Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 8
The Authors 9
Glossary 10
Summary 12
1. Background 17
2. Profile of customers 19
2.1 Chapter summary 19
2.2 Demographic characteristics 20
2.3 Living arrangements and area 21
2.4 Educational background and skills 25
3. Health and disability 27
3.1 Chapter summary 27
3.2 Self-assessed health at survey interview 28
3.3 Duration and type of health condition or disability 30
3.4 Health improvements and decline 33
3.5 Health indicators and age 34
4. Contact with Jobcentre Plus 37
4.1 Chapter summary 37
4.2 Contact with Jobcentre Plus 38
4.3 Extent of attendance at meetings with IBPAs 39
4.4 WFI attendance and health 41
4.5 Discussions between four to seven year customers and IBPAs 42
4.6 Customer assessments of WFIs 43
4.7 Assessment of WFIs and elements of Pathways 46
4.8 Customer assessments by age, health and services received 48
4.9 Customer assessments and relationship to IBPA 51
4.10 Customer assessment and work outcomes 53
5. The Choices package of services 55
5.1 Chapter summary 55
5.2 The Choices package 56
5.3 Take up of Choices and customer characteristics 57
5.4 Take up of Choices and customer health characteristics 59
5.5 Take-up of elements of the Choices package and number of WFIs attended 60
5.6 Further analysis of take up of Choices, CMP or NDDP 61
5.7 Customer assessment of usefulness of Choices 62
6. Paid work and intermediate outcomes 65
6.1 Chapter summary 65
6.2 The extent of paid work and seeking work 66
6.3 The nature of work 67
6.4 Intermediate outcomes 70
6.5 Explaining work outcomes 72
6.6 Underlying associations - multivariate analysis 75
6.7 Barriers to work and customers' activities 76
7. The circumstances of customers over the age of 50 78
7.1 Chapter summary 78
7.2 Demographic characteristics of customers over 50 years old 79
7.3 WFI attendance and assessment 81
7.4 Take-up of programmes 83
7.5 Work outcomes 85
7.6 Barriers to work 86
8. The circumstances of four to seven year customers with mental health issues 88
8.1 Chapter summary 88
8.2 Four to seven year customers and mental health conditions 89
8.3 Demographic and area characteristics 90
8.4 Self-assessed health by mental health status 92
8.5 WFI attendance by mental health status 94
8.6 Take-up of Choices by mental health status 94
8.7 Work outcomes by mental health status 95
8.8 Barriers to work, by mental health status 96
9. Conclusion 98
9.1 Greater barriers due to health conditions and disabilities 98
9.2 Contact with Jobcentre Plus and participation in a Choices service 99
9.3 Work outcomes 100
10. Technical notes 102
10.1 Populations under study 102
10.2 Sampling 102
10.3 Weighting 103
10.4 Data collection 103
10.5 Response to the survey 106
10.6 Report conventions 107
References 108
Table 2.1 Demographic and background characteristics 20
Table 2.2 Household and area characteristics 22
Table 2.3 Relative deprivation of area by Jobcentre Plus district 24
Table 2.4 Qualifications and basic skills 25
Table 3.1 Customers' health at time of survey interview 29
Table 3.2 Types of health conditions and disabilities 31
Table 3.3 Main or secondary health conditions divided by age groups 32
Table 3.4 Change in general health in year prior to survey interview 33
Table 3.5 Health trajectory 34
Table 3.6 Customers' health at time of survey interview divided in age groups 36
Table 4.1 WFIs and customers' demographic characteristics 40
Table 4.2 WFIs and customers' health trajectory 42
Table 4.3 What was discussed in WFIs 43
Table 4.4 Assessment and whether customers believed WFIs were compulsory and the issues discussed 47
Table 4.5 Customer assessment by health trajectory and age 49
Table 4.6 Customers' assessment divided by Adviser Discretionary Fund, Return to Work Credit and Choices participation 50
Table 4.7 Customers' assessment and whether they agree with their IBPA to do anything between or after meetings 52
Table 4.8 Customers' assessment and how well their IBPA listened 53
Table 4.9 Customers' assessment and work outcomes 54
Table 5.1 Customers' take up of Choices services, by gender 58
Table 5.2 Customers' take up of Choices services, by age 58
Table 5.3 Customers' take up of Choices services, by qualification level 59
Table 5.4 Customers' take up of Choices services according to health condition 59
Table 5.5 Customers' take-up of Choices services according to health trajectory indicator 60
Table 5.6 Customers' take up of Choices services according to number of WFIs attended 61
Table 5.7 Customer assessment of usefulness of Choices service (four to seven year customers) 63
Table 5.8 Whether additional services or activities were wanted by participants 64
Table 6.1 Work and intermediate outcomes at survey interview 67
Table 6.2 Weekly take-home pay 69
Table 6.3 To what extent work makes use of previous skills and experience 69
Table 6.4 Socio-economic classification - NS-SEC 70
Table 6.5 Number of jobs applied for in last three months 71
Table 6.6 Customers' main activity and work outcome if not in paid work 71
Table 6.7 WFI attendance and work outcomes 72
Table 6.8 Customers' work status at the survey interview and take up of Choices options 73
Table 6.9 Customers' work status at the survey interview according to health indicators 74
Table 6.10 Customers' work status and age at the survey interview 75
Table 6.11 Barriers to work - factors given as 'big reasons' for not being in work 77
Table 7.1 Customers' background characteristics and household structure 80
Table 7.2 Health trajectory and number of WFIs, by age group 83
Table 7.3 Health trajectory and take up of Choices services, by age group 85
Table 7.4 Work and intermediate outcomes and survey interview, by age groups 86
Table 7.5 Barriers to work, divided by age groups 87
Table 8.1 Demographic and area characteristics, by mental health status 91
Table 8.2 Self-assessed health indicators by mental health status 93
Table 8.3 Number of WFIs attended by mental health status 94
Table 8.4 Take-up of Choices, by mental health status 95
Table 8.5 Work outcomes, by mental health status 96
Table 8.6 Self-assessed major barriers to work by mental health status 97
Table 10.1 Response rates 107
Figure 3.1 Duration of main health condition or disability 30
Figure 4.1 Number of WFIs attended (or meetings with IBPAs) 39
Figure 4.2 Customer assessment of how well their IBPA listened 44
Figure 4.3 Customer assessment of how WFIs helped with thinking about paid work 45
Figure 5.1 Take-up of Choices services 57
Figure 6.1 Number of hours worked by customers in work 68
Figure 7.1 Number of WFIs (or meetings with IBPAs) divided by age group 81
Figure 7.2 Customers' assessment of how WFIs helped with thinking about paid work by age group 82
Figure 7.3 Take-up of Choices services, by age group 84
Figure 10.1 Timing of interviews with one to three year customers 104
Figure 10.2 Timing of interviews with four to seven year customers 105