Job Centre Plus Services for Disabled People

Employment/Support Services for (Learning)-Disabled People

Job Centre Plus is the new service providing information on employment and benefits under one roof. (Job Centres and the Benefits Agency, part of the Department of Work and Pensions, merged.)

Ask the local Disability Employment Adviser (at the Job Centre) for more information on all of these services.

Services available through Job Centre Plus (or organisations that they contract out to such as Kent Supported Employment, Shaw Trust, Remploy, RBLI, Instant Muscle, Rethink etc):

· New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) – is available to eligible people on long-term health and disability related benefits. Delivery is through a national network of independent Job Brokers who have flexibility to decide how best to help their clients individually.

· Workstep – is the new name for the modernised Supported Employment Programme or Supported Placement Scheme. Workstep provides employment opportunities with the right support for eligible people. It is suitable for disabled people facing more difficult barriers to work.

· Job Introduction Scheme – pays a grant to an employer for the first 6 weeks in a job (which can be extended to 13 weeks) to help pay towards wages or other employment costs. This allows time for the employer and disabled person to find out whether the job is suitable.

· Access to Work – provides advice and practical help for disabled people in or about to start work. It can help with a communicator at a job interview, a support worker to help at work, travel costs towards fares or transport, special equipment or alterations to existing equipment, premises, or working environment.

· Work Preparation – offers an individually tailored programme designed to help disabled people or those with long-term health problems prepare for or return to work.

· Employment Assessment – helps to find out how a disability or health condition may affect the type of work or training a person wishes to undertake. Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) usually carry out the assessment and have use of Occupational Psychologists if required.

· Work Trial – is available to try out a job working for 16 hours or more a week and may help people starting work or unsure about the type of work.

· Work-based Learning for Adults – offers a way to train or gain valuable work experience that is directly related to the job.

· New Deal – these programmes are aimed people having difficulty finding employment. They are aimed at people who are on Jobseekers Allowance who have been out of work for a definitive period of time. People with disabilities may gain earlier access.

In addition to this provision, the area of Thanet has been designated an Employment Action Zone. This means that they have an Action Team for Jobs, which offer new opportunities for jobless people living in the area as employment rates are low.

Connexions Partnerships are the government’s new support service for all young people aged 13 – 19 and disabled people in education up to 25. The service aims to provide integrated advice, guidance and access to personal development opportunities for this group and to help them make a smooth transition to adulthood and work life.

Please Note:

Due to the eligibility requirements of these services (i.e. people should aim to come of welfare benefits altogether), many, if not most, learning-disabled people who are eligible for Social Services funding will not be able to access them, with the exception of Connexions.

For those who cannot access these mainstream services (i.e. people who will need to continue claiming welfare benefits for the foreseeable future), Supported Employment Services (Job Coaches – i.e. on-going support at work as long as the person needs it) are only available through Kent Supported Employment.

There are a number of ‘sheltered work’ providers or ‘social enterprises’ in Kent – e.g. Shaw Trust, MCCH (Tuck by Truck), Able to Do Business etc. Some of these are emerging Social Firms.

(For more information on these ask Jo.)

For more information on Job Centre Plus and Department of Work and Pensions see: