4.5.1 Data used
Thus far, this chapter has been based on longitudinal analysis of the data available from the series of panel interviews. We have discussed changes people perceived in their lives and influences on their decisions, as they reported these at three intervals in the panel study when people were at various stages in participation in the Pilot. The rest of this chapter now presents a different perspective, that which comes from asking people at the end of the panel period to reflect retrospectively on what happened. In the final interview in the panel study we asked people to think overall about what happened after they joined the Pilot. We asked people to reflect on their current circumstances, compare these with their circumstances when they joined the Pilot, think about their expectations for the future, and talk about the general picture of what difference the Pilot had made to their lives.
Findings in Sections 4.5 and 4.6, thus, draw on data from the 18 interviews with people who completed the series of panel interviews. They had all been followed for the same length of time and had three contacts with the researchers. Most were at least 12 months from their first contact with the Pilot. This kind of perspective does not provide detailed information about experience of service, or how views develop and decisions are taken. Rather, we have reflective comments and suggestions from people looking overall at their lives, and balancing up the positive and negative impacts of all their experiences of the Pilot. It is this picture of the Pilot that people may take forward into the future, when details of interactions have become more blurred but general impressions and beliefs may still be important in influencing views and behaviours.
It is important to remember that this and the following section draw on a different kind of data from preceding sections in the chapter and other earlier chapters presenting longitudinal analysis. Some views may appear more polarised than in preceding parts of the report, while some may seem more muted. This largely reflects the different way in which people were invited to reflect in the final panel interview. Findings in this chapter do not contradict what has been reported so far; they offer a different perspective which deepens our understanding.
4.5.2 Reflections on the experience of the service
Looking back, there were mixed views on the value of the interactions with Jobcentre Plus, and services offered and received in the Pilot. Not everybody judged the value of the service on how far it helped them move towards work. Some attached equal or more value to the way they were dealt with or made to feel about themselves.
People left with a generally positive view were people who had found the Personal Adviser or other staff easy to talk to and understanding, had not felt pressured towards work, and said they received useful information or support which proved to be of practical help. As we might expect, included here were most of the people who had help in using Permitted Work rules and Return to Work Credit, and people who found Condition Management Programmes to be helpful, but also people who had been referred to other agencies such as mental health services. Also left with positive views were people who valued their increased confidence and general morale, which had helped some take independent steps towards work, or feel more hopeful of working in the future.
Feelings of overall disappointment were expressed by some people who said although they had liked the Personal Adviser and learned useful things about services and support available, their expectations were not met. In particular, people mentioned not being told about suitable job opportunities by Personal Advisers or Job Brokers, or being told about jobs perceived as unsuitable. People who had strong negative feelings when they looked back on the overall experience were mostly men and they said, for example, that they had never expected anything useful, and had wasted their time. Some said they had felt pressured towards paid work throughout their contacts, and were relieved when it ended.
4.5.3 Reflections on the difference made in people’s lives
In addition to weighing up positive and negative aspects of service, we asked people to judge how much difference in their lives the Pilot had made. People thought about ‘difference made’ in terms of work circumstances, knowledge gained and general feelings about themselves.
Those people who said taking part in the Pilot had made a big difference in terms of their current work circumstances included some of those who were already focused on work when they joined the Pilot. Taking part in the Pilot had given them confidence, useful information and contacts, and helped to maintain momentum towards their jobs. Among those who had not initially been focused on work but thought the Pilot had made a big difference, one person said her circumstances had changed considerably since joining the panel. Gaining increased confidence and morale from taking part in a condition management programme had helped her deal with depression, think about work as a real possibility again, and take a job opportunity when this arose.
Some people perceived the difference made in terms of knowledge gained about services and opportunities. Being told about extra money available (Return to Work Credit and the Adviser Discretionary Fund); Permitted Work rules; the role of Job Brokers; or how attending college courses affected benefits had enabled people to make decisions and take action. Being put in touch with agencies who subsequently provided helpful information and advice (for example, mental health services) had also made a difference in the lives of some people, even though they felt no nearer paid work.
Talking to a Personal Adviser had also made a difference in terms of general confidence and morale for some people, helping them adopt a more positive outlook. Some people said it had taken some time for them to feel positively about the service, however, and they observed that it was easier to see what they had gained by looking backwards.
One group of people said that the service had made no difference at all. Included here were people who had liked the Personal Adviser and not minded taking part in interviews but had gone on to do what they planned anyway. Also included were some who had received considerable help already in New Deal programmes or from DEAs, and felt that the Pilot had added nothing new. The group also included people whose overall view of the service was strongly negative and who felt taking part had no impact other than to make them feel frustrated and under pressure to attend unhelpful interviews.