Disability Rights UK's report 'Taking Control of Employment Support' argues that the government's huge Work Programme is failing disabled people (with at least an 88% failure rate) and is very poor value for money.
Work Choice - a more specialist programme - does some good work in spite of a payment incentive system which steers them away from the very people the programme is supposed to help (those facing complex barriers).
Government should radically re-think, cut out the middle man (the Work Programme or Work Choice provider) and put power in the hands of the people who can really make employment support work - disabled people, and employers - with advice available to them as needed.
78% of disabled people responding to our survey wanted more information and say over their employment support and 74% wanted to decide how the money available was spent. Research shows this bespoke support works far better than one size fits all.
Liz Sayce said:
'The Work Programme is a non-work programme as far as disabled people are concerned. When instead disabled people and employers decide on the support that will work, people make really individual decisions - for instance, getting skills in anything from bicycle maintenance to finance, getting a mentor who has overcome disability-related barriers, or putting in place support for the individual and employer so both know they can call if they need to. Britain will only achieve an economic recovery if it is an inclusive recovery - so disabled people can use our talents, confident we can design support that meets our individual needs and aspirations'.
We are really grateful to the 530 disabled people who shared their experiences and views with us over the Summer to inform this report.
Taking Control of Employment Support