Ministers have this week released a statement announcing a brand new employment programme for severely disabled people . ‘Work Choice" will be introduced in October and will sit alongside the Work Programme. It aims to help people who face the most complex and long term barriers into employment.
Throughout the revamp of Welfare to Work, the new coalition government have highlighted the importance of the third sector in delivering innovative services in the heart of the local community.
Pluss is the first and only Social Firm to be selected as a prime provider of the new Work Choice programme; indeed we will be the only Social Firm prime across all current DWP Welfare to Work provision.
A relatively new company, just approaching its fifth birthday, Pluss is the largest Social Firm in the UK and helps over 2,500 people with disabilities into work each year.
Pluss’ Managing Director, Martin Davies, is one of the pioneers behind the new programme. Heavily involved from its conception, he has worked in depth with the DWP to develop the current delivery model.
With its South West roots, Pluss employs over 250 people with disabilities, is a ‘Star’ Social Firm and has just been positioned number 41 in the Western Morning News Top 150 companies in the South West.
What makes Pluss unique is turning its passion, its specialism into strategy - ensuring it helps people with disabilities furthest from the labour market. These are people who are often turned away from mainstream provision due to being ‘hardest to help’ or deemed ‘not ready to work’.
By developing a range of innovative services designed around customers, Pluss has a proven track record of successfully supporting these people into employment.
Pluss’ services include an in-house intermediate labour market that employs and trains hundreds of disabled people, external internships with major local employers, local employee-led mini social enterprises, and help for offenders with multiple disadvantages.
Pluss has also developed a unique way of measuring social value, whereby those statistically furthest from the labour market (including people with complex mental health issues, learning disabilities, and autism) attract the greatest value and are therefore priority to help in to work.
We are delighted that our success has been recognised by DWP and are very proud to represent the Social Firm / Enterprise sector in the transformation of Welfare to Work.
Notes 1. Pluss is a Social Enterprise that supports 2,500 people with disabilities into work each year. Formed in 2005, Pluss is owned by Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council, Somerset Council and Torbay Council. Pluss has over 500 employees, over half of whom have a disability. Pluss has an annual turnover of £24 million. 2. Pluss is due to sign the new Work Choice Contract . It will run Work choice Contracts in Devon and Cornwall, and West Yorkshire to compliment is existing and emerging services throughout the South West. 3. Link to Carley Consult site for overview of Pluss status as largest Social Firm http://www.carleyconsult.co.uk/news/?p=416 4. For more information on Social Firms visit http://socialfirmsuk.co.uk/about-social-firms/what-social-firm 5. Background for Welfare reform: Quote from Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State. “ The proportion of people parked on inactive benefits has almost tripled in the past 30 years to 41% of the inactive working age population. Some of these people haven’t been employed for years. Indeed, as John Hutton pointed out when he had this job, “Nine out of 10 people who came on to incapacity benefit expect to get back into work. Yet if you have been on incapacity benefit for more than two years, you are more likely to retire or die than ever get another job. We literally cannot afford to go on like this. The need to reduce costs is shared across the government, but here in DWP we always have to be conscious that we are often dealing with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. That is why I will be guided throughout this process by this question – does what we are doing result in a positive Social Return on Investment? In short, does this investment decision mean a real life change that will improve outcomes and allow an individual’s life to become more positive and productive?” Source: Guardian article http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/27/iain-duncan-smith-welfare... Full speech: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/newsroom/ministers-speeches/2010/27-05-10.shtml