South London Partnership (SLP) Trailblazer Initiative

The Trailblazer for Economically Inactive Residents is designed to create new referral pathways, integrate health, employment, and skills support, and provide easier access for residents through trained practitioners. With a ‘No Wrong Door’ approach, this programme will ensure seamless triage and support services, starting in April 2025 and continuing throughout the year.

Addressing Service Gaps

South London currently lacks the capacity to integrate health and employment services effectively. The Trailblazer will close this gap by embedding skills within health services and vice versa, improving strategic governance and access to essential programmes.

 Key Projects

  • MSK Support Project – Trialled in Sutton and Merton, this initiative will provide career mindset coaching and vocational training, working closely with GPs and social prescribers to reduce GP caseloads while improving job outcomes.
  • Community Link Worker Project – Focused on social housing residents, this project will train community link workers to build trusted relationships and enhance employment and skills support through new referral routes.
  • Self-Referral Digital Tool – A new digital triage platform will guide residents to appropriate GP or employment services, reducing GP patient lists and expanding access to support.
  • Community Outreach & Triage Service – Extending the No Wrong Door Integration Hub, this initiative will build a network of link workers, streamline employment support pathways, and host 12 training events for practitioners.
  • Local Employment Brokerage – Partnering with local authorities, this project will explore new ways to engage economically inactive residents, creating 15 new VCSE and Health Partnerships.
  • Multi-Disciplinary Team Pop-ups – Establishing 20 local pop-ups, this initiative will upskill practitioners and develop employment champions to strengthen community-based support.

Through collaboration with Connect to Work, the IPS Drug & Alcohol programme, and other key stakeholders, SLP is driving sustainable change for economically inactive residents, ensuring long-term integration between work, health, and skills services.

Links with Connect to Work

The Trailblazer for Economically Inactive Residents is designed to create new pathways to employment, ensuring residents find the right support for their next steps. With scalability in mind, these interventions can be expanded given the opportunity and investment.

A crucial element is the impartial triage system, which directs participants to the most suitable support pathway, embodying the principles of ‘No Wrong Door’ (NWD) in practice. We already collaborate closely with programmes such as the IPS Drug & Alcohol initiative, ensuring strategic alignment and avoiding duplication.

When Connect to Work launches in summer 2025, it will be fully integrated within this employment ecosystem, allowing more economically inactive south Londoners to access tailored support.

Through NWD, we have extensively mapped the skills and employment landscape, identifying key initiatives to address service gaps, create a more effective support system, and help both residents and practitioners navigate the opportunities available.

 

 

South London Partnership MDT Events: Connecting Communities to Careers

In 2025, South London Partnership worked with local councils to deliver a series of Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) employment events, designed to help residents overcome barriers to work and access new opportunities. These events brought together employment specialists, health professionals, training providers, and local employers to provide holistic support.

Each borough focused on themes tailored to their communities:

These events captured the energy and impact of collaboration, ensuring jobseekers receive practical advice, wellbeing support, and direct links to employers. They form part of our commitment to inclusive growth and skills development across South London

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