Pathways to Work
Pathways to Work provides a single gateway to financial, employment and health support for people claiming incapacity benefits and Employment and Support Allowance. From 28 April 2008 the Programme became available to everyone receiving incapacity benefits in Great Britain. Employment and Support Allowance replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claimants from 27 October 2008.
The Medical Assessment
All new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance will have a Work Capability Assessment. This provides advice to help determine an individual’s entitlement. The Work Capability Assessment will also advise on whether customers should join:
- the Work-Related Activity Group and be required to take part in work-focused interviews or
- the Support Group and have no mandatory requirements placed upon them.
They will also have a Work-focused Health-related Assessment which looks at the practical support needed to help a move into work.
People currently receiving Incapacity Benefit will continue to be assessed by the Personal Capability Assessment, unless they are exempt from this because of the nature of their illness, until they transfer to Employment and Support Allowance.
Jobcentre Plus led Pathways to Work
Pathways to Work is delivered in 40 per cent of the country by Jobcentre Plus. The process includes:
- Mandatory work-focused interviews at regular fixed points during the customer’s claim, starting soon after the eighth week. ESA customers are informed by the report from the Work-focused Health-related Assessment. Incapacity Benefit customers are informed by the Capability Report
- Access to a range of programmes to support the customer in preparing to work, including the condition management programme .This is delivered for Jobcentre Plus by the NHS and the Department of Health, and aims to help the customer to manage their health condition or disability so that they can get back to work
- A Return to Work Credit, where customers who start work can qualify for a weekly payment of £40 a week for up to 52 weeks if they earn £15,000 or less a year, (before tax and other deductions) and they meet certain other condltions.
Provider led Pathways to Work
Pathways to Work is delivered in 60 per cent of the country by external contractors.
- Jobcentre Plus will conduct the first in the series of Work-focused Interviews and the provider will deliver the remainder
- Customers will have access to a condition management programme which is either delivered in-house by qualified health practitioners or is sub-contracted to specialists.
- Providers have the flexibility to modify the range of programmes that are available to customers in order to tailor provision to their needs. Therefore the support available in Provider led Pathways areas may differ from that delivered in Jobcentre Plus led Pathways to Work areas.
- The Return to Work Credit is paid to customers who qualify by Jobcentre Plus.
