Acceptance of DWP Kickstart Scheme Grant Offer

The Kickstart programme is designed to provide new six month job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment - to provide paid employment, employability training and insights into career pathways. This paper seeks approval for the acceptance of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Kickstart grant funding of up to £300,000 for an anticipated 30 placements.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve the DWP Kickstart Grant Offer and associated terms and conditions of up to £300,000 for thirty Kickstart placements.

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new six month job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) expressed an interest to the DWP in the scheme and has received an offer of grant funding.

1.2. The purpose of the scheme is to engage with vulnerable young Londoners to provide paid employment, employability training and insights into career pathways.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The grant offer is based on 30 placements. The placements are for 6 months and comprise 25 hours per week. The start date of the job placements can commence up until the end of December 2021.

2.2. The DWP grant covers the costs of the placement at the National Minimum Wage. MPS propose to fund the additional costs to pay the London Living Wage from within its own resources.

2.3. This paper proposes a grant payment to a third party to support host departments better and ensure that the Met gives each placement a high standard of wrap around support and future employability prospects. The expected value of the grant payment is below £50,000 and so within the delegation of the MPS.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This proposal seeks approval to accept up to £300,000 DWP Kickstart funding in 2021/22-2022/23. The total current estimated cost (excluding opportunity costs) of the scheme is £344,053 which would attract DWP funding of £221,588. The MPS propose to meet the shortfall in funding of £122,465 from within their existing budget.



4. Legal Comments

4.1. MOPAC may enter into an agreement pursuant to Schedule 3, paragraph 7 (1) Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) whereby MOPAC has incidental powers to “do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office.” Paragraph 7 (2) (a) provides that this includes entering into contracts and other agreements.

4.2. The DWP makes the grant under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973.

4.3. Paragraph 4.8 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation and Consent requires the approval of the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to approve the receipt of the grant.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. The current DWP offer letter is made on the basis the MOPAC is the gateway of the grant and is to enter into a further employer sub-agreement for the Kickstart posts. The MPS shall submit a single employer Kickstart Scheme application (i.e. not being a Gateway for other employers to participate) with MOPAC named as accepting Kickstart terms and conditions with the MPS as beneficiary, to avoid the need for a further employer sub-agreements.

5.2. The final terms and conditions of the grant are still to be confirmed by DWP and will be reviewd by MPS.

6. GDPR and Data Privacy

6.1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.

6.2. Kickstart will use personally identifiable data of members of the public. The MPS has completed the DPIA screening questions and will develop an agreement required to share data between the MPS, MOPAC, DWP and a third party.

7. Equality Comments

7.1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

7.2. The MPS has initiated the assessment for equality impacts and will complete a full assessment when the strategic partner is appointed and there is confirmtaion of the candidate pool and placements.

8. Background/supporting papers

• Appendix 1 MPS Report Acceptance of DWP Kickstart Scheme Grant Offer