Disability Employment Service

Employing people with disabilities in mainstream jobs in Northern Ireland

Terry Park - Department for Employment & Learning

Strategic Purpose

To help people with disabilities progress towards, move into and sustain paid employment

To assist and support employers to recruit and retain employees who have disability related barriers to employment

Business Objectives

Management and delivery of mainstream disability employment programmes

Improve the quality and range of client interventions

Build and maintain relationships with key partners

Develop future Policy and Strategy

Employment Programmes and Services

Access to Work (NI) - 700 participants Workable (NI) - 579 participants

(replaced the previous Employment Support programme)

Condition Management Programme- 1108 participants last year

Work Connect - 1143 participants since launch in September 2012- approx 340 clients into paid employment at 31 July 2015

Supports to work in mainstream employment• Access to Work

– Aids and Equipment– Support Worker assistance, e.g. Interpreters– Travel to Work support

• Workable– Dedicated Job Coach– Training for Employer and fellow employees– Support with employee relations

• Work Connect– Pre-employment support / training– Work Experience– Advocacy and job preparation

ALL THREE PROGRAMMES ONLY APPLY TO REAL PAID JOBS

Workable

Nature of Disability:• Mental ill health - 23%• Physical Disability - 13%• Sensory Disability - 6%• Learning Disability - 43%• Autistic Spectrum Disorder - 9%• Other – 6%

Workable

Employment sectors:• Private - 443  (76%)• Public - 119  (21%)• Third Sector - 17 (3%)

Examples of occupations / employment areas: 

  Auditor; Engineer; Forensic Science Officer; Nurse; Occupational Therapist; Physiotherapist; Pharmacy Assistant; Social Worker; Teacher; Hospitality; Retail; Call centres.

Access to Work

Nature of Disability:• 37% Physical disability• 30% Sensory disability• 23% Learning disability • 9% Other, i.e. diabetes, epilepsy etc• 1% severe mental ill-health

Access to Work

Employment sectors:• Private / Self Employed – 349 (50%)• Public – 244 (35%)• Third Sector – 107 (15%)

Examples of occupations / employment areas: 

  Teachers, Nurses, Quantity Surveyor, Architect, Physiotherapist, Company Director, civil servants, farmer.

Other Client Interventions and Support

European Social Fund projects

Residential Training Facility

Employment Assessments

Special Positive Action Recruitment Exercises

Retention services for employers and employees

Examples of recent Success Stories• Recruitment exercises with:

– Premier Inns (3 job outcomes)

– Fitzer’s Catering (2 job outcomes)

– Belfast City Council (5 job outcomes)

• Queen’s University ‘Inclusive Employment Scheme’

(12 twelve month paid work placements of £14k)

• Pilot with Further Education Discrete Learning Units (45 job outcomes over two years)

All of these are leading to people with disabilities moving into mainstream jobs, with or without specialist in-work support.

Recruitment Model• Engagement with Employer

• Negotiation around nature of positive action

• DES works with disability sector organisations to identify and pre-select most suitable and able candidates

• Pre-employment briefings / training organised (in conjunction with employer)

• Final preparation of candidates for specific job roles

• Support at interview, if necessary

• Agree in-work support package for those who are successful, and who require support

Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities

• Developed in full partnership with NI Disability Sector through a Strategic Working group, established in 2013

• Using key principles of Supported Employment Model –

- Initial engagement and assessment

- Personalised and intense pre-employment support

- Job matching and testing

- In-work transitional support

- Sustained support, as necessary

- Withdrawal of support when time is right

Other Proposals• Implement a new ‘Pathway to Employment’, for people with

significant disability related barriers

• Design and implement a disability employment one-stop-shop service for employers

• Establish a network of high profile Disability Advocates / Champions

• Commission at least one major disability research project per annum

• Establish a new, fully inclusive Disability Employment Stakeholder Forum, to monitor the Strategy outcomes and to inform future policy decisions.

Proposed Timeline

• Public Consultation - October/November• Draft final Strategy - January 2016• Launch - March 2016

During this time and beyond, the Disability Employment Service will continue to work with others, including the disability sector,

“To directly assist as many disabled people as possible to find, sustain and progress within paid employment; or to start up their own business”