Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2013
176. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the implementation of the Pathways to Work initiative; the number of unemployed dealt with by the new system to date; the success rate in gaining employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4088/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the ‘Pathways to Work’ policy commits to the provision of more regular and on-going engagement and greater targeting of activation places and job opportunities for those who are unemployed. It also aims to increase engagement and incentivise employers to provide more jobs for people who are unemployed. INTREO is the new integrated employment activation and supports service model delivering on the ‘Pathways to Work’ policy. The first ten Intreo offices have now opened and service performance has improved in all of these offices with claim processing times and waiting times for new claimants for group interviews and follow up one-to-one interviews reduced. For example most clients in Intreo offices are called to a group engagement within one week and have their claim assessed and determined within three working days. Previously the lead time for group engagement was three months while claim assessment took up to three weeks.
The most significant elements of the Pathways to Work approach are: profiling of clients to inform the approach taken to activation, and in particular to target those who are most likely to become long-term unemployed and to provide appropriate interventions at the earliest possible stage; early engagement with clients through group engagement sessions; one to one interviews with case managers; the agreement of a personal progression plan between the client and the Department setting how the steps to be taken by the client, with the support of the Department, in order to re-enter employment; the signing of a social contract – known as a Record of Mutual Commitments – between the Department and the client. This sets out the client’s rights with regard to the type and quality of services to be provided by the Department but also sets out the client’s responsibility to engage with these services and actively seek employment.
Progress under each of these headings is as follows: the profiling of all new claimants is now operational in all DSP offices. Under the Pathways to Work programme, the Department had profiled 53,800 new claimants to the end of 2012; 68,600 clients had participated in group engagements by the end of December 2012; 158,000 one-to-one initial interviews were conducted by the end of December. In addition a further 134,000 follow-up meetings held by the end of 2012; all new clients in Intreo offices now sign the social contract.
Enhanced engagement with employers at local level is also part of the Intreo process and this is progressing well. As the process is still in the very early stages of rollout and as it is operating in parallel with the National Employment Action Plan process, which it is replacing, it is difficult to separate out and assess its performance in terms of progression rates into employment. In any event it will take some time for the impact of the new process to be felt in terms of employment progression rates.
