Welsh authority considers partnerships to deliver ‘Connect To Work’ programme

Alec Doyle, Local democracy reporter

A regional plan to introduce the UK Government’s Connect To Work programme to tackle long-term unemployment will go before Flintshire councillors next week.

The Government’s Connect To Work scheme is part of its broader Get Britain Working strategy, which aims to bring together skills and health to get more people into work.

Nationally it aims to support 100,000 people in long-term unemployment back to work each year. In North Wales that breaks down to around 1,300 a year. Connect to Work is initially a five-year programme due to begin in the first quarter of 2026/27.

Those eligible include people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, the homeless, offenders or ex-offenders, carers, victims of modern slavery, veterans or their partners, victims of domestic abuse, individuals affected by drug dependency, young people leaving care, refugees and young people identified as at risk of being involved in serious violence.

But the cost of employing individuals to operate the programme is too steep for cash-strapped councils, so Flintshire’s Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee will on Tuesday consider plans for regional partnership working to activate the scheme.

Connect To Work will allocate jobseekers to one of two pathways – Individual Placement and Support (IPS) or the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).

IPS integrates employment support into primary and secondary health services and other support services, seeking to turn finding work into a health outcome within the health system.

SEQF offers a deeper level of support to both the participant and employer for those with more complex needs. Participant will receive more contact and support, particularly in the workplace, to help them adjust to working life.

Jobseekers will be assessed and allocated to one of these two schemes. Authorities will receive £3,700 to cover the cost of each placement.

On Tuesday Flintshire councillors will consider whether to approve a plan to partner with Wrexham County Borough Council to appoint an outside company to deliver IPS and with all North Wales Authorities to appoint an external firm to deliver SEQF.

According to a report by council officers the plan would minimise the need for individual authorities to take on the cost of staff to deal with a small number of cases per authority and share the risk of cost overruns and employee liability.