Delivering the Jobcentre Plus vision : qualitative research with staff and customers (Phase 3)

Jobcentre Plus is a key part of the Government’s strategy for welfare reform. It brings together the services of the Employment Service (ES) and the Benefits Agency (BA) to provide a single point of delivery for jobs, benefits advice and support for people of working age. In October 2001, 56 Jobcentre Plus Pathfinder offices and associated contact centres were established in 17 clusters across the UK, offering a fully integrated work and benefits service. The aim of the Pathfinder offices was to lead the way in demonstrating the new service, culture and organisation of Jobcentre Plus. Representing the second stage of the national implementation of Jobcentre Plus’ ‘day two’ offices were planned to roll-out between April 2002 and March 2003 across twenty-four districts (some of which included Pathfinder offices). Further offices are planned to open over the next three years and the network will be complete by 2006. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) commissioned the Labour Market Research Partnership (led by ECOTEC Research & Consulting Ltd) and the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University to conduct a qualitative evaluation of Jobcentre Plus. The overall purpose of the research was to assess the extent to which Pathfinder and day two offices were delivering the Jobcentre Plus vision. This report presents the findings of qualitative research conducted with staff and customers in Jobcentre Plus offices. It builds on earlier research to show the progress achieved by Pathfinder offices over the last year and includes an assessment of delivery within the new, day two offices. First Contact.