Researchers have found that large numbers of people who could and should be working are refusing to take the risk of coming off benefits. This report aims to help solve the problem by suggesting ways of creating the conditions for people on benefits to feel safer about working. It highlights some of the most damaging and contradictory features of the system and suggests ways forward. (91 pages).
Another, more recent publication on this topic from October 2005, (also available in downloadable PDF format from the Social Firms UK Resource Centre), is called 'Bridging the gap'. Written by Leona McDermid of Social Firms Scotland, it looks at the Benefits System in the UK and produces recommendations for improvement. Due to the similarities in these two reports, Leona McDermid went on to analyse the two approaches taken. Her conclusions appear in "Different routes, same destination", also available as a PDF in the Social Firms UK Resource Centre.
