Connect to Work

Description

Are you passionate about making a difference in the community?
Norfolk County Council is excited to announce an incredible opportunity to partner with us on the Connect to Work programme. This initiative aims to break down barriers to employment and provide sustainable job opportunities for individuals with complex needs. By joining forces with us, you'll not only help transform lives but also contribute to the growth and productivity of our local economy.
What is Connect to Work - The Get Britain Working White Paper - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/get-britain-working-white-paper/get-britain-working-white-paper#joint-ministerial-foreword) , released in November 2024, introduced the key supported employment programme Connect to Work, which aims to help eligible individuals secure sustainable, long-term employment. Currently, it is estimated that there are about 3 million economically inactive people in the UK, of whom 1.9million people would like to work, but require support to do so.
Norfolk County Council is expected to support 1200 individuals (annually in peak years) at an anticipated and average cost of £3.6million per year, delivered over an initial three-year period, with the opportunity to extend to 4.5 years.
Connect to Work will help connect local work, health and skills support and help eligible participants to secure sustainable work through a voluntary supported employment model, adhering to Individual Placement & Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) frameworks. Through this, Connect to Work will expand the use of the proven five stage Supported Employment model of 'place, train and maintain'.
How will it be managed and delivered?
Norfolk County Council is the Accountable Body for Connect to Work. Working with the Department for Work and Pensions, Norfolk County Council will oversee the Connect to Work programme including procuring and managing delivery partner(s) to provide sufficient high-quality support to participants and employers to make the programme a success.
Our ambition is to deliver this programme in partnership with high-quality provider(s), who are able to meet set targets for supporting economically inactive adults across Norfolk into work.
We are looking for delivery partner(s) with demonstrable experience of providing employment support which delivers to both individuals with complex barriers, and employers who will provide the sustainable jobs. All partner(s) that succeed in the selection process will deliver the IPS approach in supporting participants and clearly demonstrate their capacity to do so in the application process.
Successful bidders will illustrate their capacity to integrate Connect to Work in chosen locality(s), aligning the programme effectively to local community/VCSE and primary care health settings. Providers will engage with participants directly, establishing visible referral opportunities for the range of eligible programme participants.
Further, the successful bidders must show developed relationships with employers within the chosen (or a commutable distance given the target audience) with the ability to identify employment opportunities and support employers to provide successful, sustainable job outcomes.
Further information about the programme and monitoring arrangements which will be required of partners can be found in the:
Connect to Work: Grant Guidance for England -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connect-to-work/connect-to-work-grant-guidance-for-england
The IPS delivery model is available below:
https://ipsgrow.org.uk/about/
Previous Engagement 
NCC have previously introduced the emerging Connect to Work programme, on the occasions below: 
The Great Yarmouth Health & Wellbeing Partnership (17th March 2025) 
VCSE Workshop (29th January 2025) 
These events were primarily introducing discussion on the Get Britain Working Local Plan, the overarching employment strategy, of which Connect to Work will play an important delivery role.