either physical or digital).

Once the initial meeting has taken place you must immediately confirm this to DWP by emailing your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox. The email must have the subject heading ‘Confirmation of Engagement – [Participant ID]’, and the body of the email must confirm they have officially engaged with the Scheme.

Once this has been done the young person is officially on the scheme.

Participant did not attend

If your Potential Participant does not attend the Initial Meeting, you must immediately contact DWP by emailing your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox. The email must have the subject heading ‘Failed Initial Appointment – [Participant ID]’ with a completed ‘Jobs Guarantee – COC/Failure to Participate’ form.

The DWP Work Coach will contact the Participant to understand their reasons for not attending and where appropriate re-refer the Participant to the Jobs Guarantee Scheme as soon as possible following the process set out above. If there is not a good reason for not attending and/or if the participant fails to re-engage, any potential sanction action will be determined and taken by DWP.

4.2. Supporting Participants on the Scheme

The support you deliver to Participants should be aligned with the support offer outlined and agreed in your Delivery Plan and tailored to the Participant’s needs. Participants on the Scheme may have multiple barriers and complex needs which may have prevented them from securing employment previously. Your support offer must support Participants to reduce their barriers to employment, improve their skills, take up Funded Employment and secure employment after the end of the Scheme.

While the appropriate support will differ between Participants, all Participants should be offered:

• preparation support before starting the job
• support and training while in the job
• work search and transition support

Some Participants will face significant barriers to employment and so Delivery Partners should provide additional support beyond the above, including:

• workplace access and retention support
• other tailored support

Evidence of the support offered to the Participant and their engagement with it should be retained by Delivery Partners and included in monthly reporting.

Preparation support before starting the job

Delivery Partners are expected to provide pre-employment support to help the Participant take up a role under the Scheme, alongside the work to match them to a job. Structured pre-employment support before a Participant enters a job on the Scheme would not normally be expected to be for more than 2 weeks. This support may be delivered in the form of pre-employment training, mentoring to build soft skills or sessions on what to expect in employment.

Participants are expected to move into Funded Employment quickly once they are referred to the. We expect the majority of participants to move into Funded Employment within 4 to 6 weeks from the Initial Meeting. DWP will track the time it takes to match Participants into Funded Employment through Monthly Management Information (MI) and consider this in engagement with your Partnership Manager. However, some Participants may require additional support or take longer to match to a suitable job. At 4 weeks, the Work Coach will check in on progress with job matching and where a Participant has not been matched to a job within eight weeks, your District Co-ordinator and Partnership Manager will request evidence on the reasons for the delay, the support the Participant has been offered and their engagement with it.

Support and training while in the job

Once Participants have started a job under the Scheme, support should be offered to help them stay in the job and develop their skills. This may include on the job training related to the specific industry or role, or training to develop soft skills, for example time management or confidence to speak in meetings. This may also include one-to-one mentoring, group sessions or peer mentoring to build confidence and support them to stay in the role. This category of support may also include working with employers to re-engage Participants at risk of leaving their job or exploring possibilities of sustained employment following the end of subsidised employment.

Your support offer should continue whilst the Participant is in Funded Employment, and you should have regular contact throughout the 6 months.

Work search and transition support

Delivery Partners are expected to provide support to help the young person to secure sustained employment, ahead of the Participant completing the Scheme. This may include support to develop their CV to reflect their experience from the Scheme and preparation for interviews.

We would also expect you to work with the employer to understand if there would be an ongoing role for the young person within the company they completed their funded employment with.

Workplace access and retention support

Participants may face practical barriers to taking up employment under the Scheme. Workplace access and retention support can be used to address such practical barriers to accessing a job. This may include support with travel, equipment or clothing. Participants will be able to access DWP’s Flexible Support Fund, or the Job Start Payment in Scotland. The Scheme also provides an Employer Onboarding Payment which can be used to fund equipment required to take part in the job. This element of the Support Cost should not be used to duplicate these funding streams.

Other tailored support

Participants in the Scheme are likely to face complex barriers to employment; these may include personal barriers that are not related to their skills. In these cases, support to address personal barriers to employment, like mental health support, or to alleviate personal barriers, such as support to access childcare or provision of financial advice.

4.3. Funded Employment

Delivery Partners are responsible for souring of jobs, and must ensure that all jobs delivered under the Scheme meet the requirements set out in the GFA for Funded Employment. In Phase One of the Scheme, all Funded Employment must have commenced in time for Participants to complete 6 months by 30 April 2027 (normally commenced by 31 October except where a Participant is being matched to a second job after a breakdown in their first Funded Employment).

Sourcing Funded Employment

Delivery Partners will be required to work with a range of employers to create or source sufficient suitable jobs of sufficient quality for Participants on the Scheme. Delivery Partners should engage with a range of employers to ensure a sufficient variety of roles to meet the varying needs of Participants. Delivery organisations should also look to build relationships with local organisations such as Chambers of Commerce and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to support their engagement with employers in the delivery area. To support Delivery Partners, DWP may use its established relationships with large employers to aide them in engaging with the relevant Delivery Partner in their area.

Delivery Partners should maintain regular contact with employers during periods of funded employment to identify any issues and resolve them. Delivery Partners must ensure that employers participating in the Scheme understand all the requirements outlined below as well as the needs of the Participants and the nature of the Scheme. Delivery Partners are also responsible for ensuring that employers are reputable and suitable. As well as ensuring employers meet their statutory duties, Delivery Partners should also consider the existing size of that company, and their capacity to provide meaningful work.

Requirements for Jobs

Young People undertaking Funded Employment under the Scheme are expected to be treated like other employees of the business and will legally be an employee of the business. This means that they have the same Statutory Employment Rights as any other employee.

Whilst on the Jobs Guarantee, Participants will be expected to participate in Meaningful Work that provides them with purpose and allows them to make a meaningful contribution. For work to be meaningful, the Funded Employment must be equivalent to a job not funded by the Jobs Guarantee and must not involve significant classroom or online training beyond that provided to regular employees. This work should provide the Participant with opportunities to learn and develop, gaining new skills and experience that will support them into sustained employment.

