Review of the interventions delivery target

Jobcentre Plus introduced the Interventions Delivery Target (IDT) in April 2007. The target was designed to ensure that lone parent, Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Jobseeker‘s Allowance (JSA) customers are provided with timely work-focused support at key stages of their benefit claim. The IDT aims to ensure that 85 per cent of specific interventions take place within stated timescales and it is measured across four elements of interventions delivery, with each element forming an equal share of the overall score. These four elements are: • 80 per cent of initial IB Work Focused Interviews (WFI) are conducted after the end of the eighth week of the claim and up to the end of the 13th week. • 85 per cent of Income Support (IS) lone parent WFI reviews are conducted within three months of the due date. • 85 per cent of cases checked for 13 and 26 week JSA advisory interviews are conducted within six weeks of the due date. • JSA Labour Market Interventions (LMIs) and follow-up activity for the case of non-availability or refusal to work are conducted in 90 per cent of cases checked.
Overall, the study aimed to review the early implementation of the IDT, identifying any ‘bedding in’ issues, and then go on to review steady state running of the target. The research focused on providing an overview of how the mechanics of the IDT were working and how Jobcentre Plus staff managed performance. To achieve this, the review was conducted in two distinct but interrelated stages: Stage One, a post-implementation review carried out during June and July 2007 and Stage Two, a stock-take review during November and December 2007. A qualitative approach was utilised, focusing on the views and perceptions of individual staff gathered via a series of in-depth interviews.