wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_244
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_244

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Connect to Work referrals come from (a) healthcare professionals, (b) local councils, (c) self-referrals and (d) community organisations. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Connect to Work programme has been designed with local authorities and is being delivered by local areas. Each local area across all of England and Wales has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Local areas working with their Delivery Partners and DWP are fully responsible for delivery of Connect to Work as outlined in their Delivery Plan.

Connect to Work participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Connect to Work employment specialists may be integrated into primary and secondary health care settings and other support services to assist individuals with mild to moderate mental and/or physical health conditions.

The Connect to Work grant funding is formula based. To access the funding each accountable body has been invited to develop their plan for delivery, reflecting needs across their area. Connect to Work is designed to give local areas considerable flexibility in determining how they deliver Connect to Work locally, including decisions about integration into health care settings. While there is an expectation that employment specialists will work in partnership with health services to support individuals with health-related barriers to work, DWP has not set requirements for the number or type of health care settings in which they must be embedded. This allows local areas to tailor delivery to meet the specific needs of their populations and existing service infrastructure.

Local areas are fully responsible for identifying referral routes in their areas. Connect to Work has wide ranging referral routes into the programme, which include primary healthcare, community care and other care settings and through social prescribing together with wider local organisations e.g. Voluntary and Charity Sector services and employers as well as Jobcentre Plus. A breakdown of referral routes for participants is not yet available centrally.

The Connect to Work programme has been rolling out and opening across England and Wales throughout this year. As of October 2025, around a third of delivery areas have Connect to Work services already open to participants.

For areas that have yet to have their Connect to Work funding confirmed, DWP continues to provide support to help them finalise their delivery plans. We expect these areas to have their services live by spring 2026.

Total funding for Connect to Work will reach over £1 billion across England and Wales over the next five years and provide around 300,000 sick or disabled people with help to get into work by the end of the decade.

Data is not yet available for the Connect to Work Programme. The Department plan to develop official statistics to support Connect to Work, and updates will be shared via the DWP Statistical Work Programme.