Indus Delta Welfare to Work Newswire - 14 October 2011

Parkhouse Bell: building recruitment relationships

Parkhouse Bell is a recruitment consultancy that provides a confidential and specialist service across all levels within the welfare to work industry.  For more information visit our website or our dedicated jobs page on Indus Delta.

Justice For All - online lobbying of MPs on legal aid reform 

Justice for All is a coalition of groups lobbying on legal aid reform. To coincide with the run up to Commons report stage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill they have launched an online tool to aid lobbying.  Read more here.

Child Poverty Action Group seeks to overturn the government's cap on housing benefit 

The Guardian has uncovered a rift between welfare secretary Iain Duncan Smith and the Child Poverty Action Group over CPAG's attempt to to overturn the government's cap on housing benefit  Read more here.

Charity calls on government to take action to reduce ethnic minority unemployment despair 

BTEG has published a new policy briefing paper entitled Challenges for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic employment and enterprise in the new policy context.  Read more here.

Work Programme providers will be crucial in stemming the rising tide of youth unemployment, says ERSA 

As youth unemployment hits a record high of 991,000, the Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the trade body for the welfare to work industry, has announced its partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop solutions to tackle youth unemployment.   Read more here.

New Work Academies launched

The government launched a number of Work Academies this week offering training and a guaranteed job interview to up to 50,000 people ahead of new figures set to show another rise in youth unemployment.   Read more here.

Charities losing out on Work Programme contracts and vulnerable jobseekers are being sidelined

This week Patrick Butler reported in the Guardian that charities are losing out on contracts to get people into jobs through the government's Work Programme, and vulnerable jobseekers are being sidelined.  Read more here.

SOVA first non government partner to sign up to Compact

National charity SOVA has become the first non-governmental partner to sign up to the Compact and secure Compact Voice’s Compliance Mark. Working with Compact Voice, SOVA has developed a Compact compliant preferred provider process for new tendering opportunities and contracting which is being launched this month.   Read more here.

ERSA comments on NCVO voluntary sector provider survey

The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), the trade body for the welfare to work industry, has responded to the survey by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations on the experience of voluntary sector providers of the Work Programme.  Read more here.