Fife Employability Team

Fife Employability Team

How does FET implement:

Q1) Helping people to progress into open, mainstream employment,
Specifically what does this entail for the individual service user
and what specifically is the structure for achieving this.
" ASSIST people to access alternative employment
routes",

Response: Fife Employability Team applies the pathway in the table below when assessing and supporting people to progress into employment. This pathway is promoted in the national guidance ‘A Working Life for all Disabled People: The Supported Employment Framework for Scotland’.

Engagement by SE Service / Vocational Profiling / Job Finding / Employer Engagement / On/Off the Job Support and Aftercare
Helping disabled people most distanced from the labour market to make informed choices on their own future / Identifying skills, preferences offering work, experiences that helps individual make their own choices / Identifying the preferred job through employer engagement, also providing support to the employer / Finding out about the workplace environment, co-workers and the 'supports' a person might need / Providing help, information and backup to the employee and their employer, developing independence through natural supports in the workplace and addressing career progression

The structure for supporting individuals to progress into open, mainstream employment is outlined below:

• Vocational Profiling and Back to Work Action Plan - The vocational profile outlines individual’s existing skills, qualities and work preferences and lists previous experiences and work history.The Disability Employment Coordinator (DEC) and individual will discuss and identify any potential barriers that may be experienced in the workplace, due to disability and health issues, and consider how these can be accommodated, or adaptations applied, or addressed in the workplace. The DEC and individual also work together to complete a Back to Work Action plan that will list the actions required to achieve employment goals.

• Job finding

The DEC and the individual work together to list potential employers. Employers can be contacted by the DEC. The individual will be supported to send letters, complete and send applications forms and undertake job search. All of these activities will be in line with the person’s vocational profile with the aim to find and secure realistic employment opportunities.

• Employer engagement and job support

Once contact has been established, the DEC will meet with the employer to complete a job analysis. This provides an overview of the workplace including workplace culture, employer’s expectations, pre-requisite skills, unwritten rules, duties of post, terms and conditions, health and safety considerations, adaptations and accommodations required. The employer will also be informed of the support that they can expect from the DEC.

Once a suitable job is secured, the DEC will provide advice, guidance and any hands on support as required and relevant for the individual, and the employer, to ensure that the job is retained by the person.

Support will continue as required and relevant with the intention of phasing out when this is no longer required or where colleague and natural support is established at work.

• Aftercare

The DEC will meet with the person and the employer periodically to review the employment situation. This highlights the progression achieved, additional training needs and further support requirements. The intention is for the individual to be self sustained in employment, and for employer’s to have the understanding and commitment to accommodate and apply adaptations for the individual as required.

• Voluntary and work placements

Voluntary and work placements are considered a stepping stone towards paid employment. Individuals who are only interested in voluntary or work placement options will be re-directed to alternate services.Where these options are being used as a stepping stone to paid work, and where individuals require support to access these options the above structure outlined will be applied.

• Vocational Training

FET does not offer vocational training. FACET, part of FET, offer pre-vocational opportunities in woodwork, ceramics, computer skills and horticulture. People referred to FACET, are invited to attend the unit. They undergo a one day assessment in the workshop. This may lead to a six week placement, followed by a review, and where the service meets the individual’s needs, the offer of a placement in one of the pre-vocational areas. This placement is subject to on-going review, and where appropriate, may lead to support as identified in the FET structure.

Q2) Workstep, Specifically what does this entail for the individual service user and what specifically is the structure for achieving this.

Response: Workstep no longer exists. It was a Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) programme which ended in October 2010 and was replaced by ‘Work Choice’. The SHAW Trust is the primary provider for the delivery of Work Choice. A referral would need to be made to the SHAW Trust for achieving this.

Q3)Permitted Work, Specifically what does this entail for the individual service user and what specifically is the structure for achieving this.

Response:The Department for Work and Pensions has produced information on permitted work, including all the permitted work categories and Work Choice. This is available through their website( and therefore is otherwise available to you in terms of s.25 of the Act. I have set out below a couple of links which you may find of interest:

Q4) Fife Job Broker Service, Specifically what does this entail for the individual service user and what specifically is the structure for achieving this.

Response:Fife Job Broker Service is no longer available.

Q5)Vocational Training, Specifically what does this entail for the
individual service user and what specifically is the structure for
achieving this.

Response – Please see the first bullet point above.

Q6) Voluntary Placements and Work, Specifically what does this entailfor the individual service user and what specifically is the structure for achieving this.

e.g ASSIST vocational qualification would entail more than making the service user aware of AdamSmithCollege as this would be an insult to their intellect, as most individuals are aware of the local College at some level.

e.g. ASSIST Volunteering would entail more than referring them to
another scheme at the volunteer centre, as this would also be an
insult as surely they are already aware what is available at the
volunteer centre and if it had been that simple for them they would
already be doing it.

Response – See bullet point 5 above