Employment

In this section:

	Employment

Postponement of mandatory discussion with a drug treatment provider

Read the letter from Jobcentre Plus regarding the decision to implement a phased approach to the referral of problem drug users to a treatment provider. This means that the implementation of the mandatory discussion with a treatment provider planned for the 27th April has been postponed pending the Welfare Reform Bill's - Royal Assent expected later this year.

Please note the drug employment pathway work remains a central plank of the Drug Strategy’s recovery and reintegration agenda. The 27th April remains a key date for ‘go – live’ albeit only for voluntary referrals at this stage.

New Jobcentre Plus drugs co-ordinators

The new national drug strategy puts a focus on supporting drug users in overcoming dependency and become drug free. One of the main ways to support individuals to achieve this goal is to help them develop their skills, training and employment prospects.

To this end, the Department of Health have allocated £9m of new money (over the course of 2008/9 to 2010/11) to enable new Jobcentre Plus drugs coordinators to be based in every Jobcentre Plus District in England.

Letter
Summary of new staff in each area
Contact details

Estimates of the numbers of working age drug users claiming benefits in each partnership area

Summary

London	South East	South West
Eastern	East Midlands	West Midlands
North West	North East	Yorkshire and Humber

Developing practice for drug partnerships, Jobcentre Plus and drug treatment providers

Planning, commissioning and delivering the training and employment pathway for problem drug users (PDF)

Guidance for drug partnerships and treatment providers in planning, commissioning and delivering training and employment pathways for problem drug users (in partnership with Jobcentre Plus).

Read accompanying letter from NTA Director of delivery.

Joint NTA/Jobcentre Plus presentation regarding development of drug employment pathway

Presentation

NTA working with Jobcentre Plus to support clients through drug treatment and into work

From Monday 27th April, Jobcentre Plus advisers will be actively encouraging problem drug users claiming benefit and not already in drug treatment to attend an initial discussion with a drug treatment provider.

NTA lead
Jez Stannard
Programme manager - Treatment delivery
Tel: 020 7972 1951