Working Brief 227 spring 2012

Charlotte Sweeney, Nomura International, improving gender representation

Lynne Featherstone MP, achieving gender balance in the House

Amanda Spielman, ARK Schools, overcoming educational barriers

Kate Green MP, Labour: an alternative approach to women’s employment

Janette Faherty, Avanta, women in welfare to work

Helen Crowther, Inclusion, the impact of Universal Credit on women

Jan Morgan benefits and personal experience of disability

workingbriefExchanging knowledge for shared benefit ISSUe 227 | SPrinG 2012

Women in work: What progress equality?

Promoting social inclusion in the labour market

Letters

A mother’s experience of going back to workReturning to work after having my daughter has been a journey of self-development, compromise and challenges. In times of recession, competition has forced me to rethink how I can get back to meaningful employment. As an ‘older’ mother with years of work experience, shifting career paths and further study as a mature student, there didn’t seem to be options for me.

A qualified social worker, with a degree in social science, I have worked extensively within social care, predominantly in the charity sector. I am also experienced within the community arts and education sector, the result of a decision to make a career change and marry my old career with a new one. I have had rich experiences in both sectors at a project-management level. However, I still haven’t been able to return to work at this level.

Currently my daughter is five, and started school this year. Eighteen months ago I began to look for part-time work. This hasn’t been easy; barriers I have faced were five years out of work and a resulting loss in confidence in my abilities. This led to an identity crisis! What was I? I felt like ‘just’ a mother, nothing new to offer, unskilled, stuck and worried that I’d never be able to work again! Although believing that motherhood is as valuable as (or more valuable than) paid work, I still dreaded that question ‘What do you do?’, feeling undervalued unless contributing through paid work.

A ‘Women Like Us’ workshop (an organisation supporting mothers back to work) involved meeting mothers in the same situation and receiving advice and support. This was both empowering and motivating. However, jobs I’ve applied for are highly competitive, and because of funding cuts, many jobs essentially require full-time work in part-time hours. Not realistic for me, trying to balance work and family.

I’m now working part time, a freelancer, whilst also taking various unpaid work. This situation is more positive, opening up new work opportunities, building new experience while regaining my confidence. There’s a better work-family balance, but I still hanker after a job where I can truly utilise my abilities (where I can make a difference) and make a greater financial contribution to our family.

Many aspects of my experiences are echoed in findings of ‘Working Mothers’ a recent Women Like Us project I worked on as a peer researcher, (with small fee and training provided). A barrier to re-entering work that was mentioned almost unanimously amongst the participants was a lack of confidence. Age (feeling that younger applicants have the edge, although less professional experience) and lack of flexible hours were also mentioned as significant barriers for mothers returning to work.

“I feel my experience is not valued. I am just older” (Mother in her 40s)

Also, reflecting my experience, issues of self-image and identity were significant factors for participants. Asked to express their identity, many answered ‘just a mum’ or talked about aspirations to be ‘working mums’.

This is evidence of a need to bolster the confidence of mothers who have been out of work for some time, so that they can re-identify

ContactEditor: Polly Green [email protected] of Advertising: Fran Parry T: 0759 011 [email protected]: Begonia FernandezT: 020 7840 [email protected]

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PublisherCentre for Economic and Social InclusionThird floor89 Albert EmbankmentLondon SE1 7TPT: +44 (0)20 7582 7221 [email protected]

© Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is not allowed without the written permission of Inclusion.

ISSN: 2047-0940

Coming up: Summer 2012

The economy issueLeading thinkers analyse the country’s labour market

Plus Pete Blake on reputation management and public relations

To subscribe, please email [email protected].

In this issue

CovER PHoTo © MAREk ULIASz, ISToCkPHoTo.CoM

[email protected] SPRINg 2012 | Working BriEf | 1

FeAtUReS6 Charlotte Sweeney

Improving gender representation in companies

8 Lynne Featherstone MP Achieving a gender balance in Parliament

10 Amanda Spielman Overcoming educational barriers

13 Kate Green MP Labour’s alternative approach to women’s employment

18 Janette Faherty Women, employment and welfare to work

20 Helen Crowther Impact of Universal Credit on women26 Laura Gardiner

Older women in the labour market27 Lorraine Lanceley

Building a sustainable recruitment market in London

28 Jan Morgan Benefits and personal experience of disability

36 Pippa Lane Obligations on lone parents to look for work

Send your letters by email to [email protected] limit letters for publication to 150 words. Inclusion reserves the right to edit letters.

as ‘working mothers’. I’ve certainly started to redress this balance, journeying back to work, with support and guidance received being invaluable for this.

There’s a real need for more specialist employment resources like Women Like Us, targeting and understanding issues faced by mothers returning to work. Without services such as these, we could exclude a vast untapped resource of highly experienced mothers from our workforce, like me.

Caroline D’Souza

RegULARS2 Dave Simmonds Female employment: wasted talent,

pragmatic fixes?5 Dave Simmonds Work Programme: not a comfortable

time15 Burning issue Is there a role for positive action in

addressing gender representation?24 Using social media Karen Clarke33 Inclusion diary Recent events, policy contributions

and publications from the Centre for economic and Social Inclusion

34 report reviews the latest social inclusion publications

shaping policy37 Stats myth busting Measuring inactivity: implications for

welfare to work

2 | Working BriEf | SPRINg 2012 [email protected]

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Female employment: wasted talent, pragmatic fixes?Without creative responses, a weak labour market, higher childcare costs and some elements of welfare reform are likely to halt long-term improvement to the employment rate of women, says Dave Simmonds.

never recovered to pre-recession levels. Every recession has induced a lurch downwards which has fuelled the long-term decline of male employment – falling from 92 per cent in 1971 to 75 per cent now.

Figure 1 shows how women have fared better in every recession. In the 1980s, the female employment rate dropped three per cent while the male rate dropped 10 per cent and in the 1990s the employment rate of women dropped 1.5 per cent while that of men dropped 7.5 per cent.

The male employment rate has dropped four per cent since the onset of this recession while the female rate has dropped 1.7 per cent. However, the employment gap has widened because men benefited more from the brief upturn in 2010. overall, the employment gap between men and women has plunged from 39 per cent in 1971 to 10 per cent today, just above the historic low of nine per cent in 2010.

The reasons behind these long-term changes in employment are well known, for example: the demand for more equality in work and family; the changing nature of jobs in the economy; increased higher education participation rates by women; more childcare provision; extra part-time opportunities in service-sector jobs; and the need for two-earner households to lift people out of poverty.

The more difficult analysis is identifying cause and effect, as well as the key determinants that support high levels of women’s employment. What we do know is that women’s employment is not just about the economics of the labour market – other public policies have as much bearing on helping or hindering women to work.

More employment, different burdensWomen’s experience of employment and unemployment is still very different

Dave Simmonds is Chief Executive of Inclusion

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Women’s employment has been on a long march upwards but will this now come to a halt? The

economic and societal changes of more working women have been profound – and the Uk is all the better for it. Now there are signs that we are approaching another ‘glass ceiling’ for women – not one of pay and promotion but a ‘glass ceiling’ of jobs.

In 1998, the women’s employment rate climbed above 65 per cent for the first time and then broadly stabilised, peaking at 67 per cent in 2008. This period marked the end of a long dramatic increase from the early 1970s when barely half of women were in work.

Each recession since the seventies has seen women’s employment slip back slightly but then powerfully recover to move to successive historic highs. Past recessions have barely interrupted the upward march of women’s employment.

It is a mirror image for men – a downward march that has been accelerated by recessions. Since the 1970s, men’s employment rates have


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from men’s in many respects. The overall employment rate

disguises that a far higher number of women are working part time as they juggle home and work. The demand for part-time workers (and not enforced part-time working) is an important factor in attracting and retaining women in the workforce.

Availability, quality and cost of childcare are probably the most important considerations for women in their decision to return to work after having a child. As recent Daycare Trust reports have shown, the cost of childcare is escalating and there is a reduced supply in some areas. These pressures mean that when women return to work, they often ‘trade down’ in the labour market – working in jobs well below their qualification level. This is a waste of talent and expertise but for many women it is the best pragmatic fix between work, home and childcare.

When women become unemployed they are less likely to claim or be eligible for benefits. There are now many more ‘second earner’ households (and it is often the woman who is the ‘second earner’) so women are more likely to be dependent when they become unemployed. Figure 2 shows that only half of unemployed women claim benefits. This compares with 30 per cent of men who do not claim. This has been a consistent story over the past 30 years, even in the depth of recession. This also means that unemployed women are less likely to receive government support in jobseeking or improving skills.

This is not just about women in couples with children; single women also appear to be less likely to claim. The estimated take-up of income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (i.e. means-tested JSA) shows that 52 to 61 per

cent of entitled single women without children are claim JSA1 compared with 74 to 96 per cent of couples with children.

Not surprisingly, this lower rate of claiming reflects itself in the numbers for women on the Work Programme.

The Work Programme is primarily a man’s world. of referrals to the programme,2 72 per cent are men and 28 per cent are women. The largest difference is for JSA early entrants (primarily those with significant disadvantages), where only 21 per cent are women. However, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) referrals are a different story. The ESA gender profile

1 Department for Work and Pensions (2012), Income related benefits: estimates of takeup http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb

2 Department for Work and Pensions (2012), Work programme statistics http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp

Women’s employment is not just about the economics of the labour market – other public policies have as much bearing on helping or hindering women to work

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has always been more equal and this is reflected in referrals, with only a four percentage point gap between men and women making ‘new ESA claims’. As ESA referrals pick up and more lone parent JSA claimants are referred, the proportion of women on the Work Programme should start to increase.

The introduction of Universal Credit may have an impact on women’s employment rates in the future. Critics3 have argued that when women are the ‘second-earners’ they will have less incentive to stay in work than they do under the current system of tax credits. While those women in ‘mini-jobs’ will receive more assistance, the government has balanced this by reducing support for women who are working longer hours. This is something

3 For example, see Fran Bennett (2011), Universal Credit: the gender impact, Child Poverty Action group

A woman waits at a bus stop in Stoke newington, London, seen through graffiti on an adjacent bus stop.


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the government acknowledged in its impact assessment.4 However, overall, the government claims there will be ‘strong positive impacts on poverty rates for women and on their work incentives’.

Whatever the impact of Universal Credit on women proves to be, a more immediate concern is the effect on women of reforms to current benefit payments. For example, the Fawcett Society and the Institute for Fiscal Studies show how lone parents (92 per cent of whom are women) have been disproportionately affected by welfare

4 Department for Work and Pensions (2011), Universal Credit Equalities Impact Assessment

cuts.5 The reduction in Housing Benefit support has led to widespread concern about the impact on lone parents and larger families, especially in London. Means-testing ESA after 12 months is also anticipated to have a greater impact on women’s independent income, since women are more likely to have a partner whose earnings will disqualify them from entitlement.

Women’s unemployment and the recessionSince 2008, men and women have borne an equal burden of the increase

5 Fawcett Society (2011), Single Mothers: singled out

in unemployment, which has increased by 62 per cent for both.

However, the pattern of job losses has now dramatically changed. In the recessionary period men lost out the most but women did not benefit from the 2009–10 improvement. This has pushed women’s unemployment to a 25 year high.

Anna Bird of the Fawcett Society says: ‘By 2015, the government expects to shed more than 700,000 public sector jobs – and twice as many women as men will lose their jobs through this great cull. Carrying on down this path will see the coalition government be the first to have presided over a reversal in women’s equality, after generations of slow but steady progress.’

So will there be a halt to the long-term increase in women’s employment rate? All the signs are that this will be the case. There is a triple whammy of a weak labour market, higher childcare costs and some elements of welfare reforms which will create a ‘glass ceiling’ over women’s jobs. The ‘march of the manufacturers’ isn’t exactly a gender-free strategy, unless you believe that women can break down other glass ceilings in male dominated industries.

New responses will emerge to address this situation – as they have in the past. ‘Women Like Us’6 is a good example – working with women and employers to fit work around the needs of the family. More creative responses will be needed and the government has a role to play as well. The government’s equality strategy is a start but it will need to be much more ambitious if it is to hold back the larger forces at play that will halt the upward march of women in work.

6 See www.womenlikeus.org.uk

When women return to work, they often ‘trade down’ in the labour market – working in jobs well below their qualification level. This is a waste of talent and expertise but for many women it is the best pragmatic fix between work, home and childcare

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figure 2: Male and female gaps between iLo unemployment and claimant count

figure 3: rise in unemployment for men and women

Subject area RUNNINg HeAD


Wherever you sit in the Work Programme chain, it has not been a comfortable few months.

It’s not likely to get any easier. We are coming to a critical passing point for the Work Programme – can it deal with the many pressures and tensions or will it buckle under the strain?

This is not an idle or academic question. Most organisations involved are facing some very tough questions at the moment. Strong support remains for the ideals of the Work Programme: flexibility, payment by results, and improved outcomes. But there is almost universal questioning about whether the government has got the financing right.

I do not meet anyone who will now defend the government’s performance expectations of the Work Programme – and I certainly don’t meet anyone who thinks they will be achieved.

Why has this come to pass? The first and overriding reason is the economy. It is not creating enough jobs to meet targets, and the official jobs forecasts don’t hold much hope for the future. The consequences cascade through

the system from top to bottom of the contractor supply chains but it can be tougher as a sub-contractor.

If the finances are not helping the Work Programme then the furore over fraud and work experience has not helped either. There has been much misreporting which has incorrectly blamed the Work Programme but blaming the media is a cop out.

Fraud exists everywhere but the public are more unforgiving if it is taxpayers’ money and even more unforgiving if it is not robustly pursued. The reputational impact is critical – the Work Programme cannot afford to be tarred with the perception of fraud. Tough action may cause casualties but that may be preferable to the whole programme suffering.

The work experience furore was predictable with hindsight. Unfortunately nobody did predict it and I include ourselves. Alarm bells could have been rung but were not. Unpaid work experience has been operating mostly without controversy for over 20 years but a combination of sanctions,

Work Programme: not a comfortable timethe economy is not creating enough jobs to meet Work Programme targets, and the official jobs forecasts don’t hold much hope for the future either. Pulling the Work Programme into line with the state of the labour market is now the urgent task, argues Dave Simmonds.

duration and sheer scale broke the previous consensus.

The media attention was on mandated work experience before people join the Work Programme but neither claimants, the public or employers draw such distinctions. Listening to employer voices and scrapping the sanctions was an important step in getting work experience back onto an even keel. But more will need to be done to help employers use the Work Programme to recruit and offer work experience with confidence, and without fear of controversy.

The Work Programme is well past its age of innocence and is now firmly in the political and media spotlight... and this will continue to be the case. The next ‘bad news story’ waiting to happen is when a large contractor (or a critical mass of sub-contractors) goes bust or pulls out. This is not going to help unemployed people one iota. The economic squeeze on Work Programme performance and finances is a squeeze on support to unemployed people.

Pulling the Work Programme into line with the state of the labour market is now the urgent task.

I do not meet anyone who will now defend the government’s performance expectations of the Work Programme – and I certainly don’t meet anyone who thinks they will be achieved

The reputational impact is critical – the Work Programme cannot afford to be tarred with the perception of fraud. Tough action may cause casualties but that may be preferable to the whole programme suffering

The Work Programme is well past its age of innocence and is now firmly in the political and media spotlight... and this will continue to be the case


IMPROVINg RePReSeNtAtION

responsibilities at the other end of the age spectrum with elder care offerings? Many research articles show that increasing numbers of employees find themselves in the ‘sandwich’ generation: they have childcare responsibilities and also look after an elderly relative. The lack of support and information regarding finding suitable solutions can make the situation seem impossible. Some enlightened employers already offer support. However, further advancements – such as ‘care vouchers’ that use the same principle as childcare vouchers and applying ‘family friendly’ to the holistic family unit – would go a long way towards helping those who have to source and finance care for the elderly in their families. However, this isn’t something employers can do on their own and requires a partnership approach with the government, local authorities and care providers.

re-engaging with the workplaceMany women disengage with their employer after a prolonged period of time out, such as maternity leave. This is a time when key talent can be overlooked, having a significant impact on the ‘pipeline’. More focus should be given to supporting the employee to prepare for the inevitable changes in their personal life and considering how they would like to engage with their employer during their time out. They may decide they don’t want to have any contact during this time, which is entirely their choice. However, the

Glass ceiling: what can be done to improve representation?Charlotte Sweeney discusses some strategic approaches that tackle gender representation and support women into positions of power.

and focus from the very top. This will start to fix the leaky pipeline so the trickle of female talent into the senior levels changes into a constant flow. Tactical actions are important. However, a strategic approach to the issue has to be the first logical step that sustains change.

The actions that follow are not new concepts. However, how they are perceived and delivered is key.

flexible workingFlexible working has been hailed as a key retention tool for a number of years and is in the forefront of minds again this year, thanks to the olympics. Employers and employees have clear views about what flexible working is and what it isn’t, although their opinions may be very different. Is the definition too narrow in many places? Flexible working is much more than job share, reduced hours and working from home. It is, and should be, a culture shift that focuses on trusting employees to get their work done, to meet their deadlines and deliver their clients’ requirements in a way that suits them and their lifestyle. Many flexible working policies and practices are so ‘inflexible’, and that is where the problem can lie. Building a culture of trust will go a long way to improving the levels of flexibility and helping employers identify what flexibility means for them, their workforce and their culture.

family friendlyRegardless of advancements in the workplace, women continue to take the lion’s share of responsibility for the home and family. Many employers support the ‘family friendly’ agenda, offering childcare vouchers and additional childcare facilities. But how many actually support caring

Charlotte Sweeney is Head of Diversity and Inclusion, EMEA, Nomura International

Why does female representation continue to look starker the further up the organisational ladder one climbs?

For over a decade, diversity and inclusion have been on the management agenda for both the private and public sectors

and, in the majority of companies, gender has been the key focus within that wider remit. Gender diversity is regularly in the press; recent interest has focused on the progress of the Lord Davies review and the pressure coming from the EU to implement quotas for women on boards.

Given this level of profile and interest, why does female representation continue to look starker the further up the organisational ladder one climbs? What are the key factors that do make a difference, breaking the glass ceiling and improving the gender diversity of senior teams?

The simple answer is that there isn’t one silver bullet to solve this issue. What will make a difference, however, is a number of key changes to policies and cultures, and a continuous commitment


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key point is that women should be given the choice rather than employers making assumptions about what they want. Support should also be available when it is time to come back to work and should cover aspects such as how to re-engage with the employer when planning to return. Some organisations offer coaching and support before, during and after maternity leave for both the employee and her line manager. This has had a positive impact on return rates from maternity leave and longer-term retention rates.

Support from the topPolicies can adapt and training programmes can be delivered to support advancement. However, sustainable change will not be realised

Flexible working is a culture shift that focuses on trusting employees to get their work done, to meet their deadlines and deliver their clients’ requirements in a way that suits them and their lifestyle

Change will progress quicker if senior leaders challenge their leadership teams on what they deliver and hold them totally accountable

by any employer unless there is commitment to change at the very top of the organisation. The board, the chief executive and their direct reports must have a clear vision of how they want the company to look and feel in future, coupled with an unwavering view that increasing the diversity of leadership teams throughout the company has to be the right thing to do for all aspects of business.

Many employers have the written and verbal commitment from the top. However, actions speak louder than words. Change will progress more quickly if senior leaders challenge their leadership teams on what they deliver and hold them totally accountable. The agenda progresses further and quicker when senior leaders regularly ask their direct reports one or two pressing questions in relation to anything

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they are delivering in the business or anything relating to their people. Constant and focused questions ought to be asked, such as: ‘What are the barriers and biases within our processes that hinder progression?’,

‘What impact does that change have from a gender perspective?’ or

‘What is it we are individually and collectively doing that hinders change?’

People generally focus on what is important to their boss. If they know they will be asked about their actions and will be measured against their progress, change will happen.

Helping more women to break through the glass ceiling at whatever level and improving representation are not about women-only training programmes to understand and learn how to ‘play the game’. These do play a part; however, a ‘fixing the women’ mentality will not deliver a sustainable and authentic change. A focus on culture change, and breaking down barriers and bias to create an inclusive culture, will not only support and enable the progression of more women into the senior positions but will encourage an environment where all employees can progress to the best of their ability.

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Achieving a gender balance in ParliamentLynne Featherstone MP discusses the lack of women MPs and steps political parties can take towards a gender balance.

Our Parliament has come a long way in recent years. Watching the ‘Iron Lady’ about Margaret Thatcher’s

political career was a sharp reminder of how recently this establishment was almost entirely made up of men.

Significant progress towards gender balance has been made since then but we are still nowhere near reflecting the percentage of women in the country: women make up 51 per cent of the population but make up only 22 per cent of MPs, 31 per cent of councillors in England and 32 per cent of public appointments.

It is in everyone’s interests to have a parliament that is made up of the best people for the job. We do not just elect individuals, we elect people to be members of a team (their party, government or opposition, parliament overall) – and, just as in sport, good teams have to have the right mix to be more than simply the sum of their parts. Effective teams need variety and diversity. our public and political life also benefit when we include people who reflect the communities they serve and who bring the benefits of a diverse set of experiences.

So how do we address the lack of women MPs? A debate was held recently in the House of Commons on representation within Parliament. The debate highlighted the recommendations that came out of the Speaker’s Conference on Parliamentary Representation two years ago, some of which have already been introduced. For example, the Equality Act introduced specific obligations for political parties on widening access and monitoring the diversity of their candidates, and allows them to balance shortlists with people from under-represented groups. It is now legal until 2030 to employ all women shortlists if a political party wishes to. The access to elected office strategy will also provide funding and support for disabled men and women who want to stand as candidates for national or local elections.

What was clear from the debate was that there are committed representatives across the political divide who are working hard to improve the situation. It is also clear that each political party needs to

Lynne Featherstone MP is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Equalities

Women make up 51 per cent of the population but make up only 22 per cent of MPs, 31 per cent of councillors in England and 32 per cent of public appointments The Equality Act introduced

specific obligations for political parties on widening access and monitoring the diversity of their candidates, and allows them to balance shortlists with people from under-represented groups


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take responsibility to establish a way forwards on these issues to identify the potential barriers and issues which exist within each organisation.

The Liberal Democrats worked hard to get many great women into potentially winnable seats in the last general election, though I am sad to say we didn’t win many of them. As a sitting MP myself, I know how much support candidates need to help them get elected. In order to ensure that our women candidates in the next election have the maximum chance of winning, the party has established a candidate leadership programme, an initiative to support a small number of talented women and people from under-represented groups to stand in the most competitive seats within the party. We also have on-going mentoring schemes, training, and networking opportunities available for any women at all levels

of the party who want to get more involved.

It is also important to consider the impact of the culture of Parliament itself. Elected representatives have a responsibility to improve the public perception of politicians; we need to move away from ‘Punch and Judy’ style

politics that can put a lot of people off and demonstrate a more consensual style of working. Since we have been in government, we have seen some moves towards creating a more modern, family-friendly workplace, such as the introduction of a crèche to provide childcare. However, we should also look towards best practice in business and the public sector to find other effective strategies, such as clearer career progression, flexible working arrangements, and using positive action to encourage the widest range of qualified applicants. These measures have been proved to be effective at attracting and retaining ambitious women in business. We need to see this kind of cultural shift happen in politics as well in order to ensure that we have sustainable solutions to increasing the number of women in Parliament.

In one school in Burnley, only 12 out of 360 children surveyed knew an adult in work.

Elected representatives have a responsibility to improve the public perception of politicians; we need to move away from ‘Punch and Judy’ style politics that can put a lot of people off and demonstrate a more consensual style of working

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I got particularly interested in the most effective educational approaches and curricula for teaching disadvantaged children. So I set off to find education work in my area of interest, bumped into ARk and never looked back. I’ve been at ARk for just over seven years, since 2005. We opened our first school in 2006.

Could you tell us about Ark Schools’ performance in supporting teenagers’ educational attainment? We’re exceedingly proud of our record so far. In the five schools for which we have GCSE results, teenagers are making fantastic progress. We’ve measured the numbers of young people arriving with different levels

Amanda Spielman discusses ARK Schools’ role in helping teenagers with the greatest barriers to educational attainment and problems that disproportionately affect girls in education with Helen Crowther.

Amanda Spielman

is Research and

Development Director

at ARk Schools

Could you tell us a bit about your background and how you got into the education sector?I got into education just over 10 years ago. I was originally in finance, having done a law degree and qualified as an accountant. I spent the best part of 15 years working in finance and strategy consulting. And I had the lovely experience of maternity leave, which gave me a chance to reflect on my career choice. I realised that I was no longer interested in what I was doing and that ever since I was a child I’d read everything I could come across about education. So it was a light-bulb moment – why am I not working in education? I took advantage of this insight to do a Masters in Comparative Education, which I finished 10 years ago.