It is expected that jobs funded under the Scheme will be for a minimum of 25hrs/week. However, there will be cases where DWP would not require the Participant to work 25 hours per week, for example, where they have caring responsibilities. These arrangements will be communicated to you by DWP. In these instances, the Funded Employment will be permitted to be for less than 25 hours, though the Participant can work more hours if they choose.

As set out in the GFA, it is a requirement of the Scheme that jobs created or sourced must not cause an existing employee or contractor to be displaced, dismissed, or to have their hours reduced. Delivery Partners are responsible for ensuring that all Funded Employment complies with all the requirements of Acceptable Employment in the GFA.

Job Matching

Participants should be matched to appropriate jobs (considering the local labour market and any barriers the young person may face), with regards to their previous experience and preferred industries or role type, where possible. Delivery Partners are expected to work with the young person to understand their skills and preferred industries, and work with them to identify suitable, realistic and attainable job opportunities. Jobs should be within 90 minutes travel distance of the Participant’s home, unless DWP has notified the Delivery Partner that this should be less, though Participants can voluntarily agree to a longer commute. In some cases, this may mean the Participant’s job is outside of the Delivery Area. Travel distance should be measured by the most appropriate form of travel available to the young person.

The jobs must meet the definition of acceptable employment in the Grant Funding Agreement and should be within the delivery area the Delivery Partner is responsible for where possible.

In most cases jobs should be in person, however, where appropriate for the young person and where the job meets all other requirements, jobs can be either virtual or hybrid.

Minimum Financial Assistance

Funding for the Scheme is provided under the Minimal Financial Assistance exemption in the Subsidy Control Act 2022. As a result, employers must ensure that at the point they agree to take on a young person that any expected funding they would receive under this Scheme, and any other relevant subsidies within this and the 2 previous financial years, will not result in them exceeding the £315,000 threshold for all funding received under this exemption.

Employers must confirm the above before they are able to participate in the Scheme. The Delivery Partner will need to secure this confirmation from employers and provide it to DWP. Every time a Participant enters a job under the Scheme the employer will be required to complete the Minimum Financial Assistance Declaration to confirm that they are compliant with the subsidy exemption. Delivery Partners must return this completed declaration with the Delivery Partner Job Start Confirmation Form on the day the Participant starts employment. This must be sent, to the Payments Teams Shared Inbox with the subject ‘Participant Job Start – [Participant ID].

DWP will then send notification of intention to give Minimum Financial Assistance and then a Minimum Financial Assistance Confirmation Letter to confirm the amount of assistance being provided to the employer. This will be sent from the Payments Team Shared Inbox to the agreed Delivery Partner shared inbox, and the Delivery Partner must then pass this onto the employer.

A new Minimum Financial Assistance Declaration must be submitted for each new job start, including when the employer has completed one previously.

More details, including the employer deceleration form, are included in the GFA, and guidance for employers can be found here.

4.4. End of the Scheme

Following the completion of 6 months of Funded Employment, a young person is considered to have completed the Scheme.

At the end of the Scheme, Delivery Partners should engage with the young person to discuss what they have learnt while on the Scheme and to help the young person to recognise their development while on the Scheme. Delivery Partners should work with the young person to undertake a completer summary, so that the young person has a record of what they have done on the Scheme and their development. Delivery Partners may also want to engage the employer in this process to gather feedback on the young person’s development.

Where the young person is staying in employment with the same employer or moving into employment with a new employer the Delivery Partner should ensure that the young person is prepared for this transition. Where the young person is not moving straight into further employment they should be supported in their return to DWP, where they will be re-engaged with the Youth Guarantee journey.

4.5. Special Considerations

Disengaged Participants

Delivery Partners are required to inform DWP if Participants are not engaging with them or the support offer, taking up reasonable offers of employment, or leaving work voluntarily.

If the Participant does not attend the initial meeting when it is arranged, you must inform DWP of this so that the meeting can be rebooked with the Participant’s DWP Work Coach (please see further information in the confirming referral section above). If the Participant has attended the first appointment as required but subsequently disengages, you must inform DWP when the Participant has failed to engage for a 2-week period. This could be the Participant missing appointments and not responding to emails, texts, calls, rearranged appointments for 2 weeks. Delivery Partners should work with the Participant during this period to try and re-engage them with the Scheme.

You must email your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox with the completed ‘Jobs Guarantee – COC/Failure to Participate’ with the subject heading ‘Failure to Participate - [Participant ID]’. The District Co-ordinator will pass this information to the DWP Work Coach who must engage with the Participant to understand the reasons for disengagement and what action they have taken during that period before considering any action.

If the Participant re-engages with the Jobcentre, the DWP Work Coach will look to re-refer the Participant, as appropriate, following the referral process above.

If the Participant fails to take up suitable job offers sourced by you or leaves the job voluntarily or through misconduct, you must email your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox with the completed ‘Jobs Guarantee – COC/Failure to Participate’ with the subject heading ‘Failure to Participate - [Participant ID]’. The District Jobs Guarantee Coordinator will pass this information to the DWP Work Coach who must engage with the Participant to understand the reasons for disengagement and what action they have taken during that period before considering any action.

If a young person disengages from their employer, the Delivery Partner is expected to work with them to re-engage them with the employer where this is possible. Where they cannot be re-engaged with the original employer, and they have completed less than four months of Funded Employment, we expect Delivery Partners to attempt to match the Participant to a new employer to complete the remainder of the 6-month period. Where the Participant cannot be re-engaged or matched to a new job then the Delivery Partner must inform DWP as per the above.

Change of Circumstances

You must ensure that you hold your Participant’s latest information. Your Participant remains responsible for notifying DWP, via their UC account or by contacting UC by telephone, of any changes in their circumstances that occur whilst on the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. If you become aware of any change of circumstances which would impact on any benefits your Participant may be in receipt of, you must remind them of their obligation to notify DWP.

