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Last time I promised a further report on the Welfare Reform, Work and Health conference held on 27 October 2011.  I focused then on the promising signs of the NHS, Job Centreplus and the Work Programme working more closely.  This time I want to reflect on the workshop that looked at public health and Local Authority responses to welfare reform.

I had the good fortune to chair this discussion, and so was able to get a good overview of the key issues.  In Hackney, the Local Authority has conducted an impact assessment that looks at the wider impact on their services, ranging from parks and libraries to advice and advocacy.   They have identified older males (40+) generally living alone or in small households, often in the private rented sector, as a group that will be multiply affected.   Given their circumstances, this group could lose a disproportionately high element of income if they come off higher rates of benefit. 

Meanwhile, in Kensington and Chelsea, the Local Authority commissioned Inclusion to research into the IB client group.  Inclusion conducted focus groups with 31 claimants and observed employment advice sessions with this group.
As in Hackney, the research identifies older males, often with mental health issues as a typical group.  They identified multiple barriers to work, i.e. not just health, but poor skills and a long term absence from the labour market.  Worryingly, there was a low level of knowledge of the Work Capacity Assessment process, and no doubt partly in consequence, high degrees of apprehension. 

None of this is earth shatteringly new, but it reinforces the need for public agencies to work together to reduce the risks associated with this issue.  Many claimants in this group are socially isolated and vulnerable.  They mostly want to work, but are worried about the impact of this on their health. It is worth quoting Inclusion operational advice in full:

- Keep clients as close to the labour market as possible – for example,through voluntary work and building a daily routine
- VCS (Voluntary and Community Sector) should ‘warm up’ clients for the Work Programme – build their confidence
- Linking health and employment support is key
- Holistic and tailored support is necessary given the multiple barriers
- Ensuring people know what support is available – especially during the IB Reassessment process
- Ensuring there is enough in-work support as well as pre-work support

If Government initatives are not just going to dump this group from one benefit to another (and potentially increasing the risks to poor health), these are precisely the actions that need to become good practice.