Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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374. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the services that will be rolled out in the Cork area under the Intreo scheme. [23030/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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As the Deputy will be aware, INTREO is the name for the new service model of the Department integrating the employment services and community programmes formerly of FÁS, and the Community Welfare Services (CWS) formerly of the HSE and the income support services provided by the Department itself.

INTREO’s one-stop-shop offices includes a single integrated decision-making team that integrates and streamlines the processes formerly undertaken by the different agencies now amalgamated into the Department. Already clients are seeing the benefits of the integrated decisions process in pilot offices in terms of shorter decision times and in the reduced recourse to supplementary payments in offices where integrated decisions are in operation.

More importantly the service model is focused on existing clients to prepare for and access work opportunities. As part of this approach, the clients are asked to sign a ‘social contract’ with the Department. The client acknowledges their responsibility to work to secure employment at the earliest possible opportunity, on the understanding that failure to adhere to those undertakings may result in the reduction or withdrawal of income support payments.

To support the client in this endeavour, the most significant elements of the Intreo approach are:

i) Profiling of clients to inform the approach taken to activation (e.g. training, work experience etc)

ii) Early engagement with clients through group engagement sessions – this informs clients of options and services available to them

iii) One to one interviews with case managers to support the client develop and follow a Personal Progression Plan and to assist the client to access activation and employment opportunities.

INTREO is also refocusing the Department’s relationship with employers with a range of events at national and local level to increase the Department’s engagement with employers and to increase their recruitment of employees from the Live Register.