Connect to Work East Sussex Stakeholder Event – Questions & Answers

Does long term health condition include mental health?
Yes, long term health conditions include mental health. Mental health issues do not need to be clinically diagnosed. Individuals can self-refer onto the programme stating that they self-identify as having mental health needs.

Does the criteria for mental health include neurodivergent conditions?
Yes.

Does homelessness include temporary accommodation?
Yes. All types of homelessness are included.

Will you be specifying the vocational profiling tools that should be used?
Vocational profiling is where we work with an individual to really look at their skills, their interests, their wants and then pull the information together to develop an employment plan. Vocational profiling is participant-led, with the intention of supporting them towards a job they want to do, rather than what is readily available.
There are a variety of vocational profiling tools available. We will make recommendations about profiling tools to the organisations that receive grants and will encourage them to share best practice and peer learn.

What is the position around Apprenticeships as a job outcome?
One of the main focuses of the supported employment model is that people are supported to access and secure competitively paid work. Apprenticeships are considered a job and therefore an outcome of the programme.

What is the position around self-employment or business start-up as a work outcome?
Self-employment or employment via a new business, is a work outcome as long as earnings for work can be proved. Evidence of this outcome will be recorded differently to other employed outcomes.

Can Work Experience be included as part of the programme?
Connect to Work is about moving people swiftly into paid work. Although providers could offer some work experience or volunteering at their discretion and own expense, this will not be recorded as a delivery output and there will be no funding to support it.

Is Connect to Work similar to what is currently being delivered by Reed (Restart)?
In East Sussex, Reed is delivering the RESTART programme. This is a different programme for a different cohort and is not based on a supported employment model.

Are the criteria for supporting people who are ‘in work’ and at risk of losing their job, (they have to be employed for three months prior to accessing the support) and for those who are ‘out of work’ (they have to have been unemployed for six months) a minimum or maximum requirement?
Many of the timings given are suggested, and it will be up to the partners to assess new participants on an individual basis. For example, if someone has been ‘in work’ for only two months, but it is felt that they would benefit from the Connect to Work programme, the case could be made to include them on programme.

Is there a profile split between out of work clients and in work retention clients?
There is a guideline of 85% Out of Work and 15% In Work Retention clients. This is a guideline only.

For the ‘out of work cohort’ on 12 months support, is there a split between the amount of time that should be given to ‘Job Matching/Vocational Profiling’ and to ‘On and Off the Job Support’?
There is no specified split, but the main driver for the five stages of supported employment is that partners retain a focus on competitive, paid employment, and that the process is started quickly. For suitable participants, the DWP expects to see the job search process start within four weeks of them joining the programme. The length of support that they receive can vary – and will be needs led.

How will we identify those who are being supported by other DWP programmes?
As part of the onboarding process, when a potential participant submits an expression of interest for the programme or is referred to the programme, ESCC will have a triage function and run through their eligibility and suitability with them. If they are eligible for the programme, the ESCC triage team, will link them with one of the providers that have been selected through the grant process.

Before assigning them to a provider, ESCC will liaise with DWP’s national team, who will check their internal systems and databases to see whether participants are already registered on other programmes. DWP has assured a maximum turnaround time of one week, so that participants are not waiting too long. Once they have been cleared to proceed, they will be assigned to a provider and able to start on programme.

Will you consider consortium bids?
We are not able to have more than two tiers of contracting. DWP is contracting with ESCC. ESCC is contracting with providers.

Does no subcontracting only apply to subcontractors who would deliver the Connect to Work service (IPS or SEQF)? Would providers be allowed to contract peripheral services to support their offer/delivery, such as digital mental health?
The no subcontracting policy only applies to the delivery of the Connect to Work programme and not services that are provided as a part of the partner’s Connect to Work delivery offer.

What is the reporting structure going to look like?
We are still finalising the processes and will have the guidance clearly defined at the time of grant agreements with successful applicants.

All partners will be expected to deliver in line with the Connect to Work fidelity scale, which aligns with the IPS and SEQF models. This will be assessed annually by the DWP.

The DWP will monitor referral numbers, conversion of referrals into participant starts, numbers of participants that start in work, and income levels to check that income thresholds as specified in the guidance, are met.

Are you able to define the minimum levels of fidelity that providers will be expected to maintain?
DWP are appointing their assurance partner to create a fidelity assessment for the programme based on the IPS and SEQF models. We will share more when we have sight of this. Example IPS and SEQF fidelity assessments are available online for reference in the meantime.

British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) provide an overview of SEQF fidelity.

IPS Grow provide an overview of IPS fidelity review.

How can the Council assess a provider's ability to meet a level of fidelity that has not been defined by the point of grant award? What are your thoughts on how you will manage this through bid evaluation and grant management?
The IPS and SEQF models are very specific and we recognise that many organisations have not as yet delivered against these fidelity models. However, we also recognise that most organisations that offer Employment Support have transferable practice that they can apply to these models.

We will ask providers about the steps that they will take to be able to deliver against the model(s) and ESCC will deliver a ‘staggered start’ to Connect to Work, building up provision over the course of the first year, to ensure that all providers have the chance to develop solid IPS or
SEQF delivery models. If we have successful applicants who already deliver IPS or SEQF, it may be that these providers start delivery earlier than those that need to develop their model further.

Fidelity assessments are very behaviour driven, and we believe most employability providers can transfer their delivery models through the right support and training.

We would encourage any provider interested in delivering Connect to Work, to find out more about IPS and SEQF fidelity models.

The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) provide an overview of Supported Employment and the SEQF fidelity model here

IPS Grow provide a detailed overview of IPS fidelity reviews here

Will/do partners cover the whole county?
We are likely to seek a range of providers – some delivering for multiple cohorts across the full county and some focusing on specialist cohorts of participants. ESCC will undertake triage to ensure that participants are referred to the most appropriate provider in terms of specialism or geography and to ensure equitable volumes of participants.

