Guidance

Chapter 2: Target groups, eligibility and suitability

Updated 10 May 2023

Applies to England and Wales

Target groups

2.01 Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) is a voluntary provision aimed specifically at disabled people, as defined under the Equality Act 2010, with complex barriers to employment for which other support such as the Work and Health Programme (WHP) is unsuitable, and who are more than 12 months away from employment without support.

2.02 Complex barriers to work means that the Participant will have multiple barriers which may be a combination of personal and work related barriers which impact on their readiness to be able to get into and remain in work. This may be an impairment or condition which significantly increases their barrier to work, for example, a learning disability or barriers such as homelessness, intra family violence, substance misuse and low self-esteem. Participants must meet the eligibility criteria, as set out below.

2.03 The objective of IPES is to address barriers to employment and provide Participants with the employability skills they need to either engage with, or move into, employment following participation in the programme.

2.04 Potential Participants for the IPES programme do not have to be Jobcentre customers or be in receipt of any specific welfare benefit in order to participate. Likewise, there is no requirement to have been on welfare benefits for a specific duration in order to be eligible.

2.05 Signposting Organisations will be approved by DWP to identify potentially eligible individuals for signposting to the Jobcentre for onward referral to IPES if they think the provision is suitable for the potential Participant.

2.06 It is the responsibility of the Jobcentre to assess the Participant, confirm their eligibility and suitability for the provision overall, and gain their agreement to attend this voluntary provision.

Providers should note that the final decision regarding whether a Participant is eligible or suitable for referral to the IPES provision will remain with the Jobcentre.

Eligibility

2.07 To be eligible for IPES, potential Participants must:

• have a disability or disabilities as defined in the Equality Act 2010;
• have the right to reside in the United Kingdom;
• have the right to work in the United Kingdom;
• reside in England or Wales;
• not be in any form of paid employment;
• be of working age (16 to State Pension age);
• not be currently participating in other Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Contracted Employment provision.

Note: For IPES in England and Wales, “working age” is defined as starting from 16 years of age. However, in England 16 to 17 year olds who are not in work are required to stay in education or training, so whilst 16-17 year olds can access IPES in Wales, in England they cannot. 18 year-olds can apply if they are both eligible and suitable for IPES.

Note: ‘not be in any form of paid employment’, as stated at the fifth bullet above, also applies to self-employment. Potential participants should not be in any form of employment, i.e., not employed, self-employed or on a zero-hours contract, when a referral to IPES is made

Suitability

2.08 Suitable Participants for IPES:

• want to work and to volunteer for IPES;
• have complex barriers to work;
• be more than a year from employment in the labour market, without the support of this programme;
• require more intensive support to transition into work and require intensive IWS, beyond that offered by other DWP provision.

2.09 Examples of the characteristics of this cohort could include the following (note: This list is not exhaustive):

• Autism Spectrum Disorder conditions (this could include those with existing diagnoses, or newly diagnosed);
• mental health issues, depression and disabilities such as:
  • bipolar disorder;
  • low confidence/ self-esteem, general anxiety, experiencing panic attacks, fluctuating crises of confidence;
  • lethargic or manic from time to time;
  • getting easily stressed when things do not go their way;
  • anxiety working in groups.
• experiencing, or having a history of, substance/ drug/ alcohol misuse;
• victims of domestic violence or abuse;
• recurring and fluctuating health conditions;
• in need of a support network to motivate and support;
• customers who are isolated, without an obvious support network;
• those who may need an advocate, working with the provider to support the Participant towards employment;
• a customer who has undiagnosed behavioural issues;
• be known to adult social care;
• need time to build relationships;
• sensory impairment;
• restricted mobility or dexterity;
• neurological conditions;
• all learning difficulties;
• customers with a long standing health condition who may be relied upon by their families to provide an unofficial childcare and/or child minding role;
• possible financial concerns, or housing issues;
• customers whose benefit income is relied upon to prop up the family budget;
• customers who would benefit from support to sustain them in employment, once they had found work.