If the DWP Work Coach becomes aware of a change in the Participant’s circumstances, you will receive a Change of Participant Details Form sent from your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox to your agreed inbox. This will contain details of any relevant changes to your Participant’s circumstances with the subject heading ‘Notification of Change of Participant Details - [Participant ID]’.

The Jobcentre Plus Work Coach will notify you of the following change of circumstances using the Change of Circumstances form. This list is not exhaustive:

• started work (not through Jobs Guarantee)
• change to hours/working pattern or travel for job requirement
• UC Claim has ended
• address
• phone number
• email address

On receipt of the form you must update your records immediately with any changes to your Participant’s personal information.

Where a Participant’s UC claim ends, or they close their claim while on the Scheme, this does not prevent them from continuing the Scheme. DWP will continue to fund their participation as normal, and you would be expected to continue supporting them. Their participation in the Scheme would become voluntary though.

Where a Participant moves address during their time on the Scheme, and they remain:

• inside the delivery area
• outside the delivered area but within a reasonable travel to work distance (90 minutes)

They should continue to be supported by the Delivery Provider. Consideration will need to be given as to whether they can continue with the employer (subject to travel distance). They can be rematched to a new job if necessary, in line with the above guidance on Participants disengaging with employment.

If the Participant moves outside the delivery area and is no longer within a reasonable distance then they will leave the Scheme. You must email your District Coordinator Shared Inbox with the completed ‘Jobs Guarantee – COC/Failure to Participate’ with the subject heading ‘Change of Circumstances - [Participant ID]’.

If the Participant disengages from employment and is matched with a new employer the Delivery Partner must email the Payments Team Shared Inbox with the completed Job Change Form, with the subject ‘Change in Employment - [Participant ID]’. You must also email your District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox with the completed ‘Jobs Guarantee - COC/Failure to Participate’ with the subject heading ‘Change of Circumstances - [Participant ID]’.

Easements

Some Participants who will be referred to the Jobs Guarantee will have an Easement related to their work search requirements. This means the minimum requirement for their participation in the Jobs Guarantee is reduced, as outlined in ‘Requirements for Jobs’ above. Easements will be communicated to you in the Referral Letter which may state that:

• a Participant is required to work less hours
• a Participant has a reduced travel to work distance

Easements set the minimum requirement for participating in the Jobs Guarantee. Participants may opt to take part in more hours or travel further to work.

Health Conditions

Having a health condition does not, in itself, preclude a young person from participation in the Jobs Guarantee Scheme and is not a reason to reject the referral. Some Participants with an ongoing health condition or disability will be referred to the Scheme.

To be eligible for the Jobs Guarantee participants must be in the IWSR of UC. This means that, while they may have a health condition or disability, they have not been assessed to have a limited capability for work as a result. Individuals who have been assessed as having a limited capability for work as a result of a health condition or disability, or are awaiting the outcome of such an assessment, will not be referred to the Scheme.

You are expected to accept referrals where the young person has a health condition or disability and must make reasonable adjustments to enable Participants to fully engage with the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. You may wish to consider the following adjustments to make your support accessible:

• using alternative methods to face-to-face interventions
• using alternative methods of communication such as braille
• ensuring appointments are conducted at an accessible location, or
• booking interactions around medical appointments

This is not an exhaustive list.

You may also use elements of the Wraparound Support Funding to support Participants with health conditions and/or disabilities.

Temporary Accommodation and Supported Housing

Some Participants who are referred to the Jobs Guarantee will be in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation. This means they receive Housing Benefit alongside UC. Housing Benefit is normally paid directly to their housing provider by the Local Authority.

The interaction between these 2 benefits means that for Participants in receipt of Housing Benefit working additional hours can subject them to a financial cliff edge. The Government is introducing new earned income disregards in Housing Benefit for claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. This will reduce the financial cliff edge when moving into, or progressing in work, ensuring that work pays. These changes will come into force from Autumn 2026.

In Phase One delivery of the Jobs Guarantee, Delivery Partners will be required to be aware of the issues faced by Participants in Supported Housing or Temporary Accommodation.

Participants should be supported to:

• understand the impact of employment on their Housing Benefit
• speak to their housing provider and or Local Authority about the Jobs Guarantee
• develop financial management skills to manage additional income and pay any rent

Where it is appropriate for these Participants, conversations can be held with your Partnership Manager and/or District Co-ordinator to discuss the appropriate level of work for these Participants on a case-by-case basis.

Communication Needs

DWP and Delivery Partners have a statutory duty to enable communication with Participants who do not speak English as a first language and/or require different communication methods due to a health condition or disability. For example, Participants who are deaf and may require an interpreter. Delivery Partners must ensure that they have processes in place to support individuals to engage with the Scheme, including to support meetings between the Participant and Delivery Partner, engagement with support, and provision of any materials in alternative formats.

Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

If the Participant is subject to MAPPA, as soon as possible after the initial Referral Telephone call, but before the Initial Meeting, the DWP Work Coach will send you the standard referral form with an additional marker stating ‘DWP will contact you by telephone regarding this referral’. The JCP MAPPA single point of contact will then make contact with you to discuss any relevant restrictions necessary to support future job matching or participation with the scheme. They will also provide a contact number for further communication.

Should any restrictions impact on the appropriateness of the Initial Meeting you must inform the MAPPA single point of contact of this on the phone call. If this is the case the DWP Work Coach will contact the Participant to rebook the Initial Meeting.

For all Participants subject to MAPPA restrictions, you must ensure that any activities they are expected to undertake as part of the Scheme fully complies with these restrictions. You should continually assess all the Participant’s Jobs Guarantee activities against the MAPPA restrictions throughout their time on the Jobs Guarantee Scheme and keep in touch with the MAPPA single point of contact where appropriate. Should you need to speak to the MAPPA single point of contact, you should raise this with the District Co-ordinator in the first instance.