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of achievement, based on national curriculum levels, who go on to reach grade C or better at GCSE. We’ve also looked at the proportion of teenagers who make more than the expected level of progress set by the government. on both of these measures, the teenagers in our schools make far more progress than the national averages in any kind of school. So we know that we’ve got a model that’s really effective.

What are gaps in attainment like within your schools? Are there gaps between boys and girls?In comparing boys against girls, teenagers who are entitled to free school meals against those who aren’t, and those with English as an additional language against native English speakers, we’ve found the gaps in our schools are very small. We’re eliminating gaps across the board.

in what ways are you effective in supporting attainment?We have a lot of mechanisms to make sure that we have really good teaching, strong programmes and strong curricula in the schools. We make sure that teachers share good practice; this helps to reinforce to new teachers the way the school approaches things. This creates consistency and intellectual clarity, which is evident in the positive published results for our schools.

At most of our schools with GCSE results, only around 20–21 per cent were achieving five A*s to Cs, including maths and English, when we started working on the projects. The sense of pride that develops as a result of the achievement once they join ARk Schools is wonderful. At St Alban’s Academy in Birmingham, where the GCSE pass rate has increased from 31

to 67 per cent in two years, we have seen how the same principal and largely the same teachers can completely turn around performance, with ARk Schools’ support.

What gender barriers do you think girls face related to educational attainment? Britain actually has a very small gap between girls and boys in educational outcomes compared to foreign countries. I don’t see it as the great problem of British education. There are other countries in which female participation is a gigantic problem and a huge impediment to their lives. Under-achievement by teenagers who come in with low prior attainment generally is a much bigger problem and, in my view, the single biggest problem we have. There are, though, two problematic areas disproportionately affecting girls in education. one is a lack of aspiration. Girls are less willing to take themselves into unknown areas and aren’t encouraged as much to do so. And the other problem is a tendency for girls to close off their options too early. They can choose GCSEs at age 14 that limit

opportunities for study post-16. Instead, girls should take themselves as far as they can on their educational journey before making choices that start to set the shape of their eventual career.

We all do have to make those choices eventually but this shouldn’t happen too early. Most schools at key Stage 4 have a very wide set of options. Some of those options keep future choices wide open and some are essentially limiting. With some choices, the only place to go is a further course in that subject, which means that teenagers can find that they have unwittingly narrowed down their options.

So what impact does this have on girls’ position later on in the labour market?Well clearly this has an enormous impact. We need to make sure that people don’t rule themselves out of certain options and make the path of life harder than it needs to be. Many people later on in life realise they want to go to university or want to take a different career path, so they take evening classes or study part time. This makes life harder. Also, depending on your family circumstances, for example if you’ve had children young, it may not be possible to take on study later in life. In our schools we want to make it as easy as possible for teenagers to make the most of their wonderful capacities and talents. We don’t want to make choices for them, but to help them make choices so they can make the most of themselves.

We make sure that teachers share good practice; this helps to reinforce to new teachers the way the school approaches things. This creates consistency and intellectual clarity, which is evident in the positive published results for our schools

Girls are less willing to take themselves into unknown areas and aren’t encouraged as much to do so. [There is also] a tendency for girls to close off their options too early

About Ark SchoolsARk Schools is a Uk education charity and one of the leading academy operators. It runs academies in London, Birmingham and Portsmouth. It is part of the international children’s charity ARk. ARk runs a range of health, welfare and education projects in the Uk, Southern Africa, India and Eastern Europe.

In relation to its academies, ARk Schools operates in the following areas: � Extended Schools: supporting ARk academies in providing extended

education and enrichment opportunities for pupils � Mathematics Mastery: ARk Schools’ innovative mathematics programme

based on international best practice � Future Leaders: training potential principals to prepare them for senior

leadership roles in challenging urban schools � Teaching Leaders: leadership programme targeted at the best middle leaders

within complex urban schools.


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How does Ark Schools help young people to make appropriate course choices?you can’t really expect a 13 or 14 year old presented with a gigantic list to know that there are real differences in how useful these courses will be to them in their educational journey and in later life. So we need to make sure that teenagers are subtly steered towards the most demanding programme that they are sensibly capable of undertaking. you don’t want people who are perfectly capable of doing a full academic course sorting themselves into a largely vocational programme at 14. Schools need to advise teenagers to take paths that are genuinely good for their futures. This isn’t about career guidance, as such, at that age. It’s about making sure that teenagers carry on with what they are good at.

What is your mathematics mastery programme?It’s a very exciting programme which builds a strong base for further study. It’s based on the Singapore mathematics programme. It’s very heavily based on research, and has been developed very carefully over a long period. More time is spent on fewer topics than are currently covered in the national curriculum. Throughout their time in primary school, children get longer to consolidate the really important concepts and applications that become the base for everything they do through secondary school and beyond. Pupils are introduced to concepts through pictorial representation before we introduce the abstract way of applying it. And lastly we make sure pupils can strongly apply all mathematical operations that we work through, consistently and reliably. This means understanding not only how to do something but why it works.

How does Ark Schools fit in with the overall aims of Ark?ARk’s mission is to radically improve the life chances of disadvantaged

young people. Four of the five ARk academies that have GCSE pupils now are in the two per cent of schools that have the lowest attainment at entry in the country. So we are very specifically looking to take on the schools whose teenagers have the greatest barriers to educational attainment. We’ve got to make sure that children who come into school with a clear likelihood of educational under-achievement get a programme and teaching which give them the best possible chance.

We need to make sure that people don’t rule themselves out of certain options and make the path of life harder than it needs to be

We need to make sure that teenagers are subtly steered towards the most demanding programme that they are sensibly capable of undertaking. You don’t want people who are perfectly capable of doing a full academic course sorting themselves into a largely vocational programme at 14


OPPOSItION APPROACH

Women’s employment, now at a 23-year high, has been hit hard by the government’s austerity

programme. Job losses in the public sector have a disproportionate effect: 40 per cent of women in employment work in the public sector compared with 15 per cent of men. Increases in the number of private-sector jobs have failed remotely to keep pace with public-sector losses; and the much wider gender pay gap in the private sector (20.8 per cent compared with 11.6 per cent in the public sector), and poorer pensions and employment conditions, bode ill for long-term gender equality.

The Chancellor’s efforts to boost employment rates through £6 billion of investment in infrastructure projects are also likely to miss out women: the sectors in which the investment is concentrated are not traditional sources of women’s jobs. The opportunity has been ignored to invest in what the

Women’s Budget Group describe as our ‘social infrastructure’ – education, care and health – where many more women are employed.

Nor is it clear that the youth Contract – already criticised for being too little and too late – will be effective at improving girls’ prospects. While the raised tax threshold lifts low-paid women out of tax, overall more men than women benefit from this measure. It is women who are predominantly affected by cuts in and freezes to tax credits, including the cut in support for childcare costs from 80 to 70 per cent. Aviva has calculated that the increased cost of working has already forced 32,000 women out of work.

How could Labour take a different approach in a context where the weakening of the economy under George osborne has massively constrained spending choices? Here are four urgent steps that would both help the economy return to growth and set us on the path towards an equal recovery:

� Redirect infrastructure investment to the social sector, including new schools and better transport infrastructure, to boost women and girls’ job opportunities, and protect the services they rely on to work.

� Tax bankers’ bonuses and invest the

proceeds in youth jobs, ensuring girls have access to the good quality employment and apprenticeships that improve their earnings prospects.

� Temporarily reverse the vAT rise, to help women hit by cuts in tax credits to balance family budgets.

� Support measures to promote women-owned businesses and self-employed women, including a one year national insurance tax break for entrepreneurs who take on extra staff and improved access to training and start-up finance.

Short-term measures like these will keep women in the workplace and point forwards towards greater gender quality at work, but the challenge for long-term gender equality requires new and bolder thinking. We need both a tax and tax credit system that provide equal incentives for men and women to work. We must tackle occupational segregation, address the part-time pay gap, strengthen equal progression and rights at work, and invest in high-quality, flexible childcare and social care because these are prerequisites for an equal recovery. And these are the policies Labour will focus on to improve prosperity for all women at work.

An alternative approach to women’s employment from the oppositionKate Green MP tells how the Labour Party would take a different approach to women’s employment under constrained spending choices.

Kate Green MP is Shadow Spokesperson for Women and Equality

Job losses in the public sector have a disproportionate effect: 40 per cent of women in employment work in the public sector compared with 15 per cent of men

The opportunity has been ignored to invest in what the Women’s Budget Group describe as our ‘social infrastructure’ – education, care and health – where many more women are employed


As an Inclusion supporter you will get full use of our innovative resources, and valuable savings on our essential events. You will always have your finger on the pulse of welfare to work.

Inclusion exists to promote social inclusion in the labour market. We are a not for profit company. All our surpluses are reinvested in services to support the welfare to work sector. With your support, we can achieve our mission.

If you need:

� to stay current with the latest news in welfare to work

� answers to your benefits, Work Programme and Work Choice queries at your fingertips

� to attend employment and skills events, and meet others in the sector

� to know what works

then become an Inclusion supporter today.

Email Begonia Fernandez at [email protected].

Inclusion supporters are entitled to: � An uncapped 10% discount on Inclusion events, for

you and any colleagues at the same organisation and postcode, all year round. These are timely, highly relevant and of immediate use to our delegates, including plenty of opportunity to network. This discount is available on our flagship Welfare to Work Convention. Book on the Welfare to Work Convention 2012 as an Inclusion supporter and save up to £50 on each booking.*

* Full price, private sector booking for both days

� A year’s licence to use our online Welfare to Work Intelligence handbook for your staff, giving you an easy-to-access reference guide to the benefit entitlements, financial support (in and out of work) and welfare to work programmes available to those moving towards work.

� A subscription to this quarterly magazine by PDF. Working Brief is the pre-eminent periodical of the welfare to work sector. It concentrates on future policy, attracting key thought leaders to share their vision, and encourages debate and analysis.

� Weekly e-briefings and Labour Market Live, a welfare to work news round-up, with monthly analysis of the labour market statistics on the day they’re released.

Inclusion supporter price listSubscriptions are based on annual turnover

Providers (prime or sub-contractors delivering central government programmes and/or EU funded)

offer price Saving

up to £1 million £250.00 £225.00 £25.00

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We can tailor your supporter package to your organisation’s needs. Call Jade onofrio on 020 7840 8332 to discuss any particular support requirements you may have for your staff team. We’ll build a package for you!

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is there a role for positive action in addressing gender representation?

Jonathan rees, Director General, Government Equalities Office Equal treatment and equal opportunity are central to this

government’s approach, and to our economic future. Much progress has been made in the past 40 years. But there is still much to do. Women are still under-represented on the boards of our major companies: comprising less than one in 10 executive directors. The gender pay gap, at 10 per cent, is still too high; and if women started businesses at the same rate as men, there would be an additional 150,000 start-ups each year in the Uk.

So while the government does not support positive discrimination – which is illegal in the Uk – or quotas, we do think, like most of our best companies, such as BT and Lloyds TSB, that positive action can make a difference. It’s why we have introduced voluntary gender equality reporting, which encourages companies and voluntary sector organisations to think, act and report on gender equality. It’s why we are recruiting 15,000 new mentors to encourage women entrepreneurs and setting up a new Women’s Business Council. And it’s why we have enacted the 2010 Equality Act, which strengthens the options for positive action to help promote equal treatment.

Any use of positive action is entirely voluntary. High profile companies, such as Tesco, Eversheds, and Ernst and young are showing how positive action can make a real difference. The business benefits are clear: a more diverse workforce harnesses a wider range of skills and better reflects customers’ needs. The government wants more businesses to follow suit. Change will only be lasting when businesses themselves fully realise the benefits of equality.

Dame Anne Begg, MP I have always depended on my employers being willing to make adjustments, at

some cost, to allow me to work from a wheelchair; be it building ramps, adjusting a toilet or rearranging the shelves in the departmental book cupboard so I could reach. All have been acts of ‘positive discrimination’ and without them, I couldn’t have taken the job.

yet when it comes to getting more women into positions of power there is enormous resistance to using positive discrimination. The cry is that they want the ‘best person for the job’. But how can you achieve this if the best person hasn’t even applied for the job, or didn’t

THE BUrning iSSUE

Women are still under-represented on the boards of our major companies: comprising less than one in 10 executive directors


THE BUrning iSSUE

make it as far as the interview? It is the positive action of all-women shortlists which has increased the number of female Labour MPs in the Commons. There is a strange belief that women won’t want to be treated differently, and will feel diminished if they don’t compete on a ‘level playing field’. But that is usually what positive discrimination does: provide the equal chances. Equality is not achieved by treating everyone the same, but by smoothing out the inequalities inherent in a workplace or a political system designed around how men traditionally lived their lives.

Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy, the British Chambers of Commerce As I travel around

the Uk, companies repeat the same mantra everywhere: they want the best candidate for the job, regardless of gender, ethnic background, or age. Most of the businesspeople I come into contact with have a healthy and well-justified fear of any mechanisms that distort the labour market, no matter how positive their intentions. They are also concerned about ‘grey areas’ developing in the law, leading to an increase in Employment Tribunal cases and new disincentives to hiring. That’s how most companies responded to ministers’ proposals for positive action, for example.

yet at the same time, businesspeople all say that they want to see greater gender balance, both in boardrooms and among company executives. Firms which sell directly to the public have a particular desire to make sure their sales force broadly represents the local areas where they are selling; people prefer to buy from people who are like them, be it the same race, age

or gender. These employers do not consider themselves to be involved in ‘positive discrimination’, they are merely picking the best person for that job, in that area, at that time.

However, the sharing of best practice and new ways to celebrate those companies that have made a difference in female labour market participation would be welcome. But any move to legislate or regulate for positive discrimination would undermine the Uk’s flexible labour market, and send precisely the wrong signal to business at the time when we want companies to be hiring, not spending money on lawyers and HR consultants.

Kay Carberry, Assistant General Secretary, Trades Union CongressThe recent focus on women in the boardroom and

positions of power is very welcome but it risks diverting attention from the needs of women at the other end of the labour market. Trade unions support initiatives to help women rise through the ranks but equally let’s not forget that most low-paid employees are women. The median hourly wage for a woman working part time in the private sector is £6.96 and women workers are still concentrated in a narrow range of occupations, for instance 74 per cent of cleaners are women.

We need to take positive action to develop women’s skills in order to help them into better paid jobs with more prospects when the economy recovers. Union learning reps in workplaces have helped countless women back to learning but the government and employers still need to do more. We’d like a boost to Sector Skills Councils funding for ‘women and work’ projects, and wider access to non-traditional apprenticeships. only three per cent of

engineering apprentices are women. To turn this around, girls and women need better careers advice and government could look at using procurement policy to require suppliers to recruit a more balanced intake of apprentices.

Carolyn McCall oBe, Chief Executive, easyJet Despite the progress in improving the gender gap over the past 20 years,

women are still under-represented in senior leadership and decision-making roles. Progress is not what it should be for a number of different reasons, and this is true even in the largest firm. The Davies report has been very important in this area, as it recognises that positive discrimination and quotas are not the answer, and has highlighted how chairmen and CEos have a critical role to play if we are to accelerate progress. Companies themselves can do far more than government as this is not about legislation; it is about culture and attitude. If companies want to retain female talent, they have to work hard to do so by being more agile in their outlook and approach.

At easyJet, despite being in what is seen as a traditionally male industry, we are working to develop our female talent and have a more balanced executive committee and board.of course, women can do a lot for themselves: they have to be confident about their abilities and they have to want these senior positions.

Women can do a lot for themselves: they have to be confident about their abilities and they have to want these senior positions

Equality is not achieved by treating everyone the same, but by smoothing out the inequalities inherent in a workplace


THE BUrning iSSUE

Liz Cross, Founder and Managing Director, the ConnectivesIn the ‘war for talent’ it would appear

some organisations are operating as conscientious objectors! At a time when people differentiate the best performing businesses from the rest, we all need to consider whether we are enabling talent to find us and whether we are actively searching it out.

In our work in the Uk, and in other parts of the world, we see some organisations and people overlooking many ‘non-traditional’ groups of workers, and women still, in a number of roles and industries, feature in this category.

So our take on the moral as well as the business case is that:

� All talent should fulfil its potential – we should tackle inequity or discrimination of all kinds.

� Working with women delivers high returns. The social and economic impact is felt across the family and community. Women tend to stay in the local community, spend in the local economy and spend more on their children – delivering a ripple effect. At the same time, they model for others the value of having economic independence.

� Innovation and market growth need diverse perspectives to challenge what is seen to be mainstream, and for new products and services to find new demand.

� Women account for a high percentage of the power or influence in terms of purchasing decisions.

� Research and evidence from the ‘field’ shows strong and sustainable performance requires leadership styles that flex to get the best out of all resources; diverse leadership teams will deliver better results.

our view then is leave nothing to chance: take positive action, seek talent from everywhere – and enjoy the results.

Breege Burke, Chief Executive, Working LinksHalf of our FTSE 250 businesses have no women on the board, and we all recognise

that this needs to change. But this is not about numbers and percentages. Most of these companies serve a customer base that is at least half female, and a workforce that is diverse, so a balance of gender in the boardroom makes good business sense. Talented leadership is a scarce resource, and good businesses need to expand their pool of candidates to create the best leadership and the best board.

But let’s not patronise talented women with positive discrimination; rather, we should recognise the skills of the individual and give them encouragement and support to grow their careers. At Working Links we are focused on getting the best person for the job and that means widening the talent pool for every recruit, and encouraging and nurturing self belief in our people regardless of gender. What matters most to me is that I am surrounded by people who are talented, enthusiastic and committed to the organisation. The results speak for themselves.

This is the way to achieve true equality in the workplace. Companies can achieve more gender-balance in the top jobs by starting with recruitment, and laying out a clear pathway for talented staff, male and female, to rise to the top.

emma Stewart, Co-founder and Director, Women Like UsThe role of positive discrimination is part of the ongoing

debate on how to tackle gender inequality in the workplace but it is not the key issue.

At Women Like Us we speak to thousands of businesses for whom the ability to attract and retain good female talent is key to business performance. But many struggle to find a good pipeline of women for senior and executive roles.

yet we also talk to thousands of women every year with a high level of skills and experience who struggle to find jobs that match their ability.

The issue is that the representation of women in the labour market, and their earning potential, is most affected when they have children. The gender pay gap is largely a ‘motherhood pay gap’. Women with children are forced to downgrade their skills and experience in return for flexibility. As a consequence the part-time female employee working below potential in one of the 3C occupations is still alive and unhappy.

Specific interventions to overcome this are vital, but this is not about quotas. Employers must make commercial decisions, and will always want to choose the right candidate for the job, based on ability. Increasing employers’ access to a more diverse talent pool will come through designing jobs with flexible or part-time hours, from entry level to board room, and widening recruitment networks.

Employers who do this reap the benefits. They are taking positive action but this is definitely not positive discrimination.

Our view then is leave nothing to chance: take positive action, seek talent from everywhere – and enjoy the results


WOMeN IN WeLFARe tO WORK

Women, employment and welfare to workJanette Faherty discusses the roles of mentoring and providing networking opportunities in supporting and retaining women, and breaking the ‘glass ceiling’ in welfare to work.

And what of the employability sector, in which many companies are founded on principles of valuing and promoting diversity? Approximately 20,000 people work directly in employability programmes, of which 77 per cent are in customer facing roles such as advisers (51 per cent), tutors (15 per cent) and job brokers (11 per cent). Previous research shows that 64 per cent of those are women. Ten per cent of all roles are described as ‘management’ and therefore we should expect to see some 1,280 women managers in non-specialist roles within the sector. We know relatively little, however, about the position of women in various roles, and even less about how these break down in terms of disability and ethnicity.

We can, of course, see the very high profile women within the sector and sadly you don’t have to be Einstein to note that there are far fewer of them than an extrapolation from the 64 per cent of women in customer-facing roles would imply. only 20 per cent of chief executive or managing director roles within prime contractors are carried out by women. In the three largest Work Programme primes, there are no female chief executives or managing directors.

In response to this, an informal group under the title ‘Women in Welfare to Work’ came together in 2011 and so far has held two networking events, which have attracted women from across the sector and in roles ranging from business development to director and from large, small, private and voluntary-sector organisations. Those attending and those expressing interest, some 85 women, were asked whether they felt there was value in continuing to meet and what they wanted the group to be.

From this, the main view was for continuing as an informal group: providing networking opportunities,

mentoring other women and new talent, raising the profile of the sector and the opportunities for progression, coupled with an element of fundraising (the group has already raised funds for Centrepoint).

The group’s next event will be a dinner at the House of Lords on the invitation of one of the high-profile women in the sector, Baroness Debbie Stedman Scott of Tomorrow’s People, followed later in the year by a conference. Women in Welfare to Work links well with the wider professionalisation agenda, which seeks not only to raise standards and qualifications but also to raise the profile of the industry as a career destination of choice. The employment-related services qualifications at level 3 are already in place and with Babington Business College and the ‘Future Leaders’ programme, level 4 qualifications are now being developed. As part of this, a number of women from Women in Welfare to Work have pledged to mentor women undertaking one of the employment-related services qualifications and into positions of leadership. More details on this and on Women in Welfare to Work will be uploaded to the new Institute of Employability website shortly: www.iemployability.org.

Women’s groups exist and have existed for many years in sectors such

Janette Faherty oBE is Director of Avanta

A number of women from Women In Welfare to Work have pledged to mentor women undertaking one of the employment-related services qualifications and into positions of leadership

In 1969, the late Dr Eleanor Macdonald, who was the first woman director of a Uk public limited company, founded Women

in Management to provide both networking and career development opportunities for women. Her anticipation was that this would encourage more women to follow her onto boards and to play a larger role within organisations. She sincerely hoped that the need for such an organisation would ‘wither away’ as more women entered the workforce, were better educated and would – by sheer force of numbers – succeed to the top.

If only that were the case. In the Uk, only 35 per cent of managers and senior officials are women. only two of the FTSE top 250 companies have a woman chief executive. The pay differential between men and women managers is 17 per cent, but for directors is 22 per cent. Even in education, where women vastly outnumber men in the profession, the number of women college principals and headteachers is woefully small.


WOMeN IN WeLFARe tO WORK

consistent over many years and across many sectors, and reveals that while overt and covert discrimination undoubtedly exist in some areas, women often choose not to compete at higher levels for reasons of confidence, a lack of role models and preferring a more co-operative environment to the male, competitive boardroom. Whether this applies to employability has not yet been researched.

There is sufficient evidence, however, from other sectors that having boards and senior management teams which are non-diverse is self perpetuating in maintaining gender bias and also discourages women from applying for promotion. The ‘men’s room’ is not yet dead.

Looking back at my own career, it was the advice and encouragement

given to me by Julia Cleverdon (Industrial Society and BIC) as part of a women’s development programme that encouraged me to develop my own company when there were even fewer top women in the sector. It was Eleanor Macdonald and Women in Management members who gave me a reference point for my own abilities. There are some fantastic role models within welfare to work: Breege Burke, Jackie Fisher, Fran Parry, Helen Richardson and kirsty McHugh, to name a few.

In the challenging times in which welfare to work finds itself, what is known is that we need to attract, retain, encourage and develop talented people if we are to succeed in getting people into sustainable employment. With the economic situation as it is, there has never been a more difficult time and working in such pressure means that, as an industry, staff turnover is high. offering the opportunity to network and be mentored is one way of providing support and encouraging retention and promotion prospects.

More information about Women in Welfare to Work is available from the institute of Employability website and from fran Parry, at [email protected].

as banking, media and medicine, where women were not achieving leadership positions commensurate with their numbers in the industry. Some larger companies have specific programmes to encourage the development of women. However, women’s groups within any sector are never without criticism and Women in Welfare to Work has had its share of unhelpful remarks. Women’s groups, including Women in Welfare to Work, are not about exclusivity, strident feminism, quotas or positive discrimination but about mutual support, and promoting both equality and fairness.

The research on why women do not break through the glass ceilings in organisations has proved fairly

Only 20 per cent of chief executive or managing director roles within prime contractors are carried out by women. In the three largest Work Programme primes there are no female chief executives or managing directors

There is sufficient evidence, however, from other sectors that having boards and senior management teams which are non-diverse is self perpetuating in maintaining gender bias and also discourages women from applying for promotion

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UNIVeRSAL CReDIt AND eqUALIty

impact of Universal Credit on womenthe introduction of Universal Credit risks emphasising inequalities between men and women, says Helen Crowther. Here she makes recommendations to tackle the benefit’s key barriers to equality.

the rollout of Universal Credit from 2013 will be the biggest welfare reform since the inception of the welfare state

in 1948. By creating a single household benefit for those on low incomes, the government will attempt to simplify benefit payments, to reduce bureaucracy, and motivate those within a household to aspire to work.

But there are risks that Universal Credit could reinforce or exacerbate inequalities between men and women, and reinforce female dependence.

This article sets out three key obstacles that need to be overcome in order to avoid the policy furthering inequalities:

� the low incentive to work for second earners in a household, who are more likely to be women

� the low incentive for lone parents to progress in work

� the risk that ‘household’ payments disadvantage women in couple households.

improving the incentive to work for second earnersWomen tend to have a weaker link to the labour market than men, and in couple households women are less likely to be the main earner. This is partly because women still undertake the majority of care work – up to three-quarters of the family’s childcare in a

working week.1 This can make it harder for women to work full time, and make it more likely for them to work part time (with 5.1 million women, compared to 1.4 million men, working part time).2 More broadly, working women also tend to earn less than working men – on average 20 per cent less.3

For these reasons, it is important that there are clear returns from work for second earners and clear incentives to increase earnings. This is particularly important for couple households on low incomes: households where only one partner works full time account for 12 per cent of households in poverty, compared to seven per cent where both work full time.4

But under Universal Credit up to 330,000 second earners will see a weakening of work incentives.5 After the threshold of the earnings disregard has been passed, the proportions of earnings kept will be greater for first earners. This could mean that, in many cases, first earners can keep over

1 Cabinet Office (2006), Equalities Review: interim report for consultation

2 Office for National Statistics (2010)

3 Office for National Statistics (2011)

4 Department for Work and Pensions (2011), Households Below Average Income: an analysis of income distribution 1994/5–2009/10, Department for Work and Pensions

5 Centre for economic & Social Inclusion (2011), Universal Credit: Inclusion briefing

Helen Crowther is Policy and Communications Intern at Inclusion



40 per cent of their income whereas second earners keep between 24 per cent and 35 per cent.6 While more income into a household would be welcomed, the possible rewards are lessened for second earners. Rationally, a second earner would need to consider a number of factors before they might commit to work.

Under the previous system, work incentives for second earners were greater and there was also more leeway before changes in earnings had to be reported: only changes above £25,000 had to be notified within the tax year. This fell to £10,000 in 2011, will fall to

6 S. Himmelweit (2011), Notes on Issues Concerning Second Earners, Women’s Budget group

£5,000 by 20137 and will disappear completely under Universal Credit, as real-time information will be used.

Another disincentive for second earners is the high cost of childcare. Childcare costs for a child under two are £100 per week on average (and can rise to £300 in London),8 which, in many cases, would wipe out what is left after Universal Credit has been withdrawn. The government has committed to spending an additional £300 million on childcare support under Universal Credit. This is welcome but a large driver of recent increases in childcare costs for low-income parents has been the reduction in support since the spending review, with costs of childcare increasing by 50 per cent.9

How could this situation be improved? one option would be to

7 HM Revenue & Customs, Overview: the income disregard, manual CCM1135

8 Daycare trust (2012), Childcare costs survey 2012

9 A. Stratton (2011), ‘Childcare Credit Reform will Penalise some Women’, The Guardian, 13 November 2011

introduce an additional disregard for the second earner entering work (if necessary, offsetting this by marginally reducing disregards elsewhere). We know that second earners are more likely to respond to financial incentives, and that second earners tend to be women10 – so not only could improving incentives be an effective way of getting more women into work (and lifting more families out of poverty) but it would increase the proportion of women with independent income.

10 I. Veitch (2010), A Gender Perspective on 21st Century Welfare Reform, Oxfam

It is important that there are clear returns from work for second earners and clear incentives to increase earnings

Not only could improving incentives be an effective way of getting more women into work (and lifting more families out of poverty) but it would increase the proportion of women with independent income

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Alongside this, there are strong arguments for investing more in childcare. As the Institute for Public Policy Research has found, universal childcare could pay for itself through additional tax revenue from mothers’ wages.11

improve the incentive for lone parents to progress in workLone parents make up 10 per cent of all households, and 92 per cent of lone parents are women. Children in lone-parent households are more likely to be poor than those in couple households and their parents are much less likely to be in work: 44 per cent of lone parents are out of work.12 Universal Credit needs to ensure there are strong financial incentives (and support) for lone parents to start work and progress.

Under Universal Credit, lone parents will have much stronger incentives to work part time. A lone parent with two children earning the national minimum wage will be better off under Universal Credit compared with the current system if they work anything up to 23 hours, largely because Universal Credit abolishes the old ‘hours rules’, which meant that parents working shorter hours could not claim tax credits. This is a positive development as it will enable lone parents to balance work and care responsibilities better.

However, this improvement in incentives at shorter hours will be offset

11 D. Ben-galim (2011), Making the Case for Universal Childcare, Institute for Public Policy Research

12 ONS (2010), Work and Worklessness among Households, ONS Statistical Bulletin, September 2010, table 4

by relatively weaker financial returns from working more than 23 hours under Universal Credit. This could undermine incentives to progress once in work which exist under the current system. Analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies suggests that lone parents working for 30 hours will lose 76.2 per cent of income in taxes, compared to 73 per cent under the current system.13 Factoring in the high cost of childcare, another analysis suggests that single parents on the minimum wage could lose 94p out of every pound they earn over 24 hours a week.14

Ensure that ‘household’ payments are fairUnder current proposals, Universal Credit will be paid to one member in a couple household. The government argues that as the household decides which person is paid, ‘both partners play an equal part in the claim’.15 In practice though, the male partner tends to be the main claimant of means-tested benefits.16

Research has shown that in low-income households particularly, where men are main earners or main claimants, they tend to keep most income as personal spending money

13 M. Brewer, J. Browne and W. Jin (2011), Universal Credit: a preliminary analysis, Institute for Fiscal Studies

14 D. Hirsch (2011), Childcare Support and the Hours Trap: Universal Credit, Resolution Foundation

15 Department for Work and Pensions (2011), Impact Assessment: conditionality measure in the 2011 Welfare Reform Bill

16 Department for Work and Pensions (2010), Equality Impact Assessment for ‘Universal Credit: Welfare that Works’ (Cm 7957)

and give their partner a proportion for daily spending for the family’s basic needs. This means that women suffer disproportionately when a household’s finances are under pressure, as they spend less on their own needs. This is often detrimental to a woman’s physical and mental health.17

The simplest solution, and one proposed by the Women’s Budget Group, would be to split Universal Credit in half within a household.18 This will increase equal access to income between couples, and provide for more shared financial decisions. This split is essential. Currently one in four women have no access to personal spending money in households where men earn or draw benefits.19

ConclusionUniversal Credit is to be welcomed for its simplicity and transparency. In creating a single benefit and rule of benefit withdrawal, households can tell more easily whether work pays. However, in making such fundamental reforms to the system, it is important to ensure work does actually pay for men and women, and to consider impacts on distributions of resources within couple households.

key priorities needing consideration are to increase incentives for second earners to work in couple households, and for lone parents to progress once in work. Also, splitting Universal Credit in a couple household will ensure that both people have access to independent income, allowing them to meet their own needs.

17 H. Sutherland, F. Bennett and S. Himmelweit (2006), Within Household Inequalities and Public Policy, Women’s Budget group

18 Women’s Budget group (2011), Welfare Reform Bill 2011 – Universal Credit payment issues: briefing from Women’s Budget Group

19 K. Hansen, e. Jones, H. Joshi, D. Budge (eds.) (2010), Millennium Cohort Study 4th Survey: a user’s guide to initial findings – second edition, Centre for Longitudinal Studies

Universal Credit needs to ensure there are strong financial incentives (and support) for lone parents to start work and progress

Currently one in four women have no access to personal spending money in households where men earn or draw benefits


10–11 July 2012ICC, Birmingham

Each year 1,000 delegates from across the Uk gather to hear the latest developments, share experiences and discuss best practice.

The key words for 2012 are delivery and performance, the expectations from Jobcentre Plus and the Work Programme are clear. People need to know ‘what works’ and to be confident of sound information and analysis. The Welfare to Work Uk 2012 Convention will play an important role with this and aim to help you deliver better results for claimants.

Make sure you’re a part of the most prestigious event in the Welfare to Work calendar!

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organised by:

Patron sponsor:

Call for papers and workshops now open!Do you have something that is different you want to share with our Convention audience? Inclusion is looking for innovative showcases that demonstrate unique practices that work. our call for papers and workshops is open to all sector professionals, policy- makers, employers, prime providers, and organisations working as subcontractors in the government’s Work Programme.

Apply online at www.cesi.org.uk/convention

for more information about this year’s exhibition and sponsorship please contact the events team on 020 7582 7221 or by email at [email protected]*closing date for submissions: Friday 27 April 2012. Please review our submission guidelines online.

Convention supporters:


Three top tips for tweets with impact

The best impact tweets are usually when you start a conversation that sparks interest in other people, or when you join in the conversation of others with your own perspective; taking part in the conversation on Twitter is where the action and the connections are made. Supporters that tweet about you are much more effective then telling everybody how good you are!

If you are tweeting on behalf of a charity or organisation, you need to know who you are as well as what you do; each organisation has a kind of personality! you can agree what that is before you get in too deep, so you are tweeting in a recognised style.

How to increase your followers and reach the biggest audience

Be creative! St Loye’s had a 24 hour tweet (#24hrtweet) using eight virtual volunteers, working with two other charities in Devon, each taking a session throughout a 24 hour period. It was amazing and at 8am on a Saturday we ‘trended’ so we would have reached a huge audience. you can read a blog that was written about this by one of the volunteers at bit.ly/gpUWbi.

Using Twitter to grow ‘real world’ contacts

I had not met the majority of virtual volunteers from the #24hrtweet, but after the event we arranged to meet up, laugh, talk about the event and to get to know each other in the real world. Firm contacts were made that have promoted us to others as well!Real contacts are made through tweet-ups and social events advertised on Twitter. Also, individual contacts are made but it is important to make friends online first to build credibility and so it is not abused as a sales tool, as Twitter is really not for that.

Twitter no-nos Don’t get into an argument – a debate is fine but don’t go over the line, if you do, hit the delete button, we all make mistakes sometimes!

Watch language; even humour can sometimes be taken wrongly. Having said that, it is ok to have fun!

It is not about getting money out of people or selling your wares, it is about building relationships and joining in. If you are tweeting on behalf of your organisation, keep to its personality and style, and agree boundaries and any limitations.

Benefits of Twitter to the voluntary sector

you reach people far and wide! It is an opportunity to keep supporters up to date with news, give people useful information, and learn about issues that concern them and you. you also hear comments about your organisation from others and learn how you are viewed by the followers.

My Twitter role model

Sue Windley is creative, funny, imaginative with a really positive attitude and has been a bit of a mentor to me and shown me the power of Twitter:Sue Windley @DangerousMkting.

The person you wouldn’t expect me to be following

Well, this is a bit of a secret… I follow myself. When I first started Twitter, I set up an account in the name of my dog, to learn how to use it before I put my organisation through it! That feed now has nearly a 1,000 followers all over the world.

Using Social Media

Karen Clarke, trailblazing tweeter, tells how Twitter can benefit the voluntary sector.

Karen Clarke is Head of Business Development and Marketing at St Loye’s Foundation: @Stloyes

ADVeRtORIAL


vital statistics: how are we performing?Having founded and grown a company that specialises in employability related solutions, Liam Jordan, Managing Director of ICONI Software, shares his experience of successfully delivering software solutions for management and reporting on complex customer-support programmes.

to deliver specific outcomes. Support programmes for individuals are organic by nature and should be tailored to suit need, as and when required.

Systems should be flexible enough to be changed easily but still have the high levels of control in place to ensure accurate recording and reporting of performance. They should reflect the complexities of the delivery model, providing full visibility across all stages of the customer’s journey to work, and be capable of providing accurate information at key stages. In other words, designated systems should perform and deliver on all levels, from the individuals on programmes through to decision-makers, i.e. they should be fit for purpose.

Measure everythingMeasuring staff caseloads and associated individual support activity is essential to managing a customer support programme. The ideal solution is one that has a balance between tracking customer-orientated information and managing the performance of staff and partners. For

example, being notified automatically that 50 individuals are eligible for a new support programme is a great help but only if you are also able to determine quickly whether or not your staff or partners are at full capacity.

Historically, financial information resides outside customer support systems and this can cause a disparity between the operational and accountancy periods. key elements of finance should be integrated directly into systems in order to enable accurate, real time reporting across supply chains. Investing in bespoke interfaces, such as dashboards, and status and activity reporting, will deliver the control needed to manage programmes. Having access to robust management information is essential for key decisions, such as ensuring customers are receiving the correct levels of support.

