Stronger third sector involvement in delivering the Government's radical welfare to work reforms is called for today as a new 'third sector' taskforce is announced by James Purnell, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Stephen Bubb Chief Executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations today.
Chaired by Tony Hawkhead, the Chief Executive of Groundwork UK, the taskforce will report directly to James Purnell and Employment and Welfare Minister, Stephen Timms. The new taskforce is further acknowledgement of the success of Government programmes such as Pathways to Work - delivered by a mix of private and voluntary sector organisations - designed to help the long-term sick and disabled people into work. Pathways to Work programmes are now available in every region across Britain.
James Purnell said:
"The taskforce will bring together a range of voluntary and charity organisations across the third sector - their challenge will be to look at the role of the third sector and in particular what it can bring to welfare to work reforms that others cannot - I look forward to working with the taskforce and receiving their recommendations early next year." The taskforce will focus on a number of areas, such as identifying any barriers to the third sector playing a full and active role in welfare to work reforms and how to mitigate them, and to recognise good practices and how we can replicate them.
Stephen Bubb, acevo said:
"Many third sector organisations work at the coal-face of local communities, and with their personalised and integrated approach they can play a vital role in transforming welfare-to-work programmes, as providers of and advocates for new and better services. We believe this Taskforce represents real progress towards engaging the third sector's potential, and I expect it to result in a step-change in DWP-Third Sector relations."
The taskforce is expected to publish its recommendations to James Purnell in early 2009. Notes to Editors:
1) Stephen Timms, the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform is the taskforce sponsor
2) The taskforce will hold its first meeting on 17 June 2008.
3) Pathways to Work, became available across the whole of the Great Britain in April 2008.
4) So far, 64,000 people have been helped into jobs through the Pathways to Work programme.
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
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