Keeping Customer Interactions Safe (KCIS)

Some Participants who are referred to the scheme may have a safety marker on their case, as a result of a previous unsafe interaction with DWP staff.

The DWP Work Coach, at the point of booking the initial appointment, will advise the Delivery Organisation by phone of relevant information related to their safety marker. This will not be disclosed in the subsequent referral form.

You must contact your Jobcentre Plus Co-ordinator via the District Co-ordinator Shared Inbox provided to you if you have any concerns you wish to discuss.

5. Grant Funding

5.1. Introduction

From the outset of the grant, the grant payments team will schedule sessions with the relevant parties in the Delivery Partner to provide an opportunity to work through any questions on the payment process. DWP Grant Payments Team will also be available to provide ongoing support.

Full details of the payment process and eligible and ineligible expenditure are included in the GFA. Nothing in this section supersedes what is included in the GFA.

Types of payment

This guidance sets out the responsibilities of the Delivery Partners and details of mandatory information required by DWP as part of the grant agreement to enable grant payments.

As per the GFA there will be 3 separate payments. These will be:

• employer wage costs
• employer onboarding costs
• Delivery Partner costs – including Wraparound Support Costs and Administration Costs

For each payment this guidance will outline the following sections:

• payment schedule
• products that the Delivery Partner will be required to complete to enable payments, including guidance of the use of these products and their purpose
• validation events and process that the Delivery Partner will be required to follow

All documents referenced in this guidance will be provided to Delivery Partners ahead of the start of delivery. Documents may be updated by DWP from time to time, in which case new versions will be provided to the Delivery Partner as soon as these are available with prior notice given.

5.2. Wage costs

Under the Scheme DWP will reimburse employers for wage cost for scheme Participants in line with the terms set out below. DWP will make the payments to the Delivery Partner who will then be required to pass the funding onto the relevant employer.

Eligible Expenditure

DWP will reimburse the employer, via the Delivery Partner, for the wage costs for Participants up to 25 hours per week at the age relevant minimum wage, and associated employer National Insurance Contributions and minimum employer pension contributions where relevant, for a maximum of 6 months. This cost also includes wages or sick pay during in any periods of sick leave.

Where the employer decides to employ the young person for more hours, or at a higher hourly wage, the employer will need to fund the difference in this, and associated employer National Insurance Contributions and employer Pension Contributions, themselves.

Payment schedule

Employer Wage Payments will be paid in arrears following the Participant being paid. The first wage payment will be processed within 6 weeks after the Job Start Date; subsequent wage payments will be processed every 4 weeks.

Once DWP has validated each wage payment, a payment will be made to the Delivery Partner, and the Delivery Partner will receive a remittance from DWP of payment. The DWP Payments team may group together wages related to different Participants into a single payment, so the remittance advice will reference the Participant IDs of Participants whose wages are included in that payment. Once processed, DWP will aim to make payments to Delivery Partners within 11 working days.

Delivery Partners will be required to pass on the funds to the relevant employer within 5 working days of receipt.

Products

To enable timely release of Employer Wage Payments, Delivery Partners must complete the Delivery Partner Job Start Confirmation Form on the day the Participant starts employment. This must be sent, along with the completed Minimum Financial Assistance Declaration to the Payments Teams Shared Inbox with the subject ‘Participant Job Start - [Participant ID]’.

Where there is change in the employment of the Participant, within the list below, Delivery Partners must complete the Delivery Partner Job Change Form as soon as possible to prevent incorrect payments. This form, once completed, must be sent to the Payments Team Shared Inbox, with the subject ‘Change in Employment - [Participant ID]’.

The Delivery Partner Job Change Form must be sent if any of the following changes occur:

• the Participant leaves the job for any reason
• there is a change in the weekly hours
• there is a change in the hourly pay
• there is a change in the employer pension contributions
• there is a change in employer

Where the Participant changes employer the Job Change Form should be accompanied by a new Delivery Partner Job Start Confirmation Form and the new Minimum Financial Assistance Declaration.

It is important that both above templates are sent to DWP at the earliest possible opportunity to enable recording for payment and to mitigate any delays. Notification should be via the Payments Team Shared Inbox with the relevant subject heading.

Delays in submitting the information above will result in delays in payment, and in some cases payments could be missed completely due to a lack of information.

Validation

DWP will be checking real time information of wages paid against real time data from HMRC. DWP will validate Participant wages based on expected income from the details provided in the Job Start Confirmation.

Where the HMRC data does not match the details as per the Job Start Confirmation Form, or no wages are shown for the young person at all, DWP in the first instance will contact the Delivery Partner to clarify details and identify any discrepancies. Where needed DWP will request payslips from the Delivery Partner to aid the validation process. Payment for any unresolved queries will not be released until wages have been validated to DWP satisfaction.

Delivery Partners must retain evidence and records of the funded employment undertaken by Participants they support.

5.3. Onboarding costs

DWP will fund up to £250 per Participant, per job, to cover actual employer onboarding costs incurred in employing the individual. DWP will make the payments to the Delivery Partner who will then be required to pass the funding onto the relevant employer.

Eligible Expenditure

Employers can claim up to £250 per Participant, per job start, for costs associated with the young person starting the job. Costs can only be claimed where they relate to the Jobs Guarantee Participant, and must be costs reasonably associated with the young person starting in the role. Costs can only be claimed where a Participant starts a job.

This may include:

• role specific items: uniform, PPE (for example steel toe cap boots, basic equipment)
• set up costs for IT equipment and software licences
• workplace adjustments directly required for the Funded Employee that are not covered by statutory employer duties or other public funding (including Access to Work)

Employers cannot claim for onboarding costs which include:

• purchase of equipment not for the sole use of the Funded Employee
• expenditure of the employer not related to the Funded Employee
• the provision of training for the Funded Employee which would reasonably be covered by the Delivery Partner Wrap Around Support Costs
• purchasing of equipment or software for the Funded Employee which is covered or should reasonably be covered by other funding streams

Products and Payment Schedule

Employer onboarding costs will be paid monthly in arrears.

