The research, entitled Key Worker Living Evaluation: Early Findings, found that the KWL is helping towards improving recruitment and retention of key workers, such as teachers, nurses and police.
The report also found that the programme was seen as offering good value for money for key workers through its low risk access to the housing market.
The report concluded a majority of employers interviewed thought KWL was having a positive effect on improving their recruitment and retention situation, as well as bringing improvements to their services in the medium and long-term.
The research, which is based on an analysis of zone agent monitoring data and interviews with zone agents, employers and other stakeholders, also found the KWL programme is well-targeted in terms of both employment sector and geographical coverage. The programme was considered to be efficiently administered through the one-stop-shop zone agent model, which in itself was built upon experience of delivering the Starter Home Initiative (SHI), the predecessor to KWL.
All interviewees considered the Key Worker Living Programme to have improved upon the SHI, particularly with the range of products and level of support available now seen more appropriate under KWL.
The early findings of the evaluation, which identified calls from some employers for the eligibility criteria for Key Worker Living to be extended, has led to the ODPM widening the range of front line public sector workers applying for the programme from April 2006, where there is evidence of recruitment and retention problems.
Other research published by ODPM today provides further evidence of the important role of housing in determining whether or not key workers stay in London and the South East, particularly remaining in their profession. It also reports on the positive impact of the Starter Home Initiative, which achieved its aim of helping over 10,000 key workers. Almost half (49 per cent) of purchasers said the SHI encouraged them to stay in their current job.
More detailed information on the impact of the programme will become available as the research continues, with the final report due in 2006.
