Guidance

Chapter 4B: Early Interventions – Income-based Jobseekers Allowance claimants (JSA (IB))

Updated 6 February 2023

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Version 3.01

Introduction

4.01. This Chapter covers your role and responsibilities with regards to your Participant following the Initial Face to Face Meeting. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 3 - Initial meeting and start. This includes the required actions in relation to the completion of the diagnostic assessment and agreement of the action plan, which you must complete within 8 weeks of your Participant’s referral from DWP. During your Participant’s time on the Restart Scheme they will continue to be supported by the Jobcentre Plus work coach and be subject to ongoing interventions.

Meetings

4.02. Following the Initial Face to Face Meeting (in person) you should have regular engagement and meaningful contact with your Participant through a minimum of fortnightly review meetings. These may be Face to Face or through digital contact. However, you must have Face to Face (in person) contact with your Participant no less frequently than every 4 weeks from the initial meeting.

Please Note: You must have digital solutions in place for circumstances whereby Face to Face meetings in person are unable to take place e.g. COVID-19, Local Restrictions. The requirement to adopt this digital solution will be advised by or made in consultation with DWP.

4.03. Your Participant should not be expected to travel by public transport for more than 90 minutes from their home address to your premises when attending a meeting with you. For some Participants, the maximum travel time, as agreed by the Jobcentre Plus work coach, may be below 90 minutes. In these cases, you must make reasonable adjustments to meet at a location that will meet this adjusted difference in travel time.

4.04. You are responsible for funding your Participant’s travel costs to attend the Restart Scheme. During the Initial Face to Face Meeting you will have provided information, within the induction pack, relating to any expenses that can be claimed by your Participant. For further information on travel expenses, and childcare/caring responsibilities, see Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 6 – Expenses.

4.05. You may utilise digital options to provide additional 1-2-1 support to your Participant outside of the fortnightly and 4 weekly Face to Face meetings, however this needs to reflect the different requirements of each Participant and may also be linked to improving the Participant’s digital skills as part of their agreed goals.

Please Note: The frequency of 1-2-1 support and meetings attracts performance and Compliance checks and is subject to Customer Service Standards (CSS) 4 and 5. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 14 – Performance Management.

4.06. If at any point your Participant advises you of potential or actual paid employment or self-employment you must ensure you provide supporting advice to them. You should ensure that they are made aware of and understand any potential impact on JSA (IB) payments or benefits they may be in receipt of, because of this employment opportunity.

4.07. You should also support and encourage your Participant to utilise the independent benefits calculators via gov.uk so that your Participant can make an informed decision and understand the effect of any increased or decreased earnings while in work. Where possible this should be undertaken prior to the commencement of the employment.

4.08. If the employment commences, it is the responsibility of the Participant to notify the JSA Helpline or by contacting their reporting Jobcentre Plus in writing, of any changes in their circumstances, that occur whilst attending the Restart Scheme. If a Provider becomes aware of any change of circumstances which would impact a Participant and their welfare benefits, they must remind the Participant of their obligation to notify DWP of the change(s).

4.09. You must also make sure the Participant is fully aware that their JSA (IB) payments could be reduced if they refuse an offer of paid employment.

4.10. You should also verbally confirm with your Participant that they have notified the JSA Helpline or by contacting their reporting Jobcentre Plus in writing, of any changes in their circumstances and commencement of employment.

4.11. Should your Participant’s circumstances change and this effect the frequency of contact you are required to maintain with them e.g. an easement is put in place, you will be advised of this by the Jobcentre Plus work coach via a change of circumstances notification CEPD1.

4.12. Any changes in your full Restart Scheme support offer relating to your Participant must be based on the information and advice contained within the change of circumstances notification. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 5B – Ongoing Interventions and Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 7B - Change of Circumstances.

Please Note: Participation in the Restart Scheme will only become voluntary for JSA (IB) claimants when their claim to JSA (IB) is closed ie. a Participant is working 16 hours per week or more (or 24 hours or more for a Participant who is part of a joint claim).

Until the respective thresholds of 16 hours or 24 hours per week are reached, JSA (IB) claimants are still required to actively seek and be available for work, and their participation in the Restart Scheme is mandatory.

Providers should also be aware that a Participant who is no longer entitled to JSA (IB), may be required to make a claim for Universal Credit. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 7B - Change of Circumstances.

Diagnostic Assessment

4.13. The diagnostic assessment is a fundamental step in enabling you to identify how you will support your Participant’s progress towards employment. You must complete the diagnostic assessment within 8 weeks of the referral from the Jobcentre Plus work coach.