Manage information, deliver knowledge ICoNI’s range of innovative employability software has been specifically designed to help providers of welfare to work services save time, automate routine tasks and provide better reporting tools, which enables staff to be more customer focused and generally better informed. If you are interested in learning more about ICoNI Software and how our solutions can help your organisation, please visit our website www.iconi.co.uk or email [email protected]

important questions deserve answersEven with all the advances in technology, we are regularly introduced to senior management who are increasingly frustrated because they cannot get access to timely management information. This can result in delayed or even incorrect decisions being made. Why is this? Do they have a legacy system that is not fit for purpose? Is the information they need not being captured? Does it take days to collate the data manually? It can be a mix of all of the above but fundamentally systems should provide answers to your important questions.

Don’t blame it on iTAll too often these issues are blamed on the ‘IT system’. However, in our experience these issues occur because the business and operational processes have not been successfully transferred or mirrored within the management information system (MIS). The Work Programme has been described as a ‘black box approach to delivery’, yet a ‘black box’ is actually a very complex machine carefully developed


WOMeN IN tHe LABOUR MARKet

Broader trends do nothing to soften the blow for older female workers. The competition for part-time work – the first choice of many women over 50 – is increasing as more people take part-time work because they can’t find full-time jobs. In addition, employment in the public sector continues to fall, which will have a disproportionate effect on the older female workforce.

Commenting on March’s unemployment figures, Dr Ros Altmann, Director General of Saga said:

‘The latest unemployment figures are truly shocking and older women are among the worst hit. our research has found that unemployment among older women has reached its highest level since records began, with 156,000 women aged over 50 currently out of work. The number of jobless women in this age group has risen by 24 per cent

For 40 years, government, local authorities and their partners have been focused on improving the outcomes for people and families living in the Uk’s most disadvantaged areas. There have been successes but the places that were poor 40 years ago remain the ones where disadvantage prevails.

This convention brings together organisations to share best practice and the most recent developments in how families and communities can be supported, and how employment is pivotal in achieving sustained change.

The convention will take place at Blackburne House www.blackburnehouse.co.uk, located in L8. originally prosperous, dominated by Georgian buildings and home to the city’s two cathedrals, this area has also experienced significant problems, including the Toxteth riots and disturbances over the summer of 2011.

The Women’s Technology and Education Centre was set up in 1983 by Claire Dove MBE, DL to widen the range and number of opportunities for the women of Merseyside. She identified Blackburne House as the perfect place. Blackburne House is dedicated to women’s education and

ForTHCoMinG evenT

Families, Communities and Places: a new way forward for delivery22 May 2012Blackburne House, Liverpool.

Unemployment among women over 50 at highest level in 20 years

enterprise, and opened some of the first social enterprises in the Uk. It provides an ideal backdrop for Inclusion North West’s convention in May.

To focus on families, communities and places, we must consider the role of women who not only have been hit by the recession (over one million are out of work and many are under-employed in part-time, low-paid employment) but hold the key to unlocking the transformation needed in families and communities.

The event will focus on: � Government social justice strategy � Troubled families � Complex families � Community Budgets � Personalised services working with

families � Multi-agency working.

in the past year, significantly higher than the eight per cent increase seen for women across all ages.

‘Policy-makers and employers must take note that people in older age groups are suffering abnormally high levels of unemployment with nearly half (43 per cent) of unemployed over 50s out of work for more than a year, which is higher than the 32 per cent seen for Uk unemployment as a whole. With their savings dwindling in value owing to low interest rates and high levels of inflation making living costs a strain, the lack of jobs and subsequent income for older people is a critical issue that cannot be ignored and if this is not addressed, we will be wasting hugely valuable resources.’

Laura Gardiner is a Labour Market Researcher at Inclusion

the labour market statistics published in March paint a bleak picture for older women in the workforce. the number of unemployed women over 50 has exceeded 150,000 for the first time since comparable records began in 1992.

While the unemployment rate for older men has been declining over the past couple of years, the rate for women over 50 is back at levels last seen in the late nineties. The number of older women claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, 84,600, is also the highest it has ever been.

To book your place, visit the Events section of the Inclusion website at www.cesi.org.uk.


WOMeN IN tHe LABOUR MARKet

Lorraine Lanceley is Principal Researcher at Inclusion

Building a sustainable, quality, part-time recruitment market in London

The research finds that: � There are approximately 82,000

mothers in London with the potential to earn £20,000 per year (full-time equivalent) who are not currently doing so.1 This equates to one in every 13 mothers in London.

� of these, an estimated 20,000 mothers could lift their families out of poverty through well-paid, part-time employment, and between 11,000 and 17,000 mothers could move their families off out-of-work benefits altogether.

The research also looked at what triggers employers to generate quality2 part-time vacancies and what can help grow this market.

The key findings from 1,000 employer interviews were that:

� The part-time recruitment market is skewed strongly in favour of vacancies with salaries below £20,000 full-time equivalent earnings (FTE) – 20% of the market, compared with 3% at £20,000 plus FTE. This is in sharp contrast to the full-time market, where the majority of vacancies pay over £20,000. The flexible recruitment market appears

1 this is based on analysis of the Labour Force Survey by Inclusion and is the number of mothers in London that could earn £20,000 full-time equivalent if they had the same employment rates and wage levels as women without children in London. this estimate includes both women out of work and women in work earning less than £20,000 (full-time equivalent) per year.

2 For the purpose of this research, ‘quality part-time employment’ was defined as part-time jobs earning at least £20,000 a year full-time equivalent. However, the authors acknowledge that income alone does not define the ‘quality’ of a job.

to be under-developed for skilled jobs where it could be of greatest benefit to the economy.

� Part-time working at £20,000 plus FTE is primarily used as a retention tool, as opposed to a tool for recruitment. This restricts employment mobility for skilled candidates who need to work part time: they may be able to reduce their hours with existing employers but will have difficulty switching to new jobs or returning to work if they leave employment temporarily.

� Some 27% of employers claimed that they always advertise full-time roles with the option to work flexibly. of these, 45% reported that they ‘sometimes or frequently’ filled full-time vacancies with advertised pay of £20,000 or more with part-time candidates – indicating that the pool of part-time applicants is of high quality.

� Resistance to part-time recruitment was related to workplace culture, with most resistance amongst employers who had not previously recruited part-time staff at £20,000 plus FTE. Concerns reduced with experience – those who had recruited at this level cited many benefits and few disadvantages.

The research concludes that to stimulate the market, the debate around part-time working needs to move away from new regulation and towards the business benefits of flexibility. Employers need to be convinced of the quality of part-time candidates and to see hard evidence that it can work for their businesses.

An estimated 20,000 mothers could lift their families out of poverty through well paid, part-time employment, and between 11,000 and 17,000 mothers could move their families off out-of-work benefits altogether, Lorraine Lanceley reveals.

Research by Inclusion and other organisations has shown time and again that many mothers, particularly for those who are

single parents, are keen to work part time in order to balance their work and family life. However, this often means choosing from a limited number of part-time and often low-paid jobs that do not fully utilise their skills or potential earnings level.

Research by Women Like Us, Inclusion and Resolution Research for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation went one step further in estimating the number of mothers who would have the potential to earn higher salaries if more well-paid, part-time jobs were available in London. It also explores what more can be done to grow a quality part-time recruitment market in London.


A CLAIMANt’S PeRSPeCtIVe

Benefits and the disabled: a personal accountIn September 2010, at the age of 50, Jan Morgan had a severe stroke and was not expected to live. She recounts her personal experience of the benefits system and the barriers to financial support that she encountered.

these are just some of the headlines and descriptions used in recent weeks describing those dependent on the welfare

benefits system and are words we read and hear on a daily basis, giving the overwhelming impression that everyone on benefits is feckless, a cheat, a scrounger, a fraudster who doesn’t want to work and who is a drain on ‘us’: upstanding, honest, hardworking taxpayers. But what is it really like to be on the receiving end of the benefits system, to be wholly dependent upon welfare benefits?

Up until September 2010, I was a higher-rate tax payer and a home owner. Following the death of my partner in 2007, I was a single parent and ran my own business. I had no direct contact with the benefit system and if honest, probably read those same headlines and thought, ‘How dreadful, something should be done’. Then, on 13 September, I had a brain haemorrhage

when an artery burst in my brain. This caused a severe stroke which left me cognitively and visually impaired, doubly incontinent and totally paralysed on my left side. The prognosis was that I would need 24/7 care for the rest of my life. I was 50 years old and my youngest child was aged just 12 years.

I spent three months in hospital receiving intensive physiotherapy. These days I can walk slowly with a foot splint and a walking stick. I still have a tendency to fall as my balance isn’t great. My left arm remains paralysed and I have some subtle cognitive difficulties with memory and attention. I have a carer for 14 hours a week. I have not been able to work since the stroke and am now wholly dependent on various benefits. Being on the receiving end of the benefits system has been an eye-opener and I can quite honestly say the most demeaning and soul-destroying experience of my life, and that includes the indignities of the

Before her stroke, Jan Morgan ran her own consulting business where she worked with private-sector clients, including Serco, Capita and Steria, as well as public-sector clients. one of her last pieces of work was with all the London boroughs to support them in the use of the Department for Education funded online checking service for free school meals applicants. Jan has four children, aged 28, 25, 22 and 13.

‘Benefits cheat who swindled £45,000 after claiming she couldn’t walk caught on camera training for half marathon’

‘Cheat’, ‘Scrounger’, ‘Fraud’

‘Benefit claimants with Bentleys and yachts’



personal care I needed after the stroke.After the stroke, no one ever

expected me to recover, let alone walk again, so 2011 should have been such a positive year, one of celebration. yet all the joy of being alive and recovering as much as I have has been removed by the sheer hard slog of negotiating my way through the adult social care and welfare benefits systems.

A friend very kindly completed a benefit application on my behalf while I was first in hospital. This was for the contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) of up to £67.50 a week. I was later appointed a hospital social worker who completed future applications, such as the one for means-tested ESA and Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Each form took two sessions, each lasting over two hours, where the hospital social worker completed the application forms with me. I could not have completed them on my own and after both sessions I

was left exhausted and drained.Pre-stroke I did all my banking online

and had not set up telephone banking. In hospital there was no internet access (no computers for patient use either) so even when my cognitive functions began to return I had no idea what was happening to my finances.

The day after my hospital discharge, I logged onto my online bank accounts and found that the last benefit had been paid into my account in mid-

November. I began the first of many telephone calls to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Why does DWP use expensive 0845 phone numbers? No matter what time of day, phone calls were never answered promptly, I frequently spent 20 minutes on hold. Hour-long calls were the norm. Just making one or two phone calls a day took up so much time and effort. It was so exhausting and draining.

I was politely informed that of course my benefit had stopped as my medical certificate had expired. I was confused, as I had not been aware of the need for any medical certificate. The woman on the other end seemed to get a little impatient at my inability to understand. She seemed to imply that I knew I should be submitting medical certificates every six weeks. It felt like she thought I was ‘trying it on’.

A supervisor agreed to arrange payment of monies from mid-November to 17 December solely on

The woman on the other end seemed to get a little impatient at my inability to understand. She seemed to imply that I knew I should be submitting medical certificates every six weeks. It felt like she thought I was ‘trying it on’

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the basis that I was still in hospital, as if she were doing me a huge favour, but explained that I would not receive any more payments until a medical certificate had been received. It was four days before Christmas. To add to the mess I was in the process of registering with a new GP. Fortunately, the hospital agreed to provide me with a new medical certificate. one of the community therapists brought it to me at home and a friend hand-delivered it to the local Jobcentre Plus. I thought that would be the end of the hassle.

January 2011 began with the first of many calls to DWP trying to sort my claim. I couldn’t understand why I would need to keep providing a medical certificate every six weeks when I was paralysed and still receiving hospital physiotherapy. I applied for free school meals for my daughter, but was told I was not on a qualifying benefit so had to continue finding dinner money. At the end of January, the two-weekly ESA benefit was not paid and I was left with no money again. More phone calls. I also had to apply to my local council for council tax benefit. This meant more means testing. I have had to submit the same information – bank statements, mortgage details etc – separately to DWP ESA, DWP DLA to social services (county council) and Council Tax Benefit (district council). Each and every time I was told that because of data protection, the information couldn’t be shared. In my professional life I have worked with the Information Commissioner’s office. The Data Protection Act was never intended to cause so much distress to individuals. It is designed to prevent inappropriate data sharing. In my case I would gladly give my permission for one organisation to collect my financial

information and share this across the various organisations and departments, as it was for my benefit and entirely appropriate to share.

I received an appointment to attend my Atos Healthcare Work Capability Assessment (WCA) on 10 February 2011. I contacted Atos to explain my condition and that I couldn’t get to the appointment as I couldn’t leave the house on my own.

