The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Engagement Programme launch event was held at Five Ways House, Birmingham on the 27th March 2017. Delivered by the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing (the Centre), the event marked the launch of a period of intensive engagement with local places, to support DWP and the joint DWP/DH Work and Health Unit.  Known as the DWP Engagement Programme, this work will involve engaging and working with a small group of local system partners with an interest in employment support, health and social justice issues.

The aim of the Engagement Programme is to understand, and help improve, information sharing between local system partners.  Thus, enabling local services to support different groups of people with specific needs, who are likely to be in contact with a range of services, for example:
• people in receipt of out-of-work benefits, for instance those in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance due to ill health who might benefit from improved support to treat or manage their health condition;
• people living in families who have particularly disadvantaged circumstances (e.g. parents with substance misuse problems) who may have very specific support needs that require a case managed approach; or
• people who are in contact with health services like psychological therapy services but not welfare services, who might benefit from improved or more tailored employment support advice through Jobcentre Plus e.g. through Access to Work

A key outcome of the programme will be to build capability across organisational boundaries in local places by documenting and sharing the learning captured, and, if desired, create a peer learning network.

The purpose of this report is to:
•provide an overview of the findings from the launch event;
•identify key information sharing challenges for further investigation; and
•provide context so feedback can be given by DWP leads on the key challenges identified. This will help inform the development of a delivery plan for the next stage of the DWP Engagement Programme.