Meeting documents

The Executive
Tuesday, 19 April 2005

EX190405-19

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ITEM EX19

EXECUTIVE – 19 APRIL 2005

PARTNERSHIP ACCORD WITH JOBCENTRE PLUS

Report by Head of Human Resources

Introduction

  1. At the Council meeting held on 11 January 2005, a motion from Councillor Brian Hodgson was passed urging the Executive to develop a partnership accord with Jobcentre Plus. The purpose of this accord as stated in the motion would be to target the hardest to reach individuals within the working age population. Another aim would be to help fill the wide range of posts within the Council. This report provides some background to enable the Executive to consider the issue.

    2. Background

  2. In May 2003 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Jobcentre Plus and the Local Government Association agreed a national Partnership Accord "Helping the Hardest to reach into Work". This sets out the basis for improved collaborative working at a local level between the DWP, Jobcentre Plus and local authorities, and "gaining the commitment of local authorities to make Jobcentre Plus their recruitment partner of choice". A copy of the Accord is attached as Annex 1.

  3. Jobcentre Plus targets people who are on incapacity benefit and tries to get them back to work. In addition to their incapacity, these people find it hard to return to work because:

    • 60% are long term unemployed

    • 50% are over 50

    • 40% have no formal qualifications

Services that Jobcentre Plus can provide together with some examples of progress that other Councils have made are shown at Annex 2.

Current Position

  1. We have obtained the ‘Tool Kit' sponsored by National Accord partners together with IdeA and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion. The Tool Kit is designed "to refresh and re-energise the way local authorities and Jobcentre Plus work together."

  2. An initial meeting has been held between representatives of Corporate and Directorate HR teams and the local Jobcentre Plus Business Development Manager, their Regional Sales Manager and their Government Account Manager for the East of England (they don’t have one in the South East). We have begun to gather evidence of external best practice and we are mapping the existing internal links with Jobcentre Plus, for example:

  • Learning & Culture

Community Learning have a Memorandum of Understanding on children’s centres and neighbourhood nurseries.

  • Social & Health Care and Resources

Jobs have been advertised through Jobcentre Plus.

  • Community Safety

Work with Jobcentre Plus has been ongoing since 2001. They have offered 8-week work placements for refugees, during which participants remained on benefit. It has also employed refugees for short-term contracts rather than recruiting through employment agencies.

  1. Corporately the Council is a member of the Oxfordshire Employers Race Equality Network, of which Jobcentre Plus is also a member. The current chair of OEREN is John Hurren (Deputy Chief Fire Officer). The Corporate HR team have also consulted with Jobcentre Plus on the new policy on employing disabled people.

    2. Next Steps

  2. If the Executive is agreeable to progressing the principle of a local partnership accord with Jobcentre Plus we propose to establish a small working group with representatives from Jobcentre Plus, our Directorate/Corporate HR community and Directorate teams who have existing links to Jobcentre Plus. The working group would look at best practice, draft the partnership accord, and develop an outline action plan. It is envisaged that the partnership accord would consist of a strategy, vision, objectives and key targets. The action plan to support the accord would be firmed up after finalisation of the accord.

  3. The parties to the local partnership accord would be the County Council and Jobcentre Plus. However the Partnership Accord Tool Kit lays emphasis on contacts with other local agencies and organisations and on the strategic overview that the local strategic partnership can provide. It is suggested that the progress of the working group could be overseen by a Steering Group comprising the primary partners together with local representatives of those interests. The precise composition of the Steering Group would be agreed by the primary partners but could include, for example:

  • the Oxfordshire Community Partnership

  • Oxfordshire Learning Partnership

  • Local Learning & Skills Council

  • Skills Training Providers

  • South East England Development Agency

  • Voluntary/Community Sector

    1. It is envisaged that Jobcentre Plus would be represented at District Manager/Operations Managers/ Business Development Manager level and the County Council by the Deputy Leader of the Council (as Executive Member for Human Resources matters), the Head of Human Resources and the Strategic Policy & Economic Development Unit Manager. Any formal action required of the County Council could be delegated to the Head of Human Resources in consultation with the Deputy Leader.

    2. It may also be considered that the partnership accord should be a key part of our next PSA bid which could include a strong element of working with the district councils, the universities and the health sector.

      3. RECOMMENDATIONS

    3. The Executive is RECOMMENDED:

            1. to decide whether to proceed with the proposal to develop a partnership accord with Jobcentre Plus on the basis outlined in the report; and

            2. (subject to (a) above) to authorise the Head of Human Resources, in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council, to take any action appearing to them to be required for the management of the process and the agreement on the part of the County Council of the content of the partnership accord and action plan and their implementation.

     

    STEVE MUNN
    Head of Human Resources

    Background papers: Nil

    Contact Officer: Steve Munn, Head of Human Resources Tel: (01865) 815191

    April 2005

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