Concerns have been raised by leading charity, Disability Rights UK, at the high level of support costs associated with initiatives such as the Government Work Programme. Programmes such as this help provide employment for people with disabilities but it’s been argued that the costs involved outweigh the extremely low success rate.
Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK, believes that schemes such as the Work Programme, from the Department for Work and Pensions, aren’t fulfilling their objectives. She believes that programmes which are “shaped by disabled people and employers” would provide better chances of employment.
Figures released last month revealed that a staggering 93% of disabled people who are currently on the Work Programme are still struggling to find long term employment. With running costs reaching hundreds of millions of pounds each year, it’s been said that a change in the approach is crucial for success.
Work Programme is Failing
In reference to the Work Programme, Liz Sayce comments: “It’s a non-work programme. At best it’s heading for an 88% failure rate with people on out-of-work disability benefits.
“Disabled people want to play a more central role, working with employers to secure job and career opportunities and use their talents to the benefits of everyone.”
Disability Rights Report
A report by Disability Rights UK, entitled Taking Control of Employment Support, surveyed 500 disabled people and revealed a gap between this group’s needs and the results offered by the Work Programme.
The report also calls for people with disabilities to gain more experience in workplaces which could include work trials, work experience, traineeships, internships and apprenticeships. This would provide them with greater skills and opportunities in the long term.
The charity suggests that placements could be funded through personalised budgets which would be used to pay for disability employment advisers who could properly plan what support is needed for the individual to find and stay in employment.
Liz Sayce comments: “The Work Programme is projected to cost between three and five billion pounds over five years, yet it’s not working for a core group: people living with a disability or long-term health conditions. It’s time to cut out the middleman, releasing the money that is presently being wasted and transferring control of employment support to those who know how it can be used best – disabled people and employers.”
In defence of the Work Programme, a Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson commented: “Previous schemes didn’t do enough for disabled people and those on sickness benefits, which is why we introduced the Work Programme to give tailored support to address individual barriers to work. Thousands of the hardest to help people have already found lasting work through the scheme.”
Have you had experience with the Work Programme? Did you manage to find long term employment or is it time to rethink the approach?
