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2mo ago

DWP Deploys 1,000 Jobcentre Advisers to Offer Voluntary Support to Long‑Term Sick

The nationwide rollout targets 65,000 people this year to curb rising sickness‑benefit costs.

Bilston, in Pat McFadden’s Wolverhampton South East constituency, where one in eight people are on PIP
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Overview

  • Pathways to Work advisers are now in every Jobcentre across England, Wales and Scotland, offering monthly tailored help to Universal Credit claimants in the LCWRA group.
  • The support is voluntary and offered via UC journals, with more than 10,000 people having attended at least one appointment since April.
  • People with the most severe lifelong conditions and those under Special Rules End of Life are excluded from contact under this initiative.
  • DWP cites research that LCWRA claimants who accept extra work‑coach support are about a third more likely to be in work a year later.
  • Ministers are weighing further reforms, including a possible duty to engage and changes to Universal Credit, as experts warn any near‑term fiscal impact will be limited despite sickness benefits running at roughly £80bn a year and a 2.2 million‑strong LCWRA caseload.