Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) resources (b) training (c) information is available to Job Centre Plus managers to help them (i) find out about specialist support providers in their local areas and (ii) work with these organisations to support jobseekers.

In addition to the Department’s response to PQ112602, answered on 16 November 2017, DWP Partnership Managers work with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, to establish what support is available locally to encourage partnership working and to ensure claimants are signposted appropriately.

There is an Employers and Partners Knowledge Hub to support staff working with employers, partners and claimants. This includes resources, guidance and information on Work and Health, Universal Credit, Labour Market Intelligence, learning and the latest news from the Employer and Partnership community.

Jobcentre Managers are also provided with specific learning on ‘Making Effective Use of Provision’, which builds their capability and understanding on how their teams identify and agree the appropriate provision to support people into work.