Do you have targets for different geographies or is it for the county as a whole? How will you ensure delivery is evenly spread across the county or with area focus?
The provision will be pan county and individuals can self-refer onto the programme. We would anticipate that referrals will come from areas where there are greater levels of economic inactivity in the county. ESCC will triage referrals, which should help to ensure that there is equitable provision across the geography. We will also encourage our successfully funded delivery partners to collaborate and cross refer.

How will the grants be procured by the Authority?
ESCC will run an open Grant Funding process. Details will be put on the Connect to Work page when the Grant Application Process is open.

How many participants are the providers expected to enrol and support?
The minimum grant size will be for 40 participants per year (SEQF model) and 50 participants (for IPS model).

What size grants will be given?
We anticipate awarding grants for cohorts ranging from 40-150 participants a year. Year one allocations will be smaller as this is the scaling up year. We anticipate reaching about 75% of our permitted start target in year one.

Will the participants be given a bursary amount for expenses, registrations, etc.?
Each delivery partner will be offered a grant allocation based on projected unit cost x starts. Payments will be issued quarterly in arrears based on actual expenditure. Providers must employ one Employment Specialist to work with 20 SEQF participants or 25 IPS participants for up to a year. Beyond this it is for the provider to decide on how they spend, although this must be for eligible costs (see DWP guidance).

Unit costs will be slightly lower in year one than in subsequent years due to the unit cost management/delivery split. In year two, management costs become a lower proportion of the East Sussex allocation. The Unit cost will be determined when the DWP sign off the ESCC delivery plan in mid-February. It is anticipated that this will be between £2300 - £2900, depending on the model (IPS/SEQF).

How will you target those furthest away from the labour market? Also, how will you ensure support is not duplicating services/support that already exists and targeting areas that need more support locally (have gaps) e.g. learning disability, neurodivergent.
Connect to Work is being managed at a local level, in the context of Skills East Sussex, which will help to ensure that the project is closely aligned with local need and will strive to fill the gaps in current provision across the county. Our aim is to ensure that Connect to Work complements existing local provision so that any funded provision is maximized. The programme is aimed at those who want to work. Residents who are seeking support but do not feel ready to access paid work may best be supported by other schemes.

Some employers currently use zero-hour contracts. Will these be accepted as part of the programme?
We have no restrictions on what type of job a participant chooses, and it will be up to our partners to determine what is best for the participants. Zero-hour contracts might suit some participants, whereas others may prefer part- or full-time employment. The measures for the programme are job starts and income thresholds. The type of contract held is not material.

How will you ensure coordination/collaboration and communication between commissioned services?
We intend Connect to Work to be a collaborative programme. We will create a delivery working group that will meet regularly to share best practice and expertise, to problem solve and innovate.

Can you use any Access to Work funding also for those on this programme?
Yes, Access to Work funding can be used for Connect to Work. (Connect to Work Guidance technical note C).

Are you proposing that there be a central CMS / CRM maintained by the council, or will providers need to maintain their own systems?
Yes, there will be a central CRM for recording participant progress which will run alongside the DWP 'PRAP’ system, which will be used to report job starts and by the DWP to monitor income thresholds.

Is there a measure as to how often Employment Specialists see clients?
We understand that frequency of contact will be decided on a case-by-case needs-led basis. Some participants, might need contact every few days for 12 months, some weekly for three months, some fortnightly for six etc. Whatever the frequency, we need to adhere to the supported employment model (accepting everybody that wants support, focusing on moving them quickly into paid employment in a sector that they are interested in, having positive, regular engagement with them to support them in role, and ensuring that they receive employment related activities and support. We will check and assure the quality of provision.

Has a wage structure been agreed for the teams?
The suggestion from the IPS model is that IPS employment specialists will work with 25 clients and SEQF with 20. Those that receive grants will have flexibility for setting their own budgets, although they will need to include eligible costs.

Can participants request which service they would prefer to work with?
Yes. All participants will go through the Triage team, but providers can refer participants into the triage team, and recipients will be provided with information about the most suitable providers (e.g. specialist cohort provision) but can request a preferred provider esp. due to proximity of service).

Will you be commissioning as per 75%/25% IPS/SEQF guidance? Will you be differentiating between IPS and SEQF outcomes as typically SEQF programmes have a higher participant cost?
We will have different unit costs for IPS and for SEQF provision. The DWP wants local areas to meet the 75:25 split. We will seek providers that are keen to deliver either the IPS OR SEQF model as pilots have shown that fidelity is harder to adhere to if there is a mix of provision.

How would you see this tying in with existing bootcamps? Would this operate as something like a pre-course with progression onto a bootcamp or would this have to act as a standalone?
We anticipate that Bootcamps could follow on from Connect to Work support. Individuals could be supported into a job and then could undertake a Bootcamp specific to the needs of the role that they are undertaking in order to upskill. Participation in the Bootcamp would need to be validated by an increase in salary. This could be a useful incentive for employers (filling a vacancy and upskilling their new staff).

Is it a prerequisite for providers to have existing IPS/ SEQF services or certification?
No IPS or SEQF services or certification is required to apply, but we will seek information about how you will be able to move towards delivering against these fidelity models.

Are organisations looking to become providers required to access a Framework/have an account on a portal?
No, we will run a Grant Funding process via our webpage. We are aiming to launch this in early February with a short turnaround time for applications.

Is there a maximum number of "lots" a provider can apply for grant funding for?
Our aim is to have several delivery partners. We are working on this question with our procurement team and will provide details in our grant funding guidance.