Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum

ESA Health and Work Conversation and

Claimant Commitment

6 March 2017
Presented by:
Ian Anderson and Matt Russell

24/02/17 version 1.00

 Contents

Slide 3 Background to the change (Matt Russell)

Slide 4 Background to the change (Matt Russell)
Slide 5 Elements of the change (Matt Russell)
Slide 6 - Activity to date (Ian Anderson)
Slide 7 The Claimant Journey (Ian Anderson)
Slide 8 The Claimant Journey contd. (Ian Anderson)
Slide 9 Learning and Development for DWP Staff (Ian Anderson)
Slide 10 Evaluation and next steps (Ian Anderson)
Slide 11 Question and Answer session (Ian Anderson/Matt Russell)

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 Background to the change
The Governments ambition is to halve the disability employment rate gap, so
while it remains committed to supporting those who cannot work because of a
health condition or disability; it also wants to help as many people as possible to
find suitable work.
Based on the Labour Force Survey, as of Quarter 4 2016:
Employment rate of disabled people: 49.6%
Employment rate of non-disabled people: 80.4%
Disability employment rate of gap: 30.8 percentage points
Total number of disabled people in work: 3.6 million
Currently Jobcentre staff do not routinely engage with ESA claimants before the
Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which can take place many months into the
claim. We know that the start of the claim can be a challenging time for claimants
and that the longer a claimant is on benefit, the more difficult it is for them to move
into employment where appropriate. The Health and Work Conversation (HWC)
will provide this early support to claimants.
The HWC is an integral part of the wider support we are providing claimants with a
disability or health condition, building towards a more personalised and tailored
service offer based on individual need as signalled in the Green Paper.
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 The HWC will:

Provide a flexible and less structured approach to claimant interventions than

current Work Focused Interviews (WFI).
Support claimants with health conditions at an early stage in their ESA claim,
with conversations being held at around week-4.
Drawing on behavioural insight techniques and research, the HWC supports
work coaches to work with claimants to build rapport, confidence and
motivation, overcome obstacles and develop voluntary action plans helping
them to move closer to the workplace.
Help an individual establish a relationship with their work coach at an early
stage;
Allow the individual and work coach to jointly develop a plan of voluntary
activities.

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 Elements of the Change

The change agreed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and
Pensions in February 2016, as set out in the Green Paper Work, health and
disability: improving lives will introduce two new elements to the ESA claims
process:
A mandatory health and work conversation (HWC), which is a type of
work focused interview, specifically designed for ESA claimants to take
place before their Work Capability Assessment, at around week four of
their claim.
A ESA Claimant Commitment (CC) as a condition of entitlement to ESA
for new claims to existing benefits. The CC will set out the expectations
and legal requirements that claimants will be required to accept in order
to receive ESA. This approach will align ESA with Universal Credit (UC).

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 Activity to date
The HWC conversation was co-designed with the Behavioural Insight
Team (BIT), health charities, front-line staff, disabled peoples
organisations and occupational health professionals. During the
conversation the work coach and claimant will work through a HWC
booklet, based on an extensive body of academic behavioural research.

Two process tests of the health and work conversation were conducted
within Durham, Hackney, Alfreton, Chesterfield, Derby, Longeaton and
Tottenham Jobcentres.

Feedback from these studies has been used to develop the

conversation and ensure it meets the needs of individuals and their work
coaches.

Feedback showed that WCs welcomed the opportunity to engage with

claimants early and reported increased positivity, engagement and
confidence from claimants.

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 Health and Work Conversation: The Claimant Journey

Initial ESA claim:

Claimant informed by the telephony agent that they may be required to
attend a HWC.
Once Claim is live:
Claimant contacted by the local Jobcentre by telephone to invite them to
the HWC. The call will be followed up with a letter confirming the
appointment, explaining what the HWC is, and that attendance is
mandatory.
A couple of days prior to the HWC
The work coach will call the claimant to introduce themselves and answer
any questions they might have.
Vulnerable claimants who are exempt, will not be required to attend a Health
and Work conversation where circumstances mean it would not be
appropriate. Work coaches will also have the flexibility to defer the Health
and Work Conversation when a claimant cannot attend due to temporary
circumstances.
A sanction will be applied for failure to attend or participate in the HWC
without good cause. This means a claimants ESA payment will be reduced.
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 Health and Work Conversation: The Claimant Journey
continued

During the health and work conversation:

ESA claimants will be supported to develop a voluntary action plan
with the help and support of their work coach. The work coach will
use the booklet to help individuals identify goals, plan out actions
and boost their confidence and resilience.
The claimant will be able to keep this booklet for future use.
The health and work conversation could take up to one hour to
complete.
Work coaches will have the flexibility to offer further health and work
conversations to some claimants.

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 Learning and Development for DWP staff

We have significantly invested in learning and development of our work

coaches to ensure they are sufficiently trained to deliver the health and
work conversation effectively. Our work coach managers will also
receive training to enable them to support work coaches, in conjunction
with Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) who will act in an advisory
capacity.

Work coaches and service delivery staff will receive a training package
comprising on-line pre-training, one days face to face training with BIT-
trained Learning Delivery Officers and a post go-live training session.
This approach will ensure HWC training is professionally delivered and
fully consolidated.

A short video will be developed to support HWC training This will

include feedback, good news stories and hints and tips from work
coaches who are already delivering the HWC in our test and learn sites.

Operational instructions will be available to staff to support staff

delivering the HWC.

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 Evaluation and Next Steps
The Green Paper Work, health and disability: improving lives was
published 31 October 2016 with the consultation deadline of 17
February. Broad feedback from the DWP roundtable events is that
stakeholders have welcomed the HWC.

Because this is a new approach for working with ESA Claimants, the
HWC roll-out began with small-scale test and learn activity at 3 sites (n
Alfreton, Chesterfield and Tottenham Jobcentres) on 30 January 2017.

From 30 March, incremental rollout will continue in further national

Jobcentres.

Regulations will be laid in summer 2017 to support the introduction of

the Claimant Commitment.

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 Question and Answer Session

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