Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
February 2017
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Contents
Contents ................................................................................................. 1
Time .................................................................................................... 2
Objectives ........................................................................................... 2
Learning Points ................................................................................... 2
Event Preparation ............................................................................... 3
Support Material .................................................................................. 3
Validation ............................................................................................ 3
Method of Delivery .............................................................................. 3
Welcome and Introduction ...................................................................... 4
Objectives of the event .................................................................... 5
Introduction ...................................................................................... 6
Summary ....................................................................................... 14
End of Topic .................................................................................. 14
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Time
40 minutes.
Objectives
At the end of this event learners will be able to:
describe the aims and objectives of the HWC and the training
state the domestic arrangements
describe the main principles of the HWC; and
describe the components of the HWC.
Learning Points
This event will cover the following learning points:
Aims and objectives of the HWC and the training.
Main principles of the HWC.
Components of the HWC.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Event Preparation
The facilitator has attended facilitator workshop delivered by the
Behavioural Insights Team.
Laptop with the Power Point slides and projector.
Support Material
HO 1.1 Schedule for the training day.
HO 1.2 Claimant version of the booklet.
HO 1.3 Work coach version of the booklet.
Topic 01 Power Point Pack.
Validation
Successful completion of this event will be measured by:
Question and Answer.
Method of Delivery
This event is facilitator led. It uses Q&A, activities, discussion and Power
Point slides.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Welcome and Introduction
Show Slide 01 – Topic 01 Health and Work
Conversation.
Introduce yourself.
Before starting, go through any housekeeping (toilets,
fire exits and assembly point, where to buy
drinks/snacks during the breaks). Refer to the Generic
Facilitator Pack to facilitate the domestics.
Hand out the schedule for the day, and say that the
Work Coaches will receive a handout electronically at
the end of the training.
Show Slide 02 – Schedule.
Briefly talk the participants through the schedule for
the day
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Show Slide 03 – Introductions.
Ask everyone in the room to briefly introduce
themselves by answering the four questions below.
You have in total 15 minutes allocated for covering
housekeeping, the schedule and participant
introductions.
Objectives of the event
Show Slide 04 – Aim.
The Health and Work Conversation is an early intervention aimed at
ESA claimants who have submitted their claim about 4 weeks earlier.
They won’t yet have had their Work Capability Assessment.
It’s a mandatory interview for the claimant but any actions agreed during
the conversation will be voluntary.
The conversation is the first time you see the claimant and it lasts 40
minutes.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
The HWC has been developed to help you work effectively with
claimants with a disability or a health condition.
This training will enable you to conduct effective Health and Work
Conversations with your claimants.
Show Slide 05 – Objectives.
Read out the slide.
By the end of the training you will be able to:
Explain why we are introducing the Health and Work Conversation.
Use information from claimants to make the conversation claimant-led
and empowering.
Use evidence-based tools to engage with claimants who may be
resistant – as well as to reach your own goals.
Explain the basics of the evidence behind these tools.
Identify and develop other skills that support the HWC.
Introduction
Show Slide 06 – Introduction to the HWC.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Before we dive into the different parts of the conversation in detail, let’s
take a brief step back and discuss why we are introducing the HWC as
well as how it can help you to work with claimants who have a disability
or a health condition.
Show Slide 07 – Why are we introducing the HWC?
Activity: Reflecting on difficulties with claimants.
Introduce the activity by reading the script below.
After 2-3 minutes, ask the group to share some
thoughts on the challenges.
Take 3-4 challenges from the group, then move on to
the policy context.
Why are we introducing the HWC? One reason is due to challenges in
working with some claimants with a disability or a health condition, which
you might have experienced yourself.
We’ve already asked you to reflect on this as a part of the e-learning, but
just take a few minutes to reflect on what difficulties you have
experienced when working with a claimant with a disability or health
condition? Do this in groups of 2 or 3.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Show Slide 08 – Policy context.
In addition to the issues you’ve mentioned, the broader policy context
is that there are three times as many claimants on ESA compared to
JSA and the numbers are growing.
Currently DWP does not engage with ESA claimants until after their
Work Capability Assessment, which can be some months into the
claim.
People who have developed a health condition or disability are likely
to be facing a stressful and challenging period in their lives.
An early intervention will help claimants identify small steps they can
take towards their goals.
This will build motivation and resilience and increase the likelihood of
work-related activity, and ultimately finding work.
Show Slide 09 – How was the HWC created?
The tools that make up the HWC were developed by the ESA policy
reform team with extensive input from many other groups and experts.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
This includes work coaches, charities, behavioural insights experts and
academic researchers. This ensures that the tools are strongly
evidence-based, and that they are relevant and practical for work
coaches to use with claimants.
The HWC is designed to complement and build on existing training, such
as Solution-focused training.
It supports changes in Work Coach Delivery Model 2 and Universal
Credit which have a mixed caseload approach.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Show Slide 10 – Main principles of the HWC.
The HWC is built on 4 main principles:
The HWC is a conversation - not an interview. This means it’s a two-
way discussion where the claimant gets ample opportunity to voice
their thoughts and opinions. This also means that the session should
not be about form filling. The Booklet that supports the conversation
(which we’ll introduce shortly) is there as a support, not as an end in
itself.
The HWC is claimant-led – the claimant gets many opportunities to
consider their own values and goals and to come up with their own
answers and responses. The HWC has scope for the claimants to
consider what they think will be helpful for themselves, but it still has
scope for you to provide support and guidance too.
The HWC is holistic – it looks at the claimant as a whole, including
wishes and aspirations that are not work-related.
And the HWC is calm – the approaches covered in the HWC require
the claimant to feel calm and safe. This means that you should make
sure to answer any questions or concerns that they have at the start
of the conversation so that the claimant can feel relaxed and calm
during the conversation. Where needed and possible, you should also
consider booking private interview rooms for the HWC so that the
claimant can feel comfortable sharing information with you.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
Show Slide 11 – Overview of a HWC session with a
claimant.
We will go through each part of the HWC in a lot of detail today.
But to give you an overview of what will be covered, here’s a flow chart
that covers the different parts that make up the HWC.
Before you see the claimant, three things will have happened: 1) they
will have received a call from an admin person to book the appointment,
2) they will have received an appointment letter, 3) you will have called
them 2 days before their appointment.
The HWC itself consists of ‘About Me’ which is short form with questions
filled in by the claimant and a discussion afterwards; an optional ‘Values
Affirmation’ exercise completed by the claimant; the My 4 Steps exercise
and finally completing the Action Plan. You will learn about each one of
these in detail in the rest of the training.
Show Slide 12 – HWC booklet.
Give each Work Coach two versions of the HWC
Booklet: one claimant version (HO 1.2) and one Work
Coach version (HO 1.3).
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
You should all have in front of you two booklets – one is a claimant
version and one is your work coach version.
The booklet guides you and the claimant through the conversation. At
the end of the conversation, the claimant gets to take the booklet home.
The Work Coach Booklet is exactly the same as the claimant booklet,
except that it contains additional guidance and script for you to use. This
was developed based on a request from work coaches at the Tottenham
Jobcentre who piloted the HWC. They said the work coach version
became their ‘bible’ in the first weeks of delivering the conversation. We
will be using it this afternoon to practise delivering the HWC.
Show Slide 13 – HWC booklet.
Ask the participants to have both versions (claimant
and work coach) in front of them so that you can point
out the differences between the two.
When going through the different parts of the booklet,
ask participants to turn to the appropriate page to see
which element the work coach guidance refers to.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
The work coach booklet has been designed to mirror the claimant
booklet. After each section that the claimant sees, your version has a
detailed script and guidance on how to cover this section with the
claimant.
We ask you to stick closely to the guidance for the first weeks until you
feel comfortable delivering the HWC. After this point, you will probably
use the work coach booklet less. That said, you’re still expected to
always cover the different parts in this order.
The different parts covered in the health and work conversation are:
General introduction: this is the first page of the booklet which
explains to the claimant what the HWC is about. When the claimant
first comes in, the person handing over the booklet should spend a
few minutes explaining to them what the session is about (using
guidance in the work coach version). This might be you or it might be
someone at reception, based on what approach your office agrees
on.
About Me: this is a short form that the claimant fills in.
My Values – this is not included in the claimant booklet because it is
an exercise that the claimant doesn’t have to share with you. We’ll
talk about this more shortly.
My 4 Steps – this is the core part of the HWC and we’ll spend most of
the afternoon discussing how to facilitate this successfully.
Action Plan – at the end of the conversation, you will discuss any
voluntary actions the claimant can do and these will be recorded on
the LMS.
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Module Name
Health and Work Conversation
Topic 01 - Introduction
The main thing I’d like you to remember is that the HWC is a
conversation, not a form filling exercise. So while we ask you to use the
booklet to guide the conversation, you should always explain and
discuss the sections with the claimant before asking them to write
anything down.
As said, we’ll next go through each part of the Booklet in more detail.
Show Slide 14 – Any Questions.
Summary
In this topic you have learnt about the following:
Aims and objectives of the HWC and the training.
Main principles of the HWC.
Components of the HWC.
End of Topic
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