ADDITIONAL AREAS WHERE RECOMMENDATIONS MIGHT BE MADE
Satellite Group 1: Employment, including piloting good practice
Background
1. On 22 November a paper by Sally Witcher was circulated to the satellite group with some thoughts on potential areas for further recommendations.
2. Teri also suggested that satellite group 1 meet again after the core group meeting to finalise any outstanding issues and recommendations.
Structure of this paper
3. This paper is broken into sections covering the issues identified in Sally's paper. We have listed the issues as identified by Sally from her analysis of minutes of previous working groups.
4. After this we have include comments and background information which are based on comments received from satellite group members in response to Sally's paper. These comments do not reflect the views of the disability working group's core group.
5. We have then tentatively drafted some further recommendations. These are by no means prescriptive and are there to stimulate discussion. There is scope to remove them, change them or add to them.
Engaging employers
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Develop a campaign to engage employers? Promotion of targeted business cases to different types of employers? Support for employer networks? Develop and promote models of good practice? Events round the country? Seek sponsorship from private sector (2nd meeting)?
b) Linking with others: Fresh Talent and Future Skills Scotland initiative? Use Inland Revenue database to identify employers? (2nd meeting)
c) Including disability in Investors in People (the group wondered if the SE could influence IiP to use existing research and specifically include disability in their standards see 5th meeting), Chartermark, Scotland's Health at Work?
Comment
The DRC is working with employers already.
Linking to other initiatives was discussed by the satellite group and got a positive response - so there could be scope for recommendation in this area.
The scale of IiP uptake is small and in any case IiP already working with DRC to look at disability issues. Discussed by group but no recommendation made.
Possible recommendation
That the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise and Disability Rights Commission work together to develop and promote a positive message to employers about disability in the context of the disability equality duty.
Good practice
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Need to develop success measures
b) Develop standards for the accessibility of employment services?
Comments
Who would develop these and how; and what would be done with them?
Possible recommendation
Disability organisations should work with the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise to identify measures of success for employment of disabled people
Health and Work
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Role of health sector in building disabled people's confidence noted at first meeting of the group
b) Support to GPs to change attitudes towards disabled people working, promote the health benefits of working? Situating employment advisers in GP surgeries?
c) Anything the Scottish Centre for Health Working Lives could be doing?
Comments
The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives was established in April 2005 within NHS Health Scotland to drive the delivery of this policy. The Centre is expected to be fully operational from 1 April 2006, when it will amalgamate the previous "Scotland's Health at Work" and "Safe and Healthy Working" initiatives
Strategy set out in "Healthy Working Lives: A Plan for Action". Strategy based on the following principles:
- Engagement of employers and self employed across all sectors
- Focus: demonstrating the value of the workplace in improving health
- Reach: action beyond the traditional health agenda and complementing a range of other strategies e.g. closing the opportunity gap, employability etc
- Integration: with NHS, DWP, HSE etc
Research: evidence based approach with an accent on proving the business case for investment
Possible recommendations
In consultation with disabled people the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives should review its work to examine where it can play a role with regard to disability
Young people
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Any recommendations to Careers Scotland? Action for disabled school-leavers, e.g. run 'adjustment' courses in conjunction with disability organisations? Support for career progression?
b) Smoothing transitions, e.g from education into employment (Careers Scotland; fostering links between FE and HE with business?)
Comments
Group 3 made a recommendation on transitions as follows - That all disabled people should receive appropriate and adequate support and equipment throughout school, further and higher education and at all points of transition such as the transition from school to post school
Possible recommendations
Careers Scotland should ensure that its services are fully accessible for disabled school leavers; and, in consultation with disabled people, work to smooth the transition from school to employment
In developing links with business, Further and Higher Education Institutions should take on board the need to promote disabled people as employees.
Disabled people from BME backgrounds
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Careers Scotland has also done work that could be transferable for young minority ethnic people called Diversity Works (2nd meeting). Recommendation?
Comments
None.
Possible recommendation
Careers Scotland should work with disabled people and disability organisations to consider whether Diversity Works could be adapted for disabled people from minority ethnic communities
Infrastructure and information needs
Possible gaps identified by Sally
b) Case studies: develop case studies illustrating issues - benefits, wages, social wage, care packages -for disabled people entering work (2nd meeting); Development of case studies on the benefits of employing disabled people (for employers) and the benefits of employment (for disabled people), with some level of cross-sectoral support (3rd meeting).
c) Information for employers: link with Business Gateway and Citizens Advice Scotland (2nd meeting)? Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives?
d) Guides for employers: publicise existing guides (4th meeting)? Guide for small employers on how to interview and recognize disabled people's skills (2nd meeting)?
e) Publication of a Scottish Guide to employment and training for people with disabilities. This should include links to UK programmes - DDA, Benefits, Access to work etc. and also inform people with disabilities of their rights (Ian Sneddon's paper)
f) Is there more the SE could do to encourage disabled people to use available services (3rd meeting)?
g) Role of intermediary bodies highlighted (3rd meeting) in view of mistrust of government agencies. Recommendation on their role? SE should support/ fund them?
h) Replication and expansion of specific employability events aimed at bringing disabled people and employers together (3rd meeting). (nb it seems Job Fairs were discussed several times and targeted events were ruled out at the 5th meeting, but there could be a recommendation to make sure that generic ones are fully accessible?)
i) Promoting joined-up working, e.g. strengthening links between health, community care services to employment goals and institutions (e.g. Jobcentre Plus
j) Support mechanisms at regional level to bring together al stakeholders and improve co-ordination?
Comments
Potential links with existing group 1 recommendations on training and awareness raising.
Job fairs were discussed by the satellite group but no strong support.
Group 1's final recommendations may cover many of the information related issues mentioned here - That the Scottish Executive should investigate the feasibility of regional level resources for sign posting disabled people and employers to information, advice and advocacy on disability.
Possible recommendation
That the Scottish Executive publishes a Scottish guide to employment and training for disabled people, including information about rights, benefits, services and support.
Miscellaneous
Possible gaps identified by Sally
a) Funding for disability employment organisations/ organisations supporting disabled people into work?
b) Employability Framework: Anything the Employability Framework should include? One of the recommendations from the Employability Framework work streams was for a lead agency for employer engagement on recruitment. If this recommendation was accepted we could suggest that it could include information on disability issues if it is adopted (4th meeting). The draft Employability Framework client workstream recommendation is: Accurate financial assessments of the benefits and implications of employment, including the benefits, difficulties and responsibilities clients will face should be available. The Group thought it should also propose a recommendation along these lines (4th meeting).
c) Anything on supporting and promoting volunteering to disabled people? A recommendation on this to support the Executive's volunteering strategy and to highlight the benefits of volunteering including developing and enhancing your skill and increasing your confidence might be worthwhile (4th meeting)
d) Any specific action on mental health and employment? Anything the National Programme could/ should do?
e) Any recommendations on the role of Trades Unions?
f) Developing training policy/ programmes (access to training identified as a key priority at the first meeting of the group)
g) SE to encourage Corporate Social Responsibility reporting of private sector orgs?
h) Initiate data collection or collate data centrally?
i) Any recommendation, e.g. to Scottish Enterprise, on promoting self-employment for disabled people? (it was agreed at the first meeting that the group would consider self-employment)
j) Other recommendations from Ian Sneddon