European
Social Fund Support for Families with Multiple Problems
from the
Department for Work and Pensions
What is European Social Fund Support
for Families with Multiple Problems?
DWP is using
around £200m of funding it receives from the European Social Fund
(ESF)
to help families with
multiple problems overcome barriers to employment.
This provision
will support the wider cross government agenda to help turn around
the lives of families with multiple problems. It will be available
in England only and is being developed alongside the roll out of
Community Budgets and the Working Families Everywhere Campaign.
The provision will be employment
focused and help tackle barriers to work faced by unemployed people
and disadvantaged people and aim to increase employment. Provision
will be voluntary and will add value to other existing provision for
these families within the area.
Who is this ESF provision aimed at?
This provision is aimed at
individuals in multi generational families with multiple problems
that require support to move into employment. Many of these
families are already known to and receiving support from local
authorities; therefore, local authorities will identify families to
participate in this provision.
DWP expects individuals identified
for this provision to have significant and/or multiple barriers to
work. Therefore the ESF provision will require a whole family
approach to tackling the entrenched worklessness and complex need of
these families.
To be eligible, families will have to
have at least one member on DWP out of work benefits and a history
of worklessness in the family.
How will ESF Support for Families
with Multiple Problems be delivered?
DWP is letting contracts for this
provision through the Framework for the Provision of Employment
Related Services. Prime Providers on the Framework will work with
local authorities to identify suitable families to work with.
Successful providers will work with local authorities throughout the
life of the contracts to ensure local needs continue to be met.
The primary aim is
to help individuals progress towards work by achieving progress in
specific areas, identified and tailored to the individual throughout
the time they are participating in the provision. Recognising that
many of the participants will be far from the labour market, a
further aim will be to prepare some individuals for entry to the
Work Programme.
Keys Dates
|
ItT issued to Framework
Providers |
30 June 2011 |
|
Bidder event for
Framework Providers |
7 July 2011 |
|
Closing date for bids |
30 August 2011 |
|
Bid evaluation |
31 August to 28 September
2011 |
|
Preferred bidders
announced |
Mid October |
|
Go live |
December 2011 |
