Government Pathways to Work scheme to be rolled out across the UK

The government is to roll out its Pathways to Work scheme across the country as part of its welfare reform plans.

The announcement was made in the government's Green Paper on welfare reform published in July, which also made a "jobs pledge" to find employment opportunities for some 250,000 people currently claiming benefits, particularly incapacity benefit.

Pathways to Work offers people on long-term benefits access to advisers to help them look at the opportunities available to them, including any health barriers that may be preventing them from returning to work.

Benefit claimants attend six compulsory work-focused interviews after the eighth week of a claim. They also get access to in-work support, including job coaches, occupational health, financial and debt counselling, and disability Access to Work teams.