Work Works
Tuesday/11/Dec 2007 Filed in:
Social and Economic
Issues
You can
download the list and their allocations here:
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/xls/576317
While the detail's yet to be fully announced its unlikely that the same levels of sneakiness that have enabled people to spend NRF money on "wraparound" services will be as easy to engage in with WNF. Local partnerships will need to make sure that the focus of the outcomes they pick for their targets 198 (see Local Government Indicators stuff above) really focus on employment and investment in skills.
However given the rising numbers of people around who end up claiming sickness and incapacity benefits because of their drugs use (as I recall its doubled to about 140,000 or something over the past ten years - and that's probably the tip of the iceberg) it'd be a good idea if you know that your area is going to be one of the lucky ones to get WNF, to start talking to your LSP. You might want to discuss how you could work with them to make sure the extra help can benefit people who have fallen out of the labour market because of the problems they've experienced with drugs and/or alcohol. There are lots of good projects out there you can learn from. One I particularly like helps people coming to the end of prison sentences to set up small businesses.
Start-Up Home Page
Its also a good time to revisit some of the successes of Progress2Work, the drugs specific employment initiative that fell out of the 2002 strategy (it is in fact rumoured that the results of Progress2Work were "sat on" by DWP because they were so good they showed Job Centre Plus performance up)
You can find out more about WNF on the Communities and Local Government Website:
The Working Neighbourhoods Fund - Communities and neighbourhoods - Communities and Local Government
Remember, you need to talk to your Local Strategic Partnership about this - or get your DAT to talk to them. Not all areas are going to receive WNF - only the most deprived, but its still worth raising the issues of employment and training in relation to people who have experienced problems with drugs or alcohol. Worklessness and poverty is often at the root of social exclusion. Social exclusion is one of the things that can make a difference between having a problem with drugs and becoming a problem drug user.
*If all this talk of LSPs and LAAs and NRF is perplexing, please download the Guide to the Local Implementation of the Drug Strategy here:
Sara McGrail - National Drug Strategy Guide
You may still be perplexed, but you'll be as in the know as anyone else, AND you'll have something to hit your DAT Co-ordinator with at the next DAT conference
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/xls/576317
While the detail's yet to be fully announced its unlikely that the same levels of sneakiness that have enabled people to spend NRF money on "wraparound" services will be as easy to engage in with WNF. Local partnerships will need to make sure that the focus of the outcomes they pick for their targets 198 (see Local Government Indicators stuff above) really focus on employment and investment in skills.
However given the rising numbers of people around who end up claiming sickness and incapacity benefits because of their drugs use (as I recall its doubled to about 140,000 or something over the past ten years - and that's probably the tip of the iceberg) it'd be a good idea if you know that your area is going to be one of the lucky ones to get WNF, to start talking to your LSP. You might want to discuss how you could work with them to make sure the extra help can benefit people who have fallen out of the labour market because of the problems they've experienced with drugs and/or alcohol. There are lots of good projects out there you can learn from. One I particularly like helps people coming to the end of prison sentences to set up small businesses.
Start-Up Home Page
Its also a good time to revisit some of the successes of Progress2Work, the drugs specific employment initiative that fell out of the 2002 strategy (it is in fact rumoured that the results of Progress2Work were "sat on" by DWP because they were so good they showed Job Centre Plus performance up)
You can find out more about WNF on the Communities and Local Government Website:
The Working Neighbourhoods Fund - Communities and neighbourhoods - Communities and Local Government
Remember, you need to talk to your Local Strategic Partnership about this - or get your DAT to talk to them. Not all areas are going to receive WNF - only the most deprived, but its still worth raising the issues of employment and training in relation to people who have experienced problems with drugs or alcohol. Worklessness and poverty is often at the root of social exclusion. Social exclusion is one of the things that can make a difference between having a problem with drugs and becoming a problem drug user.
*If all this talk of LSPs and LAAs and NRF is perplexing, please download the Guide to the Local Implementation of the Drug Strategy here:
Sara McGrail - National Drug Strategy Guide
You may still be perplexed, but you'll be as in the know as anyone else, AND you'll have something to hit your DAT Co-ordinator with at the next DAT conference