Delivery Partners should provide the Employer Onboarding Cost – Employer Claim Form to employers when a young person starts a job. Employers will then need to complete the form and return to the Delivery Partner, including supporting evidence for example, receipts. The Delivery Partner should then check that the form has been completed correctly, complete the unique reference number for the Participant, and check that the evidence is attached to evidence the expenditure. If evidence is not present for any of the costs, it will be rejected and no payment made for the item.

Delivery Partners must then submit all new Employer Onboarding Cost – Employer Claim Forms, with the supporting evidence and a completed Onboarding Costs Tracker to DWP by the 15th of each month. This must be sent to The Payments Team Shared Inbox, with the subject ‘Onboarding Costs’.

Following validation of the costs DWP will process a payment for the total value of all the accepted claims and aim to make payment to the Delivery Partner within 11 working days. DWP will send a remittance to the Delivery Partner and a copy of the Onboarding Costs Tracker indicating which individual onboarding costs have been included and which, if any, have been rejected. Delivery Partners can, if applicable, include any that have been rejected in a future claim if satisfactory additional evidence is presented. Delivery Partners will be required to pass on the funds to the relevant employer within 5 working days of receipt.

Validation

DWP will review all claims to confirm that claims are for eligible expenditure, that there is no duplication of claim, and that sufficient evidence has been provided. Where issues occur DWP will contact the Delivery Partner to engage the employer to resolve these where possible. No costs will be paid until validation checks are completed.

5.4. Wraparound Support Costs and Administration Costs

Delivery Partners will receive grant funding to cover the costs associated with Delivery of the Scheme, up the maximum funding level agreed. This will be made up of funding for Wraparound Support Costs and the funding for administration of the Scheme. Payments will be made in line with Delivery Partner financial models, as included in the GFA, subject to Delivery of the Scheme in line with agreed milestones and outputs.

Eligible Expenditure

Costs incurred to provide support to a Participant during their time on the Scheme, both before they start the job (pre-employment support), and while in Funded Employment. Costs should enable the Participant to take up the Funded Employment, engage with the Funded Employment, remain in the Funded Employment for the 6 months, including support to re-engage where required, support to transition to sustained employment following the end of the Funded Employment, and support to address personal barriers to work. This may include:

• grant recipient staff costs associated with the design and delivery of the training and support offer. This includes the design of a general offer ahead of the first referral and working with each Participant and Funded Employee to tailor the plan to their specific needs or barriers
• provision of pre-employment support and training to support the Participant to take up Funded Employment
• provision of externally provided training courses, including those sourced by the employer, to support the Funded Employee
• provision of support to improve the young person’s chance of securing employment following the end of the funded employment
• where relevant, the provision of specific support to address personal barriers of the Participant or Funded Employee to employment, for example, mental health support

Administration Costs: costs incurred by the Delivery Partner in managing the grant and meeting the obligations contained in the GFA. This will include:

• sourcing of acceptable Funded Employment Opportunities
• management of payments, including the passing on of payments to employers
• compliance with all monitoring and reporting requirements

Full details of the eligible expenditure for both elements can be found in the GFA.

Payment Schedule

Wraparound Support and Administration Costs will be paid quarterly in advance. Four quarterly payments will be made as agreed in the Funding Model, subject to Delivery Partners delivering against the agreed delivery model.

The first quarterly payment (including any advance claimed) will be paid following the signing of the GFA and the Delivery Partner submitting a claim to DWP for the payment. The following 3 payments will be paid quarterly, subject to provision of monthly expenditure returns. The Delivery Partner will need to make a claim at the start of the quarter for each payment to be released, this will need to be submitted to DWP by the time of the Quarterly Review meeting to agree release. DWP can decide to vary the subsequent quarterly payments to adjust for any underspend by Delivery Partners or in response to milestones or outputs being met. This will be discussed with Delivery Partners at the quarterly review.

At the end of the grant funding period a reconciliation exercise will take place. DWP will recover any unspent funds or funds not spent on eligible expenditure, in line with the GFA. There will also be a requirement for the Delivery Partner to follow standard financial year end procedures so DWP can make sure all expenditure is accounted for in the year that it’s used. More detail on this will be provided closer to the time.

Products

Delivery Partners will be required to complete a Wraparound Support and Administration Costs Tracker to evidence that grant funds are being used appropriately and in line with the agreed Financial Model. The tracker must be completed and approved by a suitable designated or statutory officer, for return to DWP no later than the 15th of each month detailing all Delivery Partner costs from the previous month. If there is no acceptable signature on either of these forms, they will be rejected and must be resent with the correct approvals. The forms must be sent to The Payments Team Shared Inbox, with the subject ‘Wraparound Support and Administration Tracker’.

As the grant for the wraparound support and administration costs are paid in advance it’s essential that the timescales described above are met to give DWP the necessary confidence and surety prior to agreeing the values of future payments. Any delays can result in either delays in payments for these core elements or reduction in the planned payment value due to insufficient supporting evidence.

Guidance for Use

The Wraparound Support and Administration Costs Tracker is an Excel spreadsheet comprised of seven tabs: Detailed information about how to complete this is contained in the spreadsheet and DWP will provide direct one-to-one support to make sure the Delivery Partner is able to complete it accurately.

DWP will work with Delivery Partners to map their general ledger systems into the form, which will reduce the manual work required to make a claim. DWP may update the Wraparound Support and Administration Costs Tracker from time to time, and will inform the Delivery Partner if this occurs.

Once the form is fully set up the Delivery Partner will need to put a complete copy of their general ledger relating to Jobs Guarantee for the relevant month directly into it, which will then be transposed into a set format which DWP can use to analyse and begin validating the expenditure.

The actual transactions will be split into the various types of payment category automatically, Admin, Wraparound, Onboarding and Wages. There is a functionality built in to negate any line entries on the ledger (DWP will show in detail how to use this), so things such as income from DWP or onboarding and salary costs passed on to employers can be zeroed out without impacting on the integrity of the information.

