The same but different:Supported employment in the UK

and Germany

Paul Wilson, Pluss (UK)

1. The shape of the presentation

1) When we talk about supported employment…

2) A week in Germany3) Headline comparisons4) Analysis5) The magic wand test

2. When we talk about supported employment…

• Unpacking the concept• A Movement in three parts:– Technique– Strategy– Philosophy

• Making sense of difference

3. A week in Germany

• Origins: the problem of transition

• Remit of the EUSE scholarship

• Itinerary

4. A week in Germany

In Baden-Württemberg– A work-focussed curriculum– The goal of open employment– Integration on campus– External job broking

In Hamburg– Job Centre Transitions programme

UK comparisons in Transitions work

5. Headline comparisons

• A shared commitment

• Quotas and subsidies

• Talking about the contrasts…

• Extremely alike and incredibly different

6. Headline contrasts

• Study trips as accounting exercises• Accounting for differences• A Movement in three parts:

1) Technique2) Strategy3) Philosophy

7. Analysis (Part 1: Technique)

The Technique of supported employment

– Systematic instruction– The five-stage approach

8. Analysis (Part 2: Strategy)

• The differing social contexts– The economy– The role of the market– The influence of legacy

• Commissioning services• Transitions partnerships• Quotas and wage subsidies

9. Analysis (Part 3: Philosophy)

1) Shared aspirations2) A professionalising agenda3) Medical v. Social models?4) The `How` and the `Why` of

supported employment

10. Analysis (Part 3: Philosophy)

Two questions:1) Is employment the means or the

end?2) Realism or idealism?

The magic wand test

11. Concluding thoughts

1) The strength of the shared agenda

2) Thinking outside the national box

3) The scope for dialogue