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Separate reports published last week by the Third Sector Research Centre and the Public Accounts Committee were highly critical of aspects of the Work Programme and raised questions over so-called "creaming and parking"
The study, Does Sector Matter? Understanding the Experiences of Providers in the Work Programme, published by the TSRC on 19 February, concluded that the controversial practice of the prime providers "creaming" off the easiest cases and "parking" the hardest ones with their subcontractors, including charities, was "endemic" to the government's welfareto-work scheme.
The research, based on the experience of providers from the private, public and charity sectors, said the practice of creaming and parking was a "rational response" by providers, given that the scheme used a payment-by-results model whereby "a proportion of customers would always be very unlikely to get a job".
It noted...