Carolyn Harris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for the workload of Jobcentre Plus of providing appropriate advice and support to parents with children aged two, three and four who (a) have never been employed, (b) do not have five A* to C grades at GCSE, (c) have a history of addiction, (d) have mental health problems and (e) were formerly looked-after children.

Priti Patel

Jobcentre staff are trained to deal with a wide range of circumstances, offering a personalised approach.

In readiness for Universal Credit, Work Coaches will be multi skilled so they can work with the person to resolve a variety of issues or barriers preventing them securing employment. This is based on individual need rather than around particular groups or characteristics.

There has been no specific assessment made of the implications for the workload of Jobcentre Plus of providing appropriate advice and support to parents with children aged two, three and four who (a) have never been employed, (b) do not have five A*-C grades at GCSE, (c) have a history of addiction, (d) have mental health problems and (e) were formerly looked-after children.