Innocently I didn’t give the matter another thought, but received a letter accusing me of failing to attend my WCA and informing me that I was deemed fit for work and placed in the work-related activity group. I have since heard, anecdotally, that anyone who fails to attend the WCA is deemed fit for work, as the assumption is that they deliberately chose not to come as they would be ‘found out’. Though Atos and DWP deny that this is the case, throughout my year on benefits the underpinning predication of approach by DWP and Atos is that everyone is trying to fiddle, cheat or scrounge, unless proved otherwise.

I was outraged, bewildered and confused. I had carers who came to get me out of bed, washed and dressed each morning; I couldn’t walk without a foot splint or quad stick. I needed a Lifeline as I was at risk of falling, my shoulder was strapped and my left arm remained paralysed. I was an outpatient still receiving physiotherapy, I couldn’t leave the house on my own, yet I was deemed fit for work.

on 4 April 2011, two DWP advisers came to my home to conduct my back to work interview and to inform me of the help I could receive to take my first steps to return to work.

I would have to attend at least five work support sessions, such as helping

me to write a Cv, interview practice and one to identify my training needs. The training was limited to NvQ level 2 (pre-stroke, I had begun a PhD). I was told I could do permitted work – up to 16 hours per week and receive no more than £95 per week. They also pointed out what would happen if I didn’t attend the sessions or give evidence of my job hunting, i.e. my benefits would be reduced or stopped.

At this point what had been a mild amusement and confusion suddenly began to feel incredibly scary. Was DWP really expecting me to go to work so soon? I was barely coming to terms with my newly disabled state, I could not look after myself but I was ‘fit for work’? In desperation, I contacted my local MP, Chris White. He and his researchers contacted Atos and DWP on my behalf. The local welfare rights team also supported me in submitting an appeal against the work-related decision. I made many telephone calls and wrote several letters. Writing itself is a challenge as I can only type one handed. My printer is upstairs so I have to rely on others to bring printed letters to me. I cannot insert letters into envelopes and need help with that too, then have to wait for a visitor kind enough to post the letters.

I was in complete and utter despair. I was worried sick that my benefits would stop and that I would be forced to go to some form of work when I could least cope. All I wanted to do was to focus on my on-going physio. and occupational therapies and my recovery. My stroke was caused by high blood pressure so the last thing I needed was stress, but for the first months out of hospital, all I had was stress. I wrote more letters of complaint and made more phone calls. Between January and April 2011, I had

I have since heard, anecdotally, that anyone who fails to attend the WCA is deemed fit for work, as the assumption is that they deliberately chose not to come as they would be ‘found out’


a lever arch folder bulging with papers next to me on the sofa so that I could refer to key letters and information when needed.

on 6 May 2011, I received notification that my appeal had been successful and I was moved into the support group, i.e. I was not expected to look for work. My relief was immense. Eight months after the stroke, I was now able to focus on my recovery.

Subsequently I received compensation from DWP – an ex-gratia payment of a grand total of £25.00 and a further sum of £1.92 in respect to the one phone call they could identify I had made to them in direct connection to my benefit. Unexpectedly, in a letter dated 9 August 2011, I also received a written apology from Atos Healthcare where they acknowledged that in January ‘there had been sufficient evidence available to consider that a recommendation of placement in the support group should be seriously considered’. Atos did apologise, sincerely, but then went on to state that ‘a record of my complaint will remain on file for future reference’. Big deal. How many others have been so poorly treated in similar ways? Atos may have apologised but there was no mention of how it will learn from the mistakes it made in my case to improve future service and to ensure no other person goes through such stress and distress. I felt vulnerable and scared, so how must this process feel for the very elderly?

one year on my challenges are now how to live. The benefits are more than an 82 per cent reduction in my former income. I have reduced my outgoings as much as possible. My only outgoings now are utilities, household insurance, mobile phone, internet and Tv. After these are paid I have very little left to

buy food, or anything else. There is no ‘spare’ money for spontaneity, for treats, for fun, for clubs, for hobbies or for emergencies. There are times when we have very little food in the house. Cashflow is a problem, as benefits are based on the days when people received weekly pay envelopes. Two benefits (Child Benefit and DLA) are paid four weekly, but not on the same four weekly cycle, one benefit (ESA) is paid every two weeks which never coincides with the four weekly payments, and Child Tax Credit is paid weekly, which has been a lifesaver at times. Meanwhile all my bills are paid by monthly direct debit (to take advantage of the discounts available for paying by direct debit). In my previous work I used to manage multi-million pound budgets but now I struggle to manage my own cashflow. Council Tax Benefit is paid directly, as is mortgage interest. My mortgage was taken out when I was working and – though large – was affordable. Now the benefits cover only a quarter of the monthly amount. Arrears grow each month. I am at risk of repossession and given my age, dependency on benefits and the arrears, I would not be able to obtain a new mortgage. The week before Christmas 2011 my central-heating boiler broke. We were without heating for three weeks until a very kind friend offered to pay the £150 repair bill. I have no idea if I will ever be able to repay him and I worry about how I would cope with other emergencies.

As to work, though I am no longer expected to seek work actively, I do want to do something. I believe I could still provide a valuable contribution using my skills and experience, but my stamina remains low and my mobility poor. Travel is not impossible but it is

not something I could do on a regular basis. yet DWP does not provide ways for me to have a period of transition; to gradually build up work as my health improves. The only support it offers is for low-level, low-skilled and low-paid work. I do want to contribute and return to being a valued member of society, but not at the cost of my emotional or physical health.

Benefit regulations state that I can do voluntary work, but no more than 16 hours a week, or earn up to £97.50 per week with no restrictions to my benefit, although anything above £20 a week may affect my Council Tax Benefit. If I earned £97.51 per week or more (less than minimum wage equivalent) my benefits would be affected. There is no incentive for me to do, for example, half a day here and there and gradually build up to sustainable employment as my stamina and health improve.

The welfare benefits system is predicated on the basis that everyone on benefits is feckless, a drain on society and only capable of low-skilled, low-paid employment. There is much talk about protecting the vulnerable and elderly but when you are on the receiving end these sentiments are nothing but hot air.

The welfare system does need reform, but this needs to be a radical overhaul, starting with a change in attitude at the very top. of course the system needs tightening to prevent abuses, to prevent frauds, but current proposals are predicated on the fact that everyone is out to defraud. The reality is that our society’s most vulnerable are struggling to survive and are treated with little respect by the system.

A society can be judged by the way it treats its children, elderly and vulnerable. on this test, the Uk fails.


I have had to submit the same information – bank statements, mortgage details etc. separately to DWP ESA, DWP DLA, to the county council and district council


ADVeRtORIAL

Alderwood is a specialist recruitment agency operating within the welfare to work, work-based learning and education sectors. Its welfare to work department partners with primes and sub-contractors delivering a range of welfare-related contracts across the UK. It covers both permanent and temporary appointments at delivery and manager level, and it has a specific department, Alderwood Executive, focusing on senior appointments within the sector.

For further information, please contact Kimberley Pascoe on 01489 873489 or [email protected].

employability and training programmes must directly respond to both the needs of employers and the Uk’s skills

shortages if they are going to address unemployment effectively. Without an embedded link between demand and supply, the Uk economy will not be able to grow and unemployment levels will not decrease.

Alderwood recently surveyed over 400 individuals to solicit their opinions on this critical topic; we are a leading recruitment agency focused on sourcing staff for both the welfare to work and work based learning sectors. All those questioned were employed within either the skills or employability sectors, and ranged in level from delivery (predominantly apprenticeship assessors and personal advisers), to director and above.

Interestingly, 70 per cent believed that employers are not adequately involved in developing training programmes; a somewhat shocking statistic indicating that the requirements of employers are not sufficiently taken into consideration. The survey also found broad agreement that more should be done to tackle the link between skills and unemployment at a regional, rather than a national, level (75 per cent). It was deemed that localism does not feature strongly enough as an agenda; conversely demand and supply is evidently a regional issue.

on the topic of employers’ key considerations when recruiting, only four per cent believed that education

Do employability and skills training programmes truly respond to employer needs?

was rated highly and only one fifth (20.8 per cent) considered literacy and numeracy as one of the key concerns of employers. Instead, 70 per cent thought employers view relevant skills for the job to be one of the most important qualities. Interestingly, this was followed by relevant work experience, considered a key concern for employers by 47 per cent. When questioned about the primary reasons preventing employers from taking on the long-term unemployed via the Work Programme, lack of readiness for work was deemed to be the highest concern, (45 per cent), with lack of skills required and insufficient job opportunities falling joint second.

In other areas, the research reveals serious dissatisfaction with the way vocational careers are publicised within schools, with 88 per cent of those questioned feeling that more should be done to promote vocational routes into employment.

This research indicates a clear gap between employer needs and the skills, experiences and qualities that the unemployed have to offer. It is evident that in order to raise employment rates, more attention must be paid to addressing this skills gap and providing our potential workforce with the tools and experiences they need for employment. Getting the strategy right is critical, as is ensuring it is embedded at grass roots level and employing staff who are aware of the importance of this critical link.

0843 208 [email protected]

Lord Jim Knight is a Non-Executive Director of Alderwood

Inclusion diary

JANUARy 2012

People, Places and Partnerships ConferenceInclusion and the Local Government Association ran an event that explored the role of councils and local partners in maximising local growth and improving employment prospects of local people. ‘The workshops were particularly useful as they allowed interchange of information and networking.’Contract explorer launched on indus DeltaInclusion launched Contract Explorer, a database that sets out which organisations are delivering which contracts relevant to welfare to work: www.indusdelta.co.uk.

Work and Pensions Select Committee hearingDave Simmonds, Chief Executive of Inclusion, briefed the Work and Pensions Select Committee on the impact of changes to the labour market on the government’s welfare reforms.

Merlin Standard Advisory Board Fran Parry, Director of New Business and Partnerships at Inclusion, represented us on the Merlin Standard Advisory Board. Fran also wrote the Merlin communications strategy, which culminated in its launch in March.

Lone parent obligations roundtablePippa Lane, Senior Researcher at Inclusion, ran a roundtable to discuss findings from the final wave of our qualitative evaluation of lone parent obligations, and to talk about what lessons were learned for future policy.

FeBRUARy 2012

erSA Policy and Communications ForumTony Wilson, Director of Policy and Research at Inclusion, presented on the youth contract at the Employment Related Services Association’s forum.AeLP in-Tray ConferenceThe Association of Employment and Learning Providers In-Tray 2012 Conference addressed rising unemployment and finding more apprenticeship places for young people. Inclusion’s Chief Executive, Dave Simmonds, spoke on the Work Programme and National Audit office performance data.

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ACevo and Inclusion Youth Unemployment ConferenceInclusion ran an event with ACEvo to explore central policy questions on youth unemployment and to offer the insights of those working with young, unemployed people to highlight the challenges of implementation in practice. The Rt Hon. David Miliband MP gave the morning keynote address to launch the report of ACEvo’s Commission on youth Unemployment.

v20 group launchedInclusion organised a four-day event in New york to launch v20, a group of 20 voluntary organisations who come together to share lessons, research and promote the voluntary sector’s role in delivering employment-related services.

Project Search evaluation report publishedInclusion carried out research into ‘Project Search’ on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions. Project Search is a supported internship for those with learning disabilities. The research aimed to identify how the model works, to inform a broader take-up of the model.

Public Accounts Committee hearing: Work ProgrammeInclusion’s Associate Director of Research, Dan Finn, spoke at the Public Accounts Committee hearing on the value for money of the introduction of the Work Programme.

MARCH 2012

Health and Wellbeing at Work ConferenceDave Simmonds, Chief Executive of Inclusion, chaired a session on the Work Programme and sustainable employment at the Health and Wellbeing at Work Conference.

national Association of Workforce Boards Forum Fran Parry represented Inclusion at the US National Association of Workforce Boards Forum. The forum shared ideas on workforce development strategies in order to advance America’s economic growth through a skilled, competitive workforce.

Tapping into Talent: putting employers at the heart of the Work ProgrammeThis event sought ideas on how successful partnerships between providers and employers work. Recruiters and providers were brought together, for the first time, to network, share best practice and build contacts and opportunities for the future.

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Here’s a look at what’s been occupying our time throughout the first quarter of the year.



