Ealing Council has extended its West London Strategic Employment Support contract with The Shaw Trust for three years, starting 1 April 2028. The decision, made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 10 December 2025, aims to provide continued employment support services across West London. The West London Alliance (WLA) is working towards a whole system approach with North West London (NWL) and North Central London (NCL) Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to deliver these services. In some cases, this has led to the need to pass grant funding to organisations within the NHS to implement the services.
The West London Strategic Employment Support contract aligns with national employment strategies and initiatives. Services such as Connect to Work, the employment support programme for people whose health is a barrier to employment, have been devolved to 49 accountable bodies across England and Wales. WorkWell is being run in 15 Vanguard areas nationally and is commissioned by the joint Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) / Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Health and Employment team. The Musculoskeletal (MSK) Trailblazer is one of 11 Economic Inactivity Trailblazers nationally.
The extension and variations to the contract will allow for additional caseloads and extended terms for several key services, including Connect to Work, WorkWell, and the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Trailblazer service. Additionally, the contract with VIA (formerly Westminster Drug Project) to deliver the IPS Service for users of Drug and Alcohol treatment services will be extended for a further two years from 1 April 2026. The IPS D&A Service provides Individual Placement Support (IPS) for service users of Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services (D&A).
The cabinet also agreed to enter into grant agreements to accept funding from DWP, DHSC, NHS Organisations, GLA or other Government Departments for up to £90m to cover the increased costs of the Connect to Work, WorkWell and MSK Trailblazer services. The Director of West London Alliance is authorised to pass grant funding to boroughs covered by the North West London (NWL) ICB, the boroughs covered by the North Central London (NCL) ICB, and to NHS Organisations within the geography of the NWL ICB and NCL ICB to support the delivery of Connect to Work, WorkWell and MSK Trailblazer services.
The West London Strategic Employment Support contract, initially awarded to The Shaw Trust in January 2025, is valued at up to £250 million and runs for ten years, expiring at the end of the financial year 2034/35. It serves as an overarching agreement for all West London Employment Support services, with additional services added as needed.