The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released ‘Provider-led Pathways: Net impacts on employment’, an evaluation report which looks at the Provider-led Pathways to Work programme. This was rolled out in 2007 and 2008 and catered for people on incapacity benefits with disabilities. It was abolished in March 2011 before the launch of the Work Programme.
The evaluation report found:
- The overall impact of the programme was positive and raised the proportion off benefit by a statistically significant two percentage points;
- It performed better for men and for those aged under 50; and
- Performance was as good as the interventions made by Jobcentre Plus-led Pathways to Work.
The report findings are particularly interesting given they highlight the length of time it takes for the results of an intervention programme to be properly evaluated.
The full report is available here.