Written evidence from Azure Charitable Enterprises (DEG0191)

• In lots of cases client’s don’t have a regular Work Coach, meaning they don’t build a rapport with anyone.  Their Jobcentre Plus contact therefore never fully understands their needs.

• From an organisational point of view, we can receive referrals from Work Coaches with very little information on the client.

• Some clients have raised with us that they have been pressurised by Work Coaches and contacted every week and been told their number of hours of job searching isn’t good enough and must do more.  Despite us asking the client if they have explained they have been referred to us, which you would expect to be recorded anyway.  We have had to intervene as we were beginning to witness a negative effect on the client.  The Work Coach was in fact new and hadn’t checked the client’s claimant commitment and disability/health condition and the effect their actions may have had.

• Some clients have reported that being with large providers on national programmes they haven’t always got the support they feel they need.  There have been significant gaps in contact.

• We are a Supported Business and some clients would like more hours, to try a different role (with an external employer), but still have the safety net of support from our organisation.  The rules around gaining work with an external employer are very complicated and potentially risky for our organisation.  Meaning some clients feel they can’t progress.

• Our clients tell us they prefer a local personalised approach, they enjoy and benefit from one to one support.  This has also been voiced by clients’ families.

• We have been supporting clients on our FSF funded provision remotely during Covid-19 particularly during periods of tier restrictions and national lockdowns.  In most cases this has worked well, however some clients who do not have access to technology so participating in online courses has not been possible.  Jobcentre Plus has been very good at accessing IT equipment for those clients who have none.  However, in one situation a client was requested to collect a laptop from Argos, approximately 25 miles away.  They did this, but couldn’t get it to work, as it need to be ‘set up’.  They client has a learning disability does not have the IT skills to do this without assistance.  We have had to liaise with the Work Coach and DEA to try to get this resolved.  There has been little support for us trying to resolve the matter, so we are having to resort to a WhatsApp video call with the client so we can understand what is going wrong.  We are little disappointed that despite the excellent result in Jobcentre Plus providing the item, the follow up is less impressive if the person cannot use it.

• Clients tell us that employers are refusing hard copy CVs because of data protection and asking that people apply online.  Some clients, particularly those with learning disability can struggle with technology and online job applications.  This is excluding a pool of people applying for employment.

• There seems to be a drive for promoting the 16-24 year old age group with employment such as Kickstart, however there has been little promotion of the additional support for people with disability and/or long term health conditions.

• Organisationally, we have seen a significant shift in the needs of clients overall.  In years gone by, clients’ were referred for employability such as CV, interview techniques, job searching, job applications to name a few example.  However in recent years, clients are being referred with more multiple and complex barriers such as family, housing and financial issues.  Many of which need to be addressed before beginning to broach employability.

• The number of people referred into our provision with mental health problems has increased significantly with clients disclosing to us mental health issues after referral but no information or disclosure from referring partner.

May 2021