Commentary: Consulting with a breadth of stakeholders was challenging, as agendas
were diverse. There was a strong perception that the worklessness agenda, with its
overriding emphasis on “getting people back into work”, carried a blame element –
being driven by the current financial/policy drivers. The lack of clear accountability
and governance arrangements and the absence of secure funding for the future
co-ordination and roll-out of the strategy posed real threats to its publication. Although the aim was to produce a multi-agency, joined-up strategy, the lack of funding for future delivery and the lack of ownership presented dilemmas for the agencies
involved (and the authors of the strategy).