Alternatives to work-base required for some, welfare reform report states.

OTTAWA -- Welfare reform, if it is to be effective for those recipients who have difficulty maintaining full-time paid employment, may require alternatives to work-based programs, says a report from Human Resources Development Canada.

The report Reconnecting Social Assistance Recipients to the Labour Market is part of HRDC'S "Lessons Learned" series on major social policy issues. It looks at the legislative, administrative and philosophical shift in income support from an entitlement program designed to help fight poverty to a more temporary benefit intended to promote individual self-sufficiency through attachment to the labour force.

The report outlines 10 lessons that can be learned from a number of jurisdictions that have engaged in welfare reform. The lessons include:

* legislative and regulatory changes are necessary to reduce the number of cases, but not sufficient to promote economic independence;

* defining "employability" is difficult despite three general assessments--job ready, training ready and those with multiple barriers--given the complex diversity of the clientele;

* rapid start employment strategies may have limited long-term impacts, except for the most job ready, and may not result in wage increases that raise people out of poverty and into self-sufficiency;

* work experience programs are most effective when they are temporary, focus on marketable skills acquisition, and support clients in resolving personal issues;

* earned income policies, such as increasing the allowable level of earned income, earned income tax credits and employment subsidies, encourage employment;

* education is important to moving beyond low-wage jobs

* training programs that link with employers can assist the welfare-to-work process, provided that additional supports are in place;

* child care support and other subsidies are essential to the low-wage work often associated with welfare reform;

* integration of social assistance, employment services, and training programs increases the effectiveness of service delivery;

* attitudinal and cultural change within the administrative structure is essential.

No matter how successful welfare reform is, the report says, there will remain a number of recipients who are unable to maintain full-time employment.

Noting that citizens should have the opportunity to be involved in activity that is socially and personally rewarding, it suggests a combination of part-time work, community service or volunteer work with some form of assistance in order to support recipients' participation in society.

-- Alternatives