Employment support for people with autism and LD
By Gemma Raw
24 local authorities across England and Wales are sharing a £7.6 million fund to help over 2,000 adults with autism and learning disabilities (LD) move into work.
In its white paper on adult social care reform, the government committed to making sure that groups who face challenges in the labour market have the required support to allow them to obtain and maintain employment. “A job is not only a means for earning an income,” says the white paper. “It supports an individual to be independent, make new connections, save for their own retirement, and provides a sense of accomplishment and worth.”
In August this year, the government followed up on that commitment by providing £7.6 million of funding over the next three years. From this fund, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is providing grants to 24 local authorities, enabling them to take part in the Local Supported Employment (LSE) Initiative. The Initiative is aimed at helping adults with learning disabilities, autism or both to move into competitive employment, as well as providing the support they need to maintain that employment.
The DWP is aiming to deliver Supported Employment for approximately 2,000 participants in the 24 local authority areas. Evidence from other Supported Employment programmes suggests that at least 30% of those people should obtain some form of paid employment.
Why targeted support is needed
According to the white paper, people with autism and learning disabilities had employment rates of 21.7% and 26.5% respectively between January and June 2020. These rates are significantly lower than the employment rate for the disabled population as a whole in the same period, which was 53.6%. The employment rate for those with learning disabilities who are known to social care services and in contact with social workers has traditionally been much lower, sitting at between 5% and 6% in recent years.
What is Supported Employment?
The idea of Supported Employment has been around for decades. It’s a partnership-based strategy which enables people with disabilities to achieve sustainable long-term employment with businesses or organisations that value them as employees. Many of those working in social care jobs will be aware of the Supported Employment model, as it’s increasingly being used not only to support disabled people, but also other disadvantaged groups, such as young people leaving care, ex-offenders and people recovering from drug and alcohol misuse.
Many jobseekers who would be eligible for Supported Employment are already receiving some level of support from health and social care professionals. However, others may have slipped through the net and may feel isolated from the rest of society. As a result, they could struggle to access employment opportunities.
Raising expectations
In the past, families, as well as some health and social care professionals, have had low expectations of the disabled people they care for finding paid work that’s suitable and sustainable. The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) supports, promotes and develops the principles and provision of Supported Employment. It believes that expectations of employment for disabled people need to be raised across health and social care services, and that increased liaison and co-operation between health and social care staff would be helpful in achieving this.
“Work plays a pivotal role in defining an individual's quality of life and must be an integral part of a person's overall life experience,” says BASE. “Supported employment offers an innovative process that enables employment as an achievable goal for people with disabilities just as it is for non-disabled people in our society.”
