I propose to take Questions Nos. 1510 to 1516, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. My Department has contracted two companies, Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited, to deliver JobPath services. The contracts are for four years comprising with a two year ‘run-off’ period (during which time no additional clients will be referred). As the Deputy will be aware JobPath commenced in July 2015, therefore client referrals will continue until 2019 and the “run-off” period will continue until 2021.
For the purposes of the JobPath service all long-term unemployed jobseekers on the Live Register are categorised into groups based on their duration of unemployment (e.g. 1- 2 years, 2 – 3 years etc.). Selection for referral to the JobPath provider is by means of stratified random sampling using these groupings; the objective being to ensure equity in selection and also that people referred to JobPath are a representative of the long-term cohort on the Live Register.
The duration of a person's JA claim is recorded in terms of days of unemployment. Jobseeker Allowance claims are made up of continuous periods of unemployment. Any two such periods not separated by more than 52 weeks is considered to be the same continuous period of unemployment - this is known as linking the claims. Long-term jobseekers that may have left the live register to go into employment for less than a year are still considered to be long-term if they reopen their claim within that period. They retain certain entitlements (for example no waiting days and other supplemental benefits) and are available for selection for activation services including JobPath.
Customers who have not been in full-time employment but are returning to a Jobseeker’s payment from other departmental employment schemes, for example community employment and TÚS are also eligible for selection for JobPath.
As part of the JobPath process each person is assigned a personal advisor who assesses their skills, qualifications and experience with a particular focus on identifying skill deficits.
JobPath providers arrange for the delivery of a broad range of education and training courses. Some of these are provided in-house while others are provided by specialist training providers including the Education and Training Boards (ETBs). In-house courses include CV preparation, interview skills and confidence coaching. External courses include such subjects as adult literacy, IT and various construction related skills. In addition JobPath participants may also apply for the Back to Education Allowance Scheme in order to pursue second and third-level courses.
The Department will extend the period for receipt of the JobPath activation service for up to 6 months while a customer pursues an externally delivered approved course, during that time the JobPath companies remain in contact with the person to provide any support they need whilst on the course.
For any long-term programmes of education such as a third-level course the client is withdrawn from JobPath with no financial benefit to the JobPath provider. Customers who are commencing courses and have been approved for the Back to Education Allowance are not required to engage with the JobPath service.
The JobPath model has a number of key features which enables my Department to monitor all aspects of the service provider’s performance and ensure contract compliance.
Every participant is provided with a service guarantee - a baseline level of service covering frequency of engagement, personal progression planning, geographic accessibility and in-employment support. This is to prevent so called ‘parking’ of clients.
Providers are obliged to accept all clients referred by the Department and have no role in the selection of clients which prevents ‘cream-skimming’ of the employable jobseekers in preference to jobseekers that are more distant from the labour market. The period of engagement with the service for any individual jobseeker is 52 weeks. Participation is mandatory for those who are referred.
Fees are paid on the basis of performance. With the exception of the initial registration fee, payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment. All the initial set up costs have been borne by the JobPath providers.
The service providers are subject to regular audits and inspections. In addition my Department commissions regular, independent, Customer Satisfaction Surveys to ensure that services are being delivered satisfactorily.
It is important to note that failure to achieve satisfactory customer ratings and/or failure to achieve employment placement targets may result in reductions of fees paid via the use of retention fees - in effect these are penalties that reduce fees paid by up to 15%. Where Contractors do not address the issue that gives rise to use of retention fees to the satisfaction of the Department, the Department has the right to terminate the contract.
Regular on-site checks and inspections are carried out to ensure that JobPath is delivered in accordance with the contract. To date, 37 on-site inspections have been carried out at provider service delivery locations around the country.
The inspections monitor compliance with the service level agreement and the contract generally, including the suitability and standard of accommodation, staffing levels, Irish language compliance, customer service and customer feedback, checking the client’s Personal Progression Plan, Review Meetings compliance, the checking of Job Sustainment Fee Evidence Types and Exit Plans.
JobPath is a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs are borne by the companies. Payments are made on a phased basis over a 12 month period in respect of each jobseeker placed into sustained employment. Accordingly the contractors will not be able to fully recover their costs unless they help a sufficient number of jobseekers to secure employment and then support them to sustain that employment over a 12 month period.
JobPath is assessed on an on-going basis through regular inspections and performance reporting. My Department has begun publishing a performance report for the service on a quarterly basis. The most recent report was published on the Department’s website in June and can be accessed at - http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/JobPath_Performance_Report2017.pdf.
It is intended that a full econometric evaluation of the service will commence in early 2018.
The outcomes of the customer satisfaction survey, also published in January, indicate that jobseekers are having a positive experience with the service. For example, jobseekers felt that they were receiving a good service (with 71 to 86% satisfaction vs. 5 – 8% dissatisfaction) and that the staff of the service made them feel valued (90+ %). Finally, the Department intends to commission a full econometric evaluation of the service towards the end of 2017, when a sufficient number of jobseekers will have completed their engagement period with the service and when a robust set of outcome data will be available to facilitate the analysis.
A complaint is defined as “an expression of dissatisfaction, measurable by reference to service standards, and requiring a response.” Issues covered by the complaint process may include delays, mistakes and poor customer service and also complaints made under Sections 25, 26, 27 and 28 of the Disability Act, 2005. To date 108,343 Jobseekers have been referred to the service, with 342 complaints received in total.
The Department’s contract with the JobPath provider requires them to have a comprehensive Complaints Procedure and this is advertised in every provider location. The procedure contains levels of escalation whereby complaints are dealt with at a level of authority appropriate to the complaint and ensuring that matters are fully addressed.
The JobPath providers log and record all complaints they receive and submit the total twice monthly to my Department. Likewise, my Department log and record all complaints received directly in respect of the JobPath service and forward them to the JobPath provider in line with their contract obligations.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
