Consultation on Job Grant

Section 4: Wider Strategic Context

23. The Job Grant aligns with wider Scottish Government policies, in particular the Fairer Scotland Action Plan, the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, Fair Start Scotland’s employability support and the Independent Care Review.

24. The Fairer Scotland Action Plan^[3] has 5 ambitions and 50 actions for this parliamentary term. The plan came about as a result of wide ranging consultation in 2013/14. Action 39 of the Fairer Scotland Action Plan is to introduce a Job Grant for young people aged 16-24 who have been out of work for 6 months or more.

25. The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan^[4] sets out the concrete action which the Scottish Government will take to make progress towards meeting the ambitious targets set out in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. The Plan identifies a Job Grant for young parents out of work for six months as having potential impact on all four targets set out in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act.

26. In addition, there is a commitment to invest £12 million from the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan to provide new intensive employment support for low income parents. This will help those already in work to build skills, progress through their careers and earn more. It will also support those who are unemployed to move into or return to work, complementing Job Grant.

27. Fair Start Scotland^[5] is an employment support service which over three years is looking to provide support to a minimum of 38,000 participants who want and need help to enter and remain in work. The service will target a wide range of participants including long term unemployed, disabled people as defined by the Equality Act 2010, people on the Employment Support allowance Work Related Activity Group, care experienced young people and lone parents.

28. The Job Grant will supplement the support from Fair Start Scotland for young people as it aims to support a smooth transition into employment. We will be working with providers including Remploy Ltd, People Plus, Start Scotland, Wise Group, Momentum, and Falkirk Council to ensure they signpost relevant young people to the Job Grant.

29. Improving the life chances for care experienced young people is a key policy priority for the Scottish Government. The Independent Care Review^[6] that was announced by the First Minister in May 2017 and that is currently ongoing will identify and deliver lasting change in the care system and leave a legacy that will transform the life chances and wellbeing of children and young people in care. We think that Job Grant can help to play a part in improving outcomes for care leavers.