Local housing allowance final evaluation : implementation and delivery in North East Lincolnshire

This report is the last in a series evaluating the impact of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) on the Housing Benefit (HB) administration in the NE Lincolnshire Pathfinder. It provides an overview of the impacts of LHA on HB administration, the issues raised over the two-year period and seeks to answer the broad evaluation question of whether, overall, the LHA offers substantial administrative advantages. The key stakeholder groups in NE Lincolnshire that are involved in the delivery of the LHA, and are thus most likely to be affected by its implementation, were identified as HB administration, the Rent Offi cer Service and Jobcentre Plus. The Private Sector Housing section and Housing Strategy within the Council, and CARE Rent, a local charity, were also included in the Evaluation as stakeholders. Landlords were interviewed individually in the earlier stages of the evaluation and discussions were held with the newly launched Landlord Forum at Wave 3. A series of interviews was conducted by senior staff from the Centre for Research in Social Policy with individuals from the stakeholder groups in NE Lincolnshire. These followed a set of interview guides designed for each type of stakeholder (which were also used in the other eight Pathfinders)

High hopes: supporting ex-prisoners in their lives after prison

[Taken from Summary] The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commissioned the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) to undertake this exploratory study to gain an indepth understanding of the attitudes and expectations of prisoners immediately prior to and following their release from prison. It also aimed to gain an understanding of their views on the impact of support services on the decisions they made and experiences following release. More specifically, the research explored: • ex-prisoners’ attitudes to, and expectations of, work, their interactions with the labour market, the barriers they experience in relation to work and how these change over time; • ex-prisoners’ interactions with, and views of, service providers, such as Jobcentre Plus, and the extent to which service provision is integrated across agencies; and • the relationship between crime, employment and unemployment. The Government, through Jobcentre Plus, delivers a number of initiatives targeted at prisoners and ex-prisoners to assist them with benefit claims and employment and thereby contributes to their rehabilitation and reduces re-offending. These include: Freshstart1 appointments; Employment and Benefit Surgeries (EBSs); progress2work-LinkUP (p2w-LinkUP)2; and early entry onto New Deal programmes. The findings of this research may help to explain Jobcentre Plus and other agencies’ thinking about how the way in which they provide their services to ex-prisoners 1 The Freshstart appointment guarantees a prisoner a new claims interview appointment at their local Jobcentre Plus office as soon as possible following release. This process aims to connect ex-prisoners more quickly with financial and employment support. 2 Specialist employment support for people experiencing disadvantage in the labour market as a result of an offending background, alcohol misuse or homelessness

New Deal for Disabled People extensions : examining the role and operation of new Job Brokers

The New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) is the major employment programme available to people claiming incapacity-related benefits, and is an important part of the Government’s welfare to work strategy. NDDP provides a national network of Job Brokers to help people with health conditions and disabilities move into sustained employment. This report presents findings from the third wave of qualitative research conducted in 2005. It forms part of a comprehensive evaluation of the programme and builds upon two previous waves of qualitative research designed to explore the organisation, operation and impacts of the Job Broker service from the perspective of key stakeholders. In particular, this third wave aimed to explore why Job Brokers’ performance can vary. The research involved five case study areas, which were purposively selected to include both a new and an existing Job Broker, a mixture of different regions and both urban and rural areas. Interviews were conducted with Job Broker managers, local Jobcentre Plus managers and staff and Contract Managers

Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant cohort 2 (wave 1)

"The Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) are evaluating ALG on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills and the National Office of the Learning and Skills Council... The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) aims to support adults who have not yet obtained their first Level 2 or first Level 3 qualification. The ALG is intended to help adults with the additional costs of learning (for example, books, travel) through the provision of a means-tested monetary grant." - pp. i-ii

Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant cohort 1 (waves 1 and 2)

"The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) was announced as part of the Government’s Skills Strategy in 2003. The ALG pilot began in September 2003 in ten areas across England. The ALG aims to support adults in learning through the offer of a meanstested monetary allowance... Throughout the report (except for ALG experiences), [this] analysis focuses on comparisons between ALG applicants (or sub-groups: awardees or recipients) and qualification-eligible non-applicants." -- pp. i & iii

Understanding resources in later life: views and experiences of older people

This report explores how older people plan, use and value the resources available to them. Increasing life expectancy means that resources in later life have to be planned and managed over longer periods. Resources in this project include health, social contacts, community and neighbourhood resources, housing and transport, as well as money. The research explores access to these resources, their importance in older people’s lives, and how they interact. Different types of planning for retirement and the factors that infl uence plans and outcomes are described. People’s thoughts about, and plans for, the future are also explored. Finally, the implications of the fi ndings for government policy and for future research are refl ected on. A qualitative longitudinal approach was used, to interview a panel of 91 respondents aged 65 to 84 to investigate the consequences of changes in circumstances in later life. This report is based on the fi rst wave of interviews. It is of interest to policymakers, practitioners and academics involved in provision for people in later life

National survey of the new smoking services : implementing the Smoking Kills white paper

Background: Smoking remains a public health problem in the UK and in 1998, the UK Government pledged £60 million for smoking cessation services to be developed in England. Services were initially implemented in Health Action Zones and were developed in other areas from April 2000. Services were targeted at all motivated smokers but the government placed particular emphasis on attracting people from specific priority groups. An evaluation investigated service implementation in HAZ areas, but to date the process has not been investigated in other areas. Study Aim: To describe the new smoking cessation service which have been implemented in England and how these are being targeted at priority groups of smokers. Method: A postal survey was developed using expert opinion and documentary analysis of strategic planning documents from smoking cessation services in the Trent NHS region. The questionnaire was posted to all English smoking cessation service co-ordinators with one postal and one email reminder

Implementing a national treatment service for dependent smokers:initial challenges and solutions

Before 1999, few treatment services for nicotine-addicted smokers existed in England. When national treatment services were introduced, those responsible for setting them up liaised closely with primary care health services. Setting up an entirely new national service, treating a new category of patient (smokers motivated to stop) was an ambitious aim and this paper documents the problems encountered in the early stages of this process

Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant Cohort 1 (Waves 1 and 2)

There has been a significant change in the locus of job growth within the UK over the past two decades, with managerial, professional and technical occupations experiencing the highest growth rates. Expansion in these sectors has been accompanied by demands for higher levels of skills and qualifications from the workforce, a trend which is predicted to continue. The Skills Strategy White Paper1 has been central in setting out the Government’s aims to ensure that employers have a workforce with the right skills to support their businesses and that individuals have the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled. The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) was announced as part of the Government’s Skills Strategy in 2003. The ALG pilot began in September 2003 in ten areas across England. The ALG aims to support adults in learning through the offer of a meanstested monetary allowance. The allowance is subject to strict eligibility criteria and award relies on learners demonstrating that they meet criteria relating to UK residency, age, proposed course of study, level of prior qualifications, and that they intend to study at a designated learning provider. The grant is targeted at full-time adult learners studying for their first full Level 2 qualification and full-time learners aged 19-30 years studying for their first full Level 3 qualification. The grant is administered by one provider, Manchester City Council (MCC)