4.14. The Diagnostic Assessment is a detailed needs assessment which will support building the relationship between you and your Participant whilst establishing their requirements, for example:

• labour market barriers, including identification of level of skills and required development
• health conditions and disabilities
• personal barriers, including housing issues
• financial barriers, including personal debt
• work-related independence skills for example understanding and use of public transport

4.15. The diagnostic assessment will facilitate the jointly identified support activities and employment aspirations for your Participant which will then inform your Participants individual action plan. These may include, but are not limited to:

• providing the Participant with job search skills and career guidance
• providing the Participant with job interview experience
• helping Participants overcome non-work based barriers, for example skills gaps, to support focus on moving towards employment
• providing the Participant with work-related skills, for example use of IT
• addressing social and personal barriers to work such as housing issues, addiction problems, and debt
• identifying and addressing sources of concern and barriers for each Participant as they progress towards employment
• delivering personalised support tailored to meet the needs of each Participant to help them move into work

4.16. During the completion of the diagnostic assessment you should consider, identify and record appropriately any internal/external resources available which will support your Participant to achieve any agreed goals.

4.17. You must ensure that the diagnostic assessment takes into account any advanced support issues or concerns that are identified by, or communicated to you by DWP or third parties. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 21 – Participants With Complex Needs who May Require Advanced Support.

Please Note: Once completed the diagnostic assessment should be reviewed no less frequently than every 4 months.

Please Note: The diagnostic assessment attracts performance and compliance checks and is subject to CSS 2 and 6. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 14 - Performance Management.

Action Plan

4.18. You must complete the action plan within 8 weeks of the referral from the Jobcentre Plus work coach as this will set out how you will help your Participant make progress towards employment.

4.19. Following the Initial Face to Face Meeting you must, in conjunction with your Participant, develop and complete a detailed SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound) action plan including targets/ actions to take that are:

• Specific – precise, clearly defined and specific to the individual Participant
• Measurable – both Participant and Provider should have a clear way of recognising when the target/ action has been achieved
• Achievable - motivate the Participant, are within their capability and attainable
• Realistic/Relevant – be relevant and proportionate to the Participant’s needs and help lead them to the desired result
• Time-bound – a realistic, definite time frame of when the target/ action should be achieved by. Specific deadlines to review progress may be incorporated

4.20. The SMART action plan should reflect the information gathered from the diagnostic assessment and your Participant’s individual circumstances. This will be used to inform and outline the sequence of support and/or actions needed for your Participant to reach one or more goals and will include any progress made towards employment, along with the findings and subsequent actions identified through the periodic review of the diagnostic assessment.

4.21. You must reflect in the action plan any advanced support issues or concerns that are identified by, or communicated to you by DWP or third party. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 21 – Participants With Complex Needs who May Require Advanced Support.

4.22. You must reflect in the action plan any advanced support issues or concerns that are identified by or communicated to you by DWP or third party. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 21 – Participants With Complex Needs who May Require Advanced Support.

4.23. During the completion of the action plan you should look to undertake the following actions in consultation with your Participant taking into account their employment aspirations:

• your delivery of personalised support must be tailored to meet the needs of each Participant to help them move into work, you must ensure that the activity is broken down into manageable steps
• you must ensure that any actions, or goals, reflect your Participant’s identified restrictions, work availability and work search requirements which you have been advised of through PRaP and via the warm handover or a change of circumstances UC78e or UC78
• you must ensure that the Participant is clear on what they are required to do, why they are being asked to do it, what evidence is required to demonstrate completion and when it must be completed by
• if a Participant has complex needs and/or additional support requirements, you must carefully consider any impact these may have on the Participant’s ability to understand or comply with the requirements of the identified activity. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 8B - Mandating Participants to Undertake Activity
• you must ensure that the Participant is aware that failure to take part in agreed activities may result in mandation. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 8B - Mandating Participants to Undertake Activity

4.24. When drawing up the action plan Participants should not be expected to travel for more than 90 minutes (or reduced travel time where agreed by the Jobcentre Plus work coach) by public transport from their home address when conducting work search activities, or to take up employment. However, your Participant may choose to consider a wider geographical or travel to work area which would extend this travel time.

4.25. As stated in CSS 3 you are required to ensure that the action plan is signed by both you and your Participant. You must issue your Participant with a copy of the action plan once it has been signed by both parties and record the date of issue.

4.26. If your Participant cannot sign the action Plan, the reason(s) for this must be recorded along with retaining any evidence which may be available e.g. an email from your Participant, and where possible, if a face to face meeting takes place at a later date a signature must be obtained for the plan.

4.27. You must retain the action plan throughout your Participant’s time on the Restart Scheme and for the duration of the contract for audit and compliance purposes.

Please Note: Once completed the action plan will remain a living document and should be reviewed no less frequently than every 4 weeks.

Please Note: The action plan attracts performance and compliance checks and is subject to CSS 3 and 7. See Restart Scheme Provider Guidance Chapter 14 – Performance Management.

Should you require an accessible version of any of the Restart Scheme forms listed in this guidance you will need to request them via email at restart.providerenquiries@dwp.gov.uk