The new Work Programme aims to provide a single, personalised welfare to work programme for everyone.
The Government is currently developing plans for the Work Programme, with a view to having it in place nationally by the summer of 2011. Once the Work Programme is implemented it will supersede much of the complicated raft of national programmes currently on offer.
The Work Programme will give providers longer to work with individuals and greater freedom to decide the appropriate support for them. It will offer significant new opportunities for contractors from the private and voluntary sectors to deliver truly flexible and personalised support, building appropriate partnerships to do so.
For the private and voluntary sectors to deliver the services, the Government has developed a Work Programme Framework. This umbrella commercial arrangement will set out terms of agreement on future contracts and will help simplify the process and reduce the costs associated with arranging contracts. The Government is currently running a competition to select contractors to enter the framework. After that, the selected contractors will be able to bid for packages of work.
Timescales
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| June 2010 | Framework competition started |
| November 2010 | Framework let |
| Nov/Dec 2010 | Work Programme competition starts |
| January 2011 | Work Programme contracts awarded |
| Spring 2011 | Work Programme implementation starts |
| Summer 2011 | Work Programme implementation completed |