Transcript Fit for Purpose:Transforming employment support for

Fit for Purpose:
Transforming employment support for disabled
people and those with health conditions
Tony Wilson, Policy Director
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
[email protected]
@tonywilsoncesi
The Fit for Purpose project
A4e, Avanta, BASE, ESG, i2i, Ingeus, Interserve, intraining, Kennedy
Scott, learndirect, Maximus, Prospects, PublicCo, Randstad, Reed,
Remploy, RNIB, Seetec, Serco, Shaw Trust CDG, St Loye's Foundation,
The Salvation Army, Wheatsheaf Trust, Work Solutions, Working Links
Many (most?) disabled
people are not sharing in the recovery
Employment ‘gap’ for disabled people
Labour market status by level of disability
Hiring rates by disability and econ. activity
Unemployment by duration
Less than 3 months
6 months but less than 12 months
2 years but less than 3 years
4 years but less than 5 years
3 months but less than 6 months
1 year but less than 2 years
3 years but less than 4 years
5 years or more
DDA and/or worklimited disabled
people
Non-disabled people
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Just one in ten receiving
employment support
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4.2 million disabled people out of work
3.6 million with ‘work limiting’ disability or health condition
We estimate:
• Work Programme:
363,000
• Work Choice:
20,000
• Local provision/ progs: ? Low thousands
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Complex landscape – for providers, participants, employers
Reduced funding – and/ or low take-up
Often poorer outcomes, compared with non-disabled peers
But growing priority – health, social services, employment
So what works (and for whom)?
The report sets out:
• Forms of support – Supported Employment;
personalisation; employer engagement;
financial incentives; ILMs...
• Specific groups – mental health; sensory
impairment; musculoskeletal conditions; young
people
• Common themes – timing; assessment;
partnerships; workforce development; quality
management
Supported Employment
• ‘Place, train, sustain’
• Strong evidence – if it’s
done properly
• Individual Placement and
Support model for those
with mental health
conditions
• Relatively expensive,
should be targeted
There are clear (common) themes
• Personalisation
• Right level of support, tailored to needs,
with enough time
• Holistic approach – not (just) about health
and employment
• Effective partnerships
• Different form of employer engagement –
‘individual-based’ as well as ‘employment
agency’ approach
• Intervening at the right time
• Highly skilled advisers...
• ... With small caseloads!
How we commission services is critical
• ‘Payment by Results’ has brought benefits
• Outcomes focus, financial management
• But also big problems – ‘parking’, vicious circles, disinvestment
• We estimate Work Programme funding for is now £550
per ESA claimant, cf. planned £1,200
• Joint commissioning should underpin local
partnerships
• But little evidence that this is happening in practice
• Evidence based commissioning also needs to
improve – pre-requisite for devolution
So what should we do?!
Design of future employment support (1)
1.
Future employment support for disabled people and those with
health conditions should be built around three levels:
• ‘Into work’ support – for those closest to returning to work, with
some specialist support
• Health and disability employment support – for those needing
more intensive and joined up support to secure employment
• Supported Employment and rehabilitation – for those with the
most significant support needs
2.
Review the operation of Access to Work to improve utilisation and
ensure that it fully integrates into a coherent and simplified system of
DWP employment support
3.
Access to, and funding for, employment support for disabled people
and those with health conditions should be significantly increased
Design of future employment support (2)
4. Access to each of the three levels of support should be underpinned
by a common, robust assessment process – joined up with other
assessments, and with decisions reviewed after three months
5. Individuals should be able to access employment support on a
voluntary basis, but the assessment process should include the scope
to require individuals to participate where that is appropriate and in
line with their conditionality rules
6. Participants should normally be able to receive pre-employment
support in any one level for up to two years
7. Government and service providers should review their approach to
employer engagement, with a focus on: simplifying employer access;
co-ordinating work to improve awareness and education; and building
sector-led approaches
The future framework of support
Commissioning and delivery of support
8. Local and national commissioners should work together to ensure that the
three levels of support are in place – within a clear national framework but
with approaches to devolution, joint commissioning, pooling or alignment
that are appropriate to local areas
9. Jobcentre Plus and local Health and Wellbeing Boards (HWBs) should
work together to develop protocols on joint working, including information
sharing
10. Funding models for all three levels of support should include ‘payment by
results’, but with clear safeguards to minimise risks of vicious circles,
creaming and parking
11. There should be a common quality framework across all provision, based
on self-assessment, external inspection, service user input and
continuous improvement
12. A ‘What Works Unit’ should be established with a remit to collect, review
and disseminate best practices; facilitate knowledge exchange between
providers; and encourage innovation in service design and delivery
Workforce development
13. Jobcentre Plus and the wider employment services industry (through
ERSA and Institute of Employability Professionals) should work
together to ensure that all advisers have training in identifying health
and disability needs and providing initial support and signposting
14. The Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) should work with
organisations including the British Association of Supported
Employment (BASE) to develop industry-wide, best practice training
for specialist disability employment advisers
15. Jobcentre Plus and employment services providers should commit to
ensuring that all advisers leading on employment support for disabled
people and those with health conditions will have been trained in line
with industry benchmarks, or be on the journey to receiving that
training
To sum up
• Clear case for reform – too many disabled
people not sharing in the recovery
• Need to radically extend and transform
support
• Growing consensus – and evidence of what
works
• No one organisation, sector, level of
government can do it – need to work together
within a common framework
Fit for Purpose:
Transforming employment support for disabled
people and those with health conditions
Tony Wilson, Policy Director
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
[email protected]
@tonywilsoncesi