Welfare Reform Team Evaluation of European Social Fund pilot project 2014-2015

Customer stories
The best way to illustrate customer journeys in the project is by describing some of
them.
Many project customers had been unemployed for three years or more, which
presented challenges that the Work Programme had been unable to solve. Other
customers had just signed on for benefits like JSA and housing benefit, and were
much closer to the labour market.
The team’s customer focus and emphasis on relationship building meant that we
aimed to identify and meet customers’ specific needs – in many cases, long term
support was needed to help them back into work, but this was not always the case.
Sometimes a targeted intervention of the right advice at the right time was all that
was needed.
The team’s holistic approach also meant that we were able to identify and support
customers with issues unrelated to finding work. The team’s role is a blend of work
coaching, benefits advice, housing advice and homelessness prevention, and we
were able to support customers to resolve their housing and benefits issues as well
as to find work.
The range of support we offered is shown in responses to the customer consultation
survey we carried out at the end of the project.
Support given to project customers
Other support
18%
Referral to courses/educational opportunities in
the city
Referral to a local Job Club for help finding work or
employment training
32%
39%
Referral to the Citizens Advice Bureau or a local
advice centre for help with debts and financial…
24%
A Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to help
pay your rent
76%
Help with benefits advice
34%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Percent of survey respondents
33