AQW 6039/16-21

Mr Eamonn McCann
People Before Profit Alliance
Foyle

Tabled Date: 24/10/2016
Answered On Date: 08/11/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to outline any sanctions his Department plans to impose on Steps 2 Success private contractors that fall short of the performance standards expected in relation to getting people into, and staying in, a job.

Answer:

The Department has a robust contract and quality monitoring regime in place for the Steps 2 Success (S2S) programme which is managed by a Departmental Contract Management Team which has the key role of ensuring the programme is delivered to a standard which meet the terms and conditions of the S2S contract. The Department also has a Quality Performance Team which has responsibility for evaluating the quality of the programme. A key focus of each quality evaluation is on how well Lead Contractors and their supply chain partners are meeting the needs of individual participants throughout their journey from initial referral to the programme to sustained employment.

The S2S contract has a set of performance indicators, against which the performance of the programme is measured. The main measures of success focus on the percentage of participants moving into and sustaining employment.

Unsatisfactory Performance will not go unchallenged by the Department. Prompt and appropriate action, up to removal of contracts, will be taken in all cases where a Lead Contractor falls short of the required standard, in order to protect the Department’s legal position, safeguard the use of public money and ensure that Steps 2 Success achieves its objectives, including the need to deliver value for money.