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Social and economic inclusion: publications shaping policyHere, Inclusion’s Policy Leads select the key reports published recently in areas relevant to social inclusion.

impact of Austerity Measures on Households with ChildrenFamily and Parenting InstituteJANUARy 2012

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that families with children will be worst affected by falling incomes in coming years. The report, commissioned by the Family and Parenting Institute, provides grim predictions for Uk family finances through to 2015, including a 4.2 per cent decrease in median income for families with children, compared with a decrease of only 0.9 per cent for households overall. Austerity measures are predicted to have the greatest impacts on large families, children from ethnic minority groups, out of work lone parent families and the very poorest families.

HigHer education policy [email protected]

The fit between graduate Labour Market Supply and Demand FuturetrackJANUARy 2012

This report has found that 80 per cent of students approaching the end of an undergraduate course felt they had skills appealing to employers in areas in which they wanted to apply for a job. Three-quarters felt that having been a student made them more employable. Those studying vocational subjects were more likely to agree that their subject choice offered an advantage in looking for work. Students at the highest tariff universities were more likely to believe in their potential to find work in an area of their choice. Students recognised the importance of soft skills for finding work as well as qualifications.

graduate Market in 2012: annual review of graduate vacancies and starting salaries at Britain’s leading employersHigh FliersJANUARy 2012

This is a study of graduate vacancies and starting salaries at 100 of the Uk’s best-known and most successful employers. It finds that the Uk’s leading employers are expecting to increase their graduate recruitment by 6.4 per cent in 2012. This follows a rise of 2.8 per cent in entry-level roles in 2011 and one of 12.6 per cent in 2010.

Public-sector employers are planning to expand their graduate intake by 21.9 per cent.

There will also be a substantial rise in the number of graduate jobs available at engineering and industrial companies (up 22.4 per cent from 2011), IT and telecommunications firms (up 31.6 per cent), high street banks (up 16.0 per cent) and retailers (up 11.5 per cent).

Recruiters have confirmed that one-third of this year’s entry-level positions are expected to be filled by graduates who have already worked for their organisations – either through industrial placements, vacation work or sponsorships – and therefore are not open to other students from the ‘Class of 2012’.

Graduate recruitment remains below pre-recession levels. Median starting salaries are unchanged at £29,000 for third consecutive year.

Supported employment and diSability [email protected]

Project Search Evaluation: final reportDepartment for Work and PensionsFeBRUARy 2012

Project Search is a programme that funds supported internships for young people with learning disabilities and autism. Inclusion conducted an evaluation of 14 Project Search ‘demonstration’ sites.

In 11 of the sites, one in three interns gained employment as a result of the scheme. This meant a higher number of participants were going into work than is normally reported for those with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Interns’ confidence, motivation, health and self-esteem also increased. organisations taking part reported benefits to organisational efficiency and positive attitudinal changes among staff.

cHild [email protected]

Child Poverty Map of the UkEnd Child PovertyJANUARy 2012

The Campaign to End Child Poverty has published new figures that provide an indication of child poverty levels in each local authority, ward and parliamentary constituency in the Uk. These figures show wide disparities across the country, with child-poverty levels in the poorest local authorities over 10 times those in the richest authorities. In the 100 wards that are worst affected, between 50 and 70 per cent of children face poverty.


youtH [email protected]

Youth Unemployment: the crisis we cannot afford ACEVO Commission on Youth UnemploymentFeBRUARy 2012

one in five young people are not in employment, education or training and a quarter of a million have been unemployed for over a year. The Commission on youth Unemployment, chaired by David Miliband MP on behalf of ACEvo, makes a series of practical recommendations for moving from a status quo where, the commission argues, there are too many pathways to benefit, to a position where all roads lead to work.

United nations World Youth report United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs FeBRUARy 2012

The report outlines the situation of young people in the labour market and youth employment trends. young people’s transition into work is a critical period in their lives in that academic learning is applied and they have increased independence. The young person’s social and economic productivity determines earning potential, options for work, and whether one is able to advance in work. The United Nations report explores these themes. Findings are based mainly on an e-discussion with young people and representatives of youth-led organisations on experiences of moving from schools and training institutions into the employment.

parenting and [email protected]

Delivering the free Entitlement to Education for Three and four Year oldsNational Audit OfficeFeBRUARy 2012

A high take-up nationally of education for three and four year olds has been sustained, but there are wide variations in both take-up and access to high-quality provision, depending on where

children live. The National Audit office argues that the Department for Education has made progress against many of its objectives in delivering the free entitlement to early education but it must address variations in take-up, quality of provision and the impact on attainment in later years if it is to achieve value for money.

The Price of Motherhood: women and part-time workResolution Foundation and NetmumsFeBRUARy 2012

British women are paying the price for having children, and mothers are disproportionately found in lower-skilled, part-time work. Netmums and Resolution Foundation undertook a poll with over 1,600 part-time working mothers. The poll revealed almost half (48 per cent) of mothers on low to middle incomes take a lower-skilled part-time job on their return to work after having children – but so did more than a third (36 per cent) of those on higher incomes. Even those mothers that held a degree could not find work which paid a salary commensurate with their skills: 42 per cent of degree holders said they had taken a less skilled job because of working part time.

A Better Beginning: easing the cost of childcareSocial Market FoundationFeBRUARy 2012

High-quality formal childcare improves children’s development and helps parents stay in work. However, it remains unaffordable for many families, and this situation is set to worsen in the years ahead.

Because of the state of public finances, the government is unable or unwilling to spend more money to help parents with the considerable costs of childcare. But there are other things government can do to help parents with the burden, argues the Social Market Foundation. The report proposes a national childcare contribution scheme – to help parents manage the high costs of childcare over a number of years. In straitened times, this proposal offers a route to the universal, high-quality childcare service Britain needs.

welfare reform and univerSal [email protected]

An indicative Study of the Accuracy of ESA Work Capability Assessment reportsCitizens AdviceJANUARy 2012

Citizens Advice has long had concerns about the nature of medical assessments for incapacity and disability benefits, and the quality of decisions based upon them. It has undertaken a detailed analysis of the accuracy of work capability assessment (WCA) reports. The research analysed 37 WCA reports. Sixteen of the 37 in-depth reports reveal a serious level of inaccuracy, 10 a medium level of inaccuracy and 11 had a low (or no) level of inaccuracy. This report calls on the Department for Work and Pensions to undertake regular, independent monitoring of the accuracy of WCA reports in order to ensure that those who are too ill or disabled to work, either in the short or long term, are properly supported by the benefit system.

impact of Welfare reform on the South East Housing Market: opportunity or hindrance?Chartered Institute of HousingFeBRUARy 2012

This report considers the impact of government welfare reform proposals in the south east. The Chartered Institute of Housing argues that the £26,000 benefit cap is most likely to have an impact on people in the south east, and will hit the most expensive areas in the region hardest.

The report offers housing providers and professionals recommendations to help them prepare to meet these challenges.

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LONe PAReNtS ON JOBSeeKeR’S ALLOWANCe

evaluating lone parent obligations: the experiences of lone parents on Jobseeker’s AllowanceWhen the Welfare Reform Bill is implemented, obligations on lone parents to look for work will be extended to those whose youngest child is aged five. Pippa Lane summarises the latest wave of research by Inclusion.

Lone Parent obligations (LPo) were introduced in November 2008. Since then, based on the age of their youngest child, lone

parents have lost entitlement to Income Support solely on the grounds of being a lone parent. From october 2010, the age of the youngest child was lowered to seven and over.

When the Welfare Reform Bill is implemented, LPo will be extended to lone parents with a youngest child aged five. The age of the youngest child at which Income Support eligibility is lost has been falling since 2008.

The Department for Work and Pensions recently published the final wave of the qualitative evaluation of LPo. The research examined the experiences of lone parents who were no longer eligible for Income Support and so were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance – in this case, where they had

a youngest child aged seven or eight. Some previous research about lone

parents on benefits had found that some of those with ‘high parenting orientation’ – that is, who were most focused on being parents – saw parenting as a full-time job and this made them reluctant to move back into paid employment.

In contrast, the latest evaluation found that even parents with ‘high parenting orientation’ were positive about employment. This group was particularly likely to see school hours employment as maximising the positives of work (self-esteem, financially better off, good role model for children) and minimising the negatives (not enough time to spend with children, stressful combining work and parenting). overall, lone parents in the study were generally very positive about the prospect of being working parents, confirming findings from the quantitative evaluation, which showed that lone parents on Income Support with a youngest child aged seven were more positive about work than the lone parent population as a whole.

This cohort of lone parents was also more positive about formal childcare than in previous waves of the evaluation. They tended to have had positive experiences of formal childcare through the free early years entitlement and were particularly happy to use

breakfast and after school clubs with their primary school-aged children. There was, however, concern about the lack of suitable childcare for older children.

So why are these lone parents more likely to be positive about work and childcare? A large part of the answer may lie in the age of the children. Children aged seven or eight in 2011 were all born in 2002 or later, and would have been among the first to have benefited from universal, free, early years childcare (which began in 2004). one legacy of those reforms may have been to change the way that people view childcare, and this perhaps also shaped their attitudes to work.

Lone parent employment has steadily risen over the past few years, although many lone parents reported that it was much harder to find a job than they anticipated. The flexibilities within the Jobseeker’s Allowance regime require lone parents with a youngest child aged 12 or under to be available for work only within school hours. It is likely that the further roll out of LPo this year will increase competition for school-hours roles. Removing this flexibility would likely push more lone parents into work but it would also damage the very positive attitudes to work that most lone parents affected by LPo have. Working with employers to create more part time and school-hours vacancies, ensuring the availability of before and after school clubs and tackling the problem of childcare for older children would seem to be key priorities for ensuring that rates of lone parent employment continue to rise with the final roll out of LPo this year.

Dr Pippa Lane is a Senior Researcher at Inclusion

The latest evaluation found that even parents with ‘high parenting orientation’ were positive about employment


Many economists and commentators see the labour market as a ‘two-box’ problem. People are

either employed or unemployed. Labour market policy then consists of making sure there are not too many (or too few) unemployed people to have an impact on inflation. If economic inactivity is considered at all (and this is rare), it is in terms of entry to, or exit from the labour market. Entry from full-time education and exit to retirement may be considered when people attempt to calculate ‘replacement demand’.

This is a very male way of looking at things. When you study occupational groups that are largely female, it rapidly becomes apparent that this approach is insufficient. The economic models tend not to represent career breaks. Whether or not family decisions on having children can be analysed in economic terms is difficult. Whether or not family members (largely, though not exclusively, women) take career breaks to look after children is now recognised as more of an issue.

However, in welfare to work policy, the issue has largely fallen off the agenda. Previous programmes (such as Work based Learning for Adults) enabled providers to recruit ‘women returners’, as well as benefit claimants, for employment-related training. Under payment by results systems, it is harder to demonstrate ‘results’ even if family income increases, in turn cutting tax credit and Housing Benefit entitlements. Until Universal Credit

is in force, this is not a result that the Department for Work and Pensions can claim under its payment by results agreements with HM Treasury.

The fact of the matter is that between 45 and 55 per cent of all those starting work from having been out of work were economically inactive three months previously. Some two-thirds were women. Equally, around two-thirds had given their reason for not looking for work as ‘family care’. This applies to both men and women. The number of men giving family care as a reason for not looking for work has been increasing over the past few years. The reasons for inactivity of those who are starting jobs vary depending on the time of year. For three quarters of people the reason is mostly family care, while over the summer a large group of students start work. Students increase the overall numbers but the numbers starting work from family care are more stable.

What are the implications for welfare to work? First, providers and policy-makers should recognise that competition from returners to the labour market is a fixture. People move through life stages; one of the stages, particularly for women, is returning to the labour market following a family break. The timing is affected by childcare, wraparound care (care before and/or after an early years education place), and so on, and the funding of these.

The nature of labour market competition will depend on whether women returners can reclaim jobs in line with their skills and qualifications or are forced into competition for lower-end jobs because employers are not flexible about part-time working, term-time jobs and other family issues. The same applies to men returning from family care, although very much less is known about them.

this week Paul unpicks the myth that people are either employed or unemployed in the labour market.

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Retired

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Measuring inactivity Paul Bivand

is Associate Director of Statistics and Analysis at Inclusion

BUSTinG STATS MYTHS

figure 1: Men and women who start work and were inactive, by reason for inactivity

Your comprehensive guide to welfare to work is available now!Inclusion’s Welfare to Work Intelligence gives you details on the Work Programme, Work Choice, and all major benefits, at the tips of your fingers.

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To order your copy, visit the products section of the Inclusion website – www.cesi.org.uk – or email [email protected].

This innovative and popular handbook has been fully updated to cover the Work Programme and Work Choice and includes all major benefits, tax credits and benefit run-ons.

Documents

Working Brief 227 spring 2012