Jobcentre Plus has invited has invited applications for Grant Funding from partners aimed at improving the job prospects for people facing the most complex and intractable barriers to employment.

Jobcentre Plus wants to work together with partners across the country to improve the job prospects for local people. It will focus on developing creative and innovative solutions to help unemployed people move into work.

A key to the new approach will be to join up public services such as health, housing, transport, employment and skills to help local people back into work.

Partners are being sought to add to existing Jobcentre Plus services to unemployed people before they join the Work Programme. Potential partners need to demonstrate that Jobcentre Plus objectives cannot be met by other means before there is a commitment to funding. Payments will be linked to agreed work-related outcomes.

The main customers groups who are to be supported include Work Programme Completers and those involved Local Authority Partnership deprivation programmes. There will also be a focus on ex-offenders, customers who have never worked before and those over 50 with low or no qualifications.

Grants will be available to recognised Lead Accountable Bodies who will manage and be accountable for the money on behalf of the partnership. A LAB must be a legal, not for profit entity with auditable accounts such as a voluntary organisation, charity, local authority, a Community Interest Company (CIC), Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) or equivalent, or a commercial organisation operating within state aid de minimis regulations.