What enables the effective design, delivery and evaluation of local work and health programmes?
This report provides insights for local government on what enables the effective, design, delivery and evaluation of health and work programmes.
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Details
Research background
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is commissioning a What Works Centre for Local Employment Support (WWCLES) to help inform evidence-based local employment and labour market support by regional and local government.
Preliminary research – the Labour Market Evidence Programme – was commissioned to inform the WWCLES’ work. It consists of:
- a user consultation with future WWCLES users
- an initial set of evidence reviews based on the consultation
- a ‘lessons learned’ report (to inform the future WWCLES)
This Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) is the first of 8 evidence reviews, the topics of which were informed by findings from the user consultation. The report synthesises the available evidence about the implementation and evaluation of health-focused local programmes and interventions that aim to improve labour market outcomes.
The report’s findings are intended to inform local government decision making on key areas, such as the roll out of WorkWell across England, and succession planning for the Economic Inactivity Trailblazers.
Contribution to the evidence base
The existing evidence base on this topic is not very accessible to local government users. There is limited evidence in this area, with much of the available insight being drawn from case studies. However, in-depth reporting of these case studies provides insights into different mechanisms (i.e. strong partnership working, involvement of service users) that support health-focused local programme and intervention effectiveness, improvement, design and delivery.
This research will increase DWP and local government understanding of what enables the effective, design, delivery and evaluation of health and work programmes at a local level.
Research value
DWP intends to use the Labour Market Evidence Programme’s (LMEP) outputs to provide a handover to the WWCLES. This will help speed up the centre’s set up period by providing a research and evidence base to build upon, while making the most of the commissioning lead-in times.
Overall, the work of the LMEP and the WWCLES more generally has many policy implications, including:
- influencing how mayors and local government commission, design and evaluate local employment support to ensure quality and value for money in an increasingly devolved employment support landscape
- providing evidence to DWP / HM Treasury policy makers of value for money case for place-based / local employment support to support DWP and HMT’s decision making at spending reviews