Validation

The validation checks that DWP will undertake on the grant expenditure are founded on the “3 lines of defence” principles which must be undertaken as part of the managing public money guidance.

Validation will be completed by DWP monthly upon receipt of the required forms, unless otherwise stipulated by DWP. Because this post-payment validation activity commences after payment is released, it may result in any required adjustments made to subsequent payments. It aims to assure that costs claimed by Grant Recipients are:

• accurate: meaning that claimed costs correspond to costs incurred
• valid: meaning that claimed costs are Eligible Expenditure which have been incurred to deliver the Funded Activities
• reasonable: meaning that claimed costs are proportionate and justifiable

DWP will deploy 2 different approaches for grant expenditure validation:

• validation of Delivery Partner Costs:
  DWP validators will review a costs directly incurred and claimed by Delivery Partners. These checks will review the transactions listed within the Wraparound Support and Administration Costs Tracker
• verification of Subcontractors checks (if a grant recipient subcontracts part of the service only):
  If applicable DWP validators will review cost validation checks completed by Delivery Partners on their subcontractors. These checks will be review the summary details of checks listed within the Grant Claim form

Where Delivery Partners are using subcontractors to deliver the scheme, DWP will require the Delivery Partner to complete a Delivery Partner Fraud and Validation Plan setting out how they will check any expenditure by subcontractors against the above measures. The DWP Payment Team will discuss this with Delivery Partners who intend to use subcontractors and will provide a template for Delivery Partners to complete.

Table 3 below sets out the four key steps that DWP will follow when making and communicating post-payment validation decisions.

Table 3: Post Payment Validation process

Step	Description
Step 1: Arrange screenshare call	Delivery Partners will be invited to participate in screenshare calls with DWP validators via Microsoft Teams. DWP and the Delivery Partner will arrange calls for a date and time that suits both parties and enables timely processing of the checks. DWP will share the details of the transactions to be validated, and any subcontractor to enable the Delivery Partners to invite personnel with the requisite access to systems and data. DWP will provide an estimated call duration ahead of the call and DWP and the Delivery Partner can agree to divide the calls over multiple sessions if necessary.
Step 2: Conduct screenshare calls	For Delivery Partner costs: On the arranged call, DWP validators will share details of the costs to be checked. Delivery Partner personnel will share their screens to display evidence of the accuracy and validity of the costs. The DWP validator may also request to see evidence of the reasonableness of costs. For Subcontractor costs: Where applicable DWP validators will share details of the subcontractor costs to be checked. Delivery Partner personnel will share their screens to display evidence of the checks they have completed to assure themselves of the accuracy, validity and reasonableness of the payment. This evidence could take the form of primary evidence collected by the Delivery Partner or notes of evidence seen on screenshare calls.
Step 3: Address queries	Where satisfactory evidence cannot be presented during the screenshare call, DWP validators will request additional evidence be provided after the call. The level of detail required for the additional evidence will be proportionate to the financial values in question and a timescale for response agreed at the meeting. In any circumstances where there are queries about either a large number of transactions or a significant amount of expenditure DWP may impose stricter timescales for providers to respond with additional evidence, and in those cases failure to meet those timescales could impact on the release dates or value of future payments.
Step 4: Report outcomes	DWP will share an outcome report after the completion of post-payment validation on both in-house costs and Delivery Partner checks.

Table 4 below provides some more detailed examples of evidence that Delivery Partners could use to substantiate the accuracy and validity of in-house costs. DWP will not require defrayment evidence or staff timesheets. DWP will not accept evidence that has been downloaded into a format (for example a spreadsheet) which can be manipulated.

Table 4: In-house cost evidence examples

Cost Category	Cost	Evidence Examples
Accommodation Costs: Rent (Jobs Guarantee Scheme Delivery premises)	£2,500	Bank statement showing date payment was made to landlord with details of bank account paid to. Invoice between landlord and Grant Recipient containing the landlords bank details. Rental agreement confirming Grant Recipient will pay the landlord £2500 on the same date each month for the duration of the agreement.
Staff Costs: Staff Related Expenses (Work related travel)	£23.66	Receipt for purchase of petrol inclusive of date of travel. Expenses system lists details including the purpose of journey the cost was claimed for, distance travelled, and calculations completed. HR system record confirming individual was, and still is, an employee.
Operating Costs: Office Equipment (pre-paid, addressed envelopes)	£333	Invoice between supplier and Grant Recipient for 300 pre-paid envelopes showing date of order and address to be printed on the envelopes. Costs on invoice shows both amount before VAT and total cost charged.

DWP validators will make the decision to pass or fail each Delivery Partner cost line or subcontracted check using evidence gathered during the screenshare call and any evidence supplied in response to subsequent queries within the defined timescales. Delivery Partners will be contacted for any failures in validation to discuss any discrepancies.

For Delivery Partner costs, validators will consider whether:

• the claim is for an Eligible Expenditure
• invoices/receipts seen are for the same value as the cost claim checked
• evidence checked is valid and supports the cost claim checked
• dates/information on the evidence matches the cost claim period, and
• sufficient, appropriate evidence has been supplied to support the cost claim

For Subcontractor, validators will consider whether:

• validation has been completed in a manner consistent with the Delivery Partner Fraud and Validation Plan
• there is a record of checks undertaken and evidence seen to validate the accuracy, validity and reasonableness of the cost, and
• there is evidence of an adjustment made or being made to the Subcontractors subsequent financial claim to the Delivery Partner

If the evidence provided by the Delivery Partner within the defined timescale is invalid or insufficient, the Delivery Partner cost line or Subcontractor check will fail post-payment validation. Delivery Partners will be notified of any failed Delivery Partner cost claims and Subcontractor checks in the post-payment validation outcome reports. Adjustments reflecting the total amount of the failed cost claims will be applied to the subsequent grant payment.

