In October 2013 the national back-to-work charity, Shaw Trust, launched a report entitled Making Work a Real Choice: Where Next for Specialist Disability Employment Support?.
The report argues that there is a strong case for retaining a specialist disability employment programme after the current national programme, Work Choice, comes to an end in 2015.
The report comes at a time when the government is considering the future of specialist provision for disabled people and follows extensive consultation with providers, local authorities, employers and disabled people.
It states that whilst Work Choice is proving successful in helping disabled people into work, there are a number of improvements that could be made both now and in the development of a future programme. Key recommendations include:
- Greater alignment between Work Choice and other employment provision, including the mainstream employment provision Work Programme.
- Improvements to the design of Work Choice including a longer period of pre-employment support and a refined payment structure.
- Eligibility for support should be based upon need rather than benefit type, so that disabled people can access the support they deserve.
The report can be accessed via the Shaw Trust website.
