Access to Work - United Kingdom
Abstract
'Access to Work' is a UK-wide, government operated programme which provides practical support to disabled people who are seeking work, including funding of adaptations and purchase of special equipment, based on the established needs of the individual applicants. The target groups of this initiative are unemployed disabled people and employed disabled people at risk of becoming unemployed. The programme aims to enable them to compete on an equal footing with their non-disabled colleagues. It has been in operation since 1994 and was modified in 1996 to incorporate a requirement for an employer's contribution to the cost involved. The UK Government, specifically the Employment Service within the Department for Education and Employment is the lead group and there are numerous other stakeholders (based on a broad definition of this term) who benefit from or contribute to the success of the programme.
Background to the Case
Access to Work is a programme run by the Employment Service (ES) a division of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). It is designed to provide support to people with disabilities to help them obtain or retain employment. It was introduced in 1994 and modified in 1996 and brought together a series of separate programmes, which individually funded the purchase of special equipment, the adaptation workplaces or provided help with the cost of travel to work. The purpose of the initiative was to enable people with disabilities to compete on equal terms in the labour market with their non-disabled colleagues.
This initiative is part of a larger movement within British Social Welfare policy towards the American model of 'Welfare to Work'. (This refers to a concern ensure that people on Disability registers do not become long-term recipients of Government aid. The principle underlying the policy is that all benefits should be subject to the individual becoming involved or trying to become involved in the labour market). One of the issues is the high cost to the Exchequer of the Long Term Absent combined with a need to maximise labour market efficiency despite the fact that Britain is not experiencing labour shortages.
Aims and Objectives
The programme aims to enable people with disabilities to compete on an equal footing with their non-disabled counterparts and thereby facilitate their access to or retention in employment. It does so through integrating a range of previously separate public subsidy schemes and services.
How the Initiative is Organised
Various people within the UK Employment Service are involved in delivering this programme. These include 'Jobcentre' personnel (what used to be called 'employment exchanges'), Disability Employment Advisors, and Placement, Assessment and Counselling Teams. The services provided by these agents include:
- Job notification
- Assessment of training needs
- Assessment of skills and (dis)abilities
- Job placement services
- Employment counselling
- Assessment of the need for technical aids
Referrals to the Access to Work Service are made by employers, 'Jobcentre' staff, disability organisations and rehabilitation institutes as well as by the individuals themselves. Each applicant is assessed to establish the level of support required and the types of jobs which are suitable and any training needs which may exist. The most common type is the provision of special aids and equipment (2/3 of cases). In 30 percent of cases, the employee's working hours are reduced.
This initiative operates throughout the UK but administration is performed regionally.
Stakeholders Involved and Target Groups
The programme is targeted at adults with disabilities who present themselves to the Jobcentre. They may either in employment or who are unemployed. In addition, disabled people who are already in work, but who may need any of the supports provided by the service are also a target group for the initiative.
The initiative is government funded and they are the principal stakeholders. However, various voluntary organisations that represent people with disabilities in general or people with specific disabilities such as the Royal National Institute for the Blind could be considered stakeholders as they promote the programme to their members. No other relevant stakeholders appear to be involved, for instance, Trade Unions, Employers Organisations, et cetera. However, the programme could not operate without the co-operation of individual employers. In addition, rehabilitation agencies, health and safety practices/consultancies are undoubtedly involved at a local level, as individual action plans are drawn up for each applicant and their needs and the nature of assistance each require would necessitate the involvement of these bodies.
Results Obtained
Two studies have been carried out to review the operation of this initiative, (the first published in 1996 and the second published in 1998). One of the principal changes in the operation of the programme took place when the scheme was modified in 1996 and resulted in employers being required to contribute to the costs involved in employing someone with a disability. The second evaluation found that the experience of all those involved and the day to day operation of the programme had undergone some shifts in the intervening period. There was some indication that Access to Work was impacting on new sections of the disabled population and that it was becoming increasingly useful as a means of facilitating the entry of unemployed people with disabilities into employment.
The Employment Service (ES) has begun to avail of technical consultants to a greater extent than was the case, and Disability Employment Advisors (DEAs), who operate the programme within the Employment Service, have reported greater ease in contacting these consultants than in the previous evaluation.
However, where employers are involved in purchasing, the DEAs and others in the ES expressed concerns about their (employers) lack of expertise in making the appropriate purchase. While active marketing of the programme by the Employment Service appears to have diminished, employers are increasingly a source of initial information to applicants and referrals from this source are also growing. In fact, one in six employers said they would not have retained the disabled employee without the intervention of the Access to Work initiative, double that of the previous evaluation. This response was most common amongst small establishments (less than 10 employees) and charitable organisations.
Three-quarters of the recipients surveyed felt that the programme had had a positive impact on their efforts to secure or retain employment. Over 80 percent of employers said that the Access to Work intervention had led to improved morale and efficiency among the recipients and three-quarters felt that the support had contributed to the overall productivity of the workplace.
Over 60 percent of employers who had made a financial contribution said they would have been willing to make a greater contribution (usually double what they actually contributed), which may be a reflection of the positive effect of the programme on productivity and morale within workplaces.
Relationship and Relevance to Employability
This initiative is primarily concerned with improving the employability of disabled people. It aims to facilitate the retention of ill/injured employees, to enable the long term absent to return to work (rehabilitation) and to assist people with disabilities to access the labour market, perhaps for the first time (integration).
Role of OHS Services
OHS services are not formally involved in the provision of services within the initiative. However, many of the referrals to the initiative come from the health and safety or occupational health functions within companies.
There is a high incidence of musculo-skeletal injuries amongst participants in the initiative and OSH will be of particular relevance in these cases. In the majority of cases included in the evaluation of the Access to Work programme, adaptations to the workplace and the purchase of special equipment to assist the employee were the main activities that need to be undertaken in the work place. These are activities in which OHS services would be involved.
Assessment of the Initiative
This initiative is an example of a high level change in Government policy which sought to integrate and improve services for disabled people in relation to improving access to work. Taking place against the background of a broader policy shift in relation to social welfare recipients, the initiative was operationalised through the national Employment service by integrating a number of previously existing schemes and services and making them available in a seamless way. Among the more important features of this case are:
- Relationship to employability - This case clearly impacts the employability of disabled people through its emphasis of providing technical assistance and job placement services for disabled people. In addition, it effectively provides a certain level of rehabilitation through referrals to training services and the development of what are often termed 'personal care plans' for individual cases.
- The role of OHS services - This initiative developed by and intended for implementation by the public sector employment services, and did not have OHS services in mind during this process. However, OHS services do play a role in relation to referral to the service, and they may also be involved implementing the recommendations of the Access to Work programme within companies. In either case, the range of activities provided by Access to Work provide a model to OHS of the kinds of supports which may needed when dealing within individual cases of work related disability.
- Integration of disability/health concerns into labour market strategy - This case provides an illustration of how health concerns may be integrated into a labour market strategy (in fact, the 'Welfare to Work' idea is fairly typical of many 'pure' employability strategies). It therefore demonstrates a potential role for the range of workplace related health services within the broader context of employment and labour market strategy.