If high error rates are identified, DWP will consider requesting a remediation plan, conducting further checks, and/or changing the recovery plan.

Reconciliation

DWP reserve the right to reconcile at each quarter based on performance against the Delivery Partner’s Delivery Plan. DWP will complete a reconciliation at the end of the Q4 as part of standard financial year end procedures and a complete reconciliation at the end of the funding period for any outstanding discrepancies and where applicable identify any overpayments or refunds due.

6. Grant Management

This section explains how DWP will work with you to manage the delivery of the grant, and sets out who your main contacts are, how we will work together, what you can expect from DWP, and what DWP will need from you during the grant period.

6.1. How we will work with you

Dedicated Partnership Manager

Each Delivery Partner will be assigned a dedicated Partnership Manager (PM). Your Partnership Manager is your main point of contact for anything related to the grant or the delivery of the Jobs Guarantee. You can contact them through the Partnership Team Shared Inbox.

Your Partnership Manager will:

• support you with the management of your grant and work with you to help ensure successful delivery of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme
• act as your route into specialist teams across DWP (for example payments, operations, and local DWP networks)
• help you navigate DWP systems and processes
• coordinate performance discussions, review progress and identify risks early
• support problem-solving and make sure issues are escalated promptly when needed
• maintain strong working relationships with you, your Jobcentre Plus District Co-ordinator, and other stakeholders

Your Partnership Manager will coordinate all engagement with DWP, even where other teams need to be involved (such as the payments and assurance team, evaluation teams or operational colleagues) and should always be your first point of contact except where specific processes in this guidance say otherwise, such as:

• returning all forms, letters and templates detailed in this guidance
• notifying DWP that a young person needs to change the time of their initial meeting with you
• any discussions related to Participants under the special consideration section of this guidance, for example those falling under MAPPA

If at any point you are unable to reach your Partnership Manager, you should contact the wider Partner Management team using the DWP Jobs Guarantee Inbox.

Regular Engagement Structure

There will be a structured programme of engagement between DWP and the Delivery Partner throughout delivery. This includes:

Weekly Check-ins

• attended by your DWP Partnership Manager and the programme leads in the Delivery Partner
• used for relationship-building, real-time progress updates, troubleshooting and early sight of any emerging issues and risks
• these will include site meetings and visits from time to time

Monthly Performance and Delivery Meetings

Attended by: programme leads in the Delivery Partner, DWP Partnership Manager, Jobcentre Plus District Co-ordinator, DWP Payments team and other DWP stakeholders where needed.

These will be formal meetings used for:

• the monitoring of referral volumes and Participant job starts
• monitoring of Delivery Partner performance against the delivery plan
• monitoring of the quality of wraparound support
• monitoring of any Risks and issues
• reviews of financial reporting and spend
• monitoring of Delivery Partner compliance and assurance

Quarterly Strategic Review Meetings

Attended by: programme leads in the Delivery Partner, DWP Partnership Manager, DWP Payments team and DWP Assurance colleagues.

These will be formal reviews used for:

• the management of Grant fund spend
• reviews of cost profile compared to actual spend
• the identification of any emerging underspend/overspend
• monitoring of programme value for money
• reviews of service delivery quality and Participant experience
• discussion on any required changes to delivery model or funding profile in line with your GFA
• forward planning and shared learning

These meetings form the core of the grant review process as set out in your Schedule 7 of your GFA.

What we expect from you

Throughout delivery of the Scheme, Delivery Partners must:

• comply with all terms set out in the GFA
• deliver the services agreed and described in your Delivery Plan
• maintain accurate records and retain evidence for seven years
• submit all required notification, performance and financial templates and requested evidence in full and on time
• notify DWP immediately if any risks arise that may affect delivery
• escalate safeguarding or security concerns following the instructions provided
• maintain a dedicated inbox for DWP communications
• respond promptly to requests for information, clarification or evidence in line with Schedule 7 of the GFA

6.2. Management Information (MI)

This section explains the data and information Delivery Partners must provide, how it should be submitted, and how DWP will use it to manage delivery performance and funding.

Purpose of the collection of management information

The information you supply helps DWP to:

• monitor delivery against your agreed Delivery Plan
• understand Participant numbers and job outcomes
• ensure payments reflect actual delivery
• assure value for money and compliance with the GFA
• identify where support, intervention or adjustment is needed
• feed into reporting and evaluation activity

Your MI Responsibilities

Throughout the delivery of the Scheme, Delivery Partners must provide accurate, complete and timely MI.

MI Performance Tracker

The Performance MI Tracker is a spreadsheet to enable Delivery Organisations to report on their delivery of the funded activities. Throughout delivery of the Funded Activities, Delivery Organisations will be required to complete and submit the MI Performance Tracker spreadsheet by the 15th of every month for the preceding month. The completed tracker must be sent to the Payments Team Shared Inbox, with the subject heading “MI Performance Tracker - [name of Delivery organisation]”. This is in addition to the forms and templates which must be completed in line with processes set out earlier in this guidance. The Performance MI Tracker will collect information covering:

• participant referrals made by DWP
• initial meetings held/referrals accepted, with dates
• pre-employment wraparound support provided
• job starts, including dates
• in-work support provided
• job outcomes at the end of the 6-month funded job

Information about how to complete the tracker is contained in the spreadsheet and your Partnership Manager will support you if you have any questions about how to fill it in.

Additional MI for Evaluation and Continuous Improvement

In addition to the completion of the MI Tracker DWP may ask you to:

• distribute evaluation materials to Participants
• provide Participants with access to surveys, research or evaluation activities
• supply additional MI linked to evaluation sample groups

This will always be clearly communicated, with timelines included.

DWP will combine your information with internal data to build a full picture of performance and quality.

