Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mental health training is provided to work coaches; and how many work coaches in Scotland have received mental health training to date.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive training programme designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to provide a high quality service to all claimants. Specific training and guidance is provided for working with different vulnerable groups and those with complex needs including claimants with mental health conditions.

In addition, Work Coaches have completed a two-day workshop, designed by experts in mental health and psychologists, and delivered where possible alongside external mental health partners. The training began in November 2017 and was completed at the end of March 2019. April 2019 will see the start of delivering this training to staff across the entire organisation who are employed in a claimant facing role, whether they engage with claimants by telephone, face to face or digitally.

At the end of March 2019 all 1589 Work Coaches in Scotland had received Mental Health Training.

* The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution