In 2018, the UK House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee expressed “grave concerns” over work coaches in JobCentre Plus. They suggested that coaches were seen as “policemen…potentially undermining claimant trust and confidence.” Exacerbated by financial pressures, coaches were given less time to clarify what people wanted and needed from work.

By contrast, when a member of staff from MayDay Trust interacted with a client, they asked him what he wanted to work on. The client stated that people “always tried to rush me and tell me what to do…She never put pressure on me, she just talked to me like a person.” After a decade of living on the streets and addiction, they identified what he needed together.

We concluded that “Good Help” supports people to feel hopeful and confidently take action. It is about sharing responsibility rather than making people feel a lack of agency or that their future is in someone else’s hands. “Bad help” does the opposite, undermining people’s confidence, sense of purpose and independence.

We identified the differences in approach and how we might apply best practices to public services across the UK and further afield. Research was conducted through over 60 interviews, public events, surveys and discussions with experts.

Hundreds of organisations were engaged to take Good Help principles forward, with twenty local authorities on board. We’ve worked with Rochdale Borough Council to integrate Good Help across their services, commissioning and workforce, and will be releasing our findings this year.

Read the report in full.