How MI Will Be Used

MI will be reviewed:

• monthly in performance meetings, to support discussions on performance against the Delivery Plan
• quarterly as part of the formal grant review process, to support discussions on performance against delivery plans and spend against agreed financial plans

MI may also be used to:

• identify risks early so they can be addressed
• adjust grant profiles if delivery is behind or ahead
• support DWP reporting and evaluation
• drive continuous improvement across all Delivery Partners

6.3. Performance

Performance

This section explains how DWP will monitor Delivery Partners delivery of the Jobs Guarantee scheme, and how we will work with Delivery Partners to review progress, address risks, and ensure the grant is delivering value for money. Performance management is a supportive process designed to help Delivery Partners deliver high-quality provision and achieve the outcomes set out in the Delivery Plan and the GFA.

What We Measure

Performance of Delivery Partners will be monitored against Delivery Plan against a combination of delivery activity, quality standards and financial performance. This includes:

Referral and Engagement Activity

• number of referrals made/received
• proportion of referrals resulting in a completed Initial Meeting
• timeliness of acknowledging and actioning referral information
• evidence of reasonable adjustments for young people with additional needs

Job Matching and Job Starts

• speed and quality of job matching
• job starts compared to agreed delivery plans
• evidence of employer suitability and compliance with Scheme requirements
• use of Job Start and Job Change templates

Delivery of Wraparound Support for Participants

• hours of wraparound support delivered
• quality and consistency of wraparound support delivered
• evidence of engagement during pre-employment support
• in-work support and actions taken to prevent disengagement or job loss

Participant Outcomes

• successful completion of the Funded Employment
• sustained job outcomes beyond the funded period (where available)
• performance against Delivery Plan commitments

Compliance and Assurance

• timely submission of financial claims
• accuracy of Job Start/Job Change information
• alignment between MI, financial claims and evidence
• adherence to eligible expenditure requirements in the GFA

How DWP Will Review Delivery Performance

Performance will be monitored against agreed metrics, as set out in Schedule 4, Part B of the GFA. This will be done via the agreed programme of grant management meetings, supported by your DWP Partnership Manager.

Where performance concerns arise, the DWP Partnership Manager will agree actions with you and follow up on progress regularly to monitor improvements.

Performance Expectations

Throughout delivery of the Scheme Delivery Partners must:

• deliver against the commitments in the Delivery Plan
• meet minimum data and evidence requirements
• maintain accurate records to enable the provision of regular and ad hoc management information requests, and enable financial claims
• notify DWP promptly of any emerging risks, challenges or under-performance
• work collaboratively with DWP to implement agreed improvement actions where needed

Responding to Under-Performance

DWP will monitor performance of delivery Organisations throughout the delivery of the Scheme. Where the performance of Delivery Partners falls below expectations at any point in the delivery of the Scheme, DWP will:

• discuss the issue early through weekly check-ins or monthly reviews
• agree a proportionate improvement plan, including clear actions and timelines
• increase oversight, where appropriate, until confidence is restored
• adjust grant payments or Participant Referral volumes, where required
• escalate through the Grant Review process if issues persist or worsen

Our aim is always to support Delivery Partners to improve performance and deliver successful outcomes for young people, while also ensuring tax payer money is used responsibly and effectively.

Continuous Improvement

DWP will work with delivery Partners to support them to continuously improve the delivery of the Scheme throughout the Funding Period. To support this DWP will include performance discussions in the regular meetings between DWP and the Delivery Organisation to:

• identify good practice
• share learning across Delivery Partners
• make sure delivery remains high-quality, consistent and focused on young people’s needs

Insights from performance management will also inform policy development and future phases of the Scheme.

7. Evaluation

DWP may provide you with information to discuss and share with Participants at the Initial Meeting, during the pre-employment support phase, at the end of provision or at any other points in the Job Guarantee process that relates to our continuous improvement, evaluation, and research of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. This information will support Participants in making an informed choice about taking part in evaluation activities. We ask you to present this to Participants in a balanced and supportive manner. Your support for building the evidence base for Jobs Guarantee is vital to understand the impact of the Scheme.

Further, DWP may request you provide Participants with information about accessing or attending activities (for example QR codes, web links, meeting details) relating to our continuous improvement, evaluation, and / or research of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. These should be provided in the timelines specified and presented in a balanced and supportive manner.

Our continuous improvement, evaluation, and research activities related to the Jobs Guarantee scheme may be conducted by DWP staff, by third party suppliers, or academic Partners. You will be told who you will receive information from regarding these activities. DWP may also request selections of management information to enable evaluation and research of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme. These should be provided in the timelines specified and include all agreed variables.

Annex A: List of Forms

Form	Description
Jobs Guarantee Scheme – COC’s/Failure to Participate Form	Sent by the Delivery Partner when the Participant’s circumstances change or they are not engaging with the scheme.
Jobs Guarantee Scheme Referral Form	Sent by DWP after a young person is referred to the scheme, providing further information to the Delivery Partner.
Minimum Financial Assistance Declaration	A declaration completed by employers to certify that they meet the requirements under Minimal Financial Assistance exemption in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
Minimum Financial Assistance Confirmation Letter	A confirmation sent by DWP to employers to confirm the level of funding they have received under Minimal Financial Assistance exemption in the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
Delivery Partner Job Start Confirmation Form	Form completed by the Delivery Partner when a Participant starts a job under the scheme.
Change of Participant Details Form	Form sent by DWP if a Participants details change whilst they are on the scheme.
Job Change Form	Form sent by the Delivery Partner if a Participant changes jobs whilst they are on the scheme.
Employer Onboarding Cost - Employer Claim Form	Form completed by the employer to claim for onboarding costs.
Onboarding Costs Tracker	Tracker completed monthly by the Delivery Partner to outline the employer onboarding costs claimed that month.
Wraparound Support and Administration Costs Tracker	Tracker completed monthly by the Delivery Partner to outline Wraparound Support and Administration costs for the month.
Delivery Partner Fraud and Validation Plan	Completed by the Delivery Partner outlining how they will check any expenditure by subcontractors against validation measures.
MI Performance Tracker	Tracker completed monthly by the Delivery Partner to provide up to date MI.