The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield are pleased to invite you to next week's Sheffield Solutions policy event on "The future of UK employment support".
Date: Mon 13th June 2016, Time: 14:00 - 16:30 (followed by an informal drinks reception)
Venue: ICOSS Conference Room, 219 Portobello, Univ Sheffield, S1 4DP
Speakers include:
* Iain Walsh, Director of Labour Market Strategy and International Affairs, Senior Civil Servant, DWP
* Mat Ainsworth, Lead for Employment Initiatives and ‘Expanded Working Well’ devolved integrated employment support programme, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
* Laura Dewar, Policy Officer, Gingerbread
* Matthew Oakley, Senior Researcher, Social Market Foundation, Social Security Advisory Committee and author of Employment Support for a high-wage economy (JRF, 2015) & the independent Oakley review of benefit sanctions (DWP, 2014)
* Chair: Dr Adam Whitworth, University of Sheffield
Much is changing in the UK employment support landscape. At the national level, Jobcentre Plus work coach delivery is to be transformed; Universal Credit roll-out continues, extending the reach and ambition of conditionality and in-work earnings progression to new groups of claimants and blurring the lines between in and out of work; the new joint DWP-DH unit brings a re-emphasis of the critical work and health interface; new data and IT platforms bring new possibilities; and as Work Programme nears its end Work & Health Programme arrives in the near future. At the city-region level, devolution presents new and unique opportunities around locally integrated systems to the reality of many claimants' multi-dimensional challenges to work, more a qualitative transformation than a simple rescaling of employment support.
Yet despite these shifts, core challenges remain in the UK system: resources are tight and likely to be stretched even further under Universal Credit; better targeting and understand of claimant’s needs remains necessary; effective central-local collaboration is key but only just emerging; and supporting claimants with more significant support needs remains in need of new approaches. At the same time, substantial sections of the UK labour market experience low-pay and in-work poverty with no clear path to a more sustainable future.
Looking ahead, what are the prospects that this emerging employment support landscape can meet the challenges and priorities over the next decade? What are the opportunities, risks and constraints that face us collectively as we seek to support all of our citizens to fulfil their aspirations to work and financial security? And have we got the policy mix right to achieve this?
Join us for this seminar to explore these questions and more. The event is free to attend but please register your attendance by emailing [log in to unmask] in the Social Sciences Partnerships and Knowledge Exchange Team (SSPIKE)
Best wishes,
Dr Adam Whitworth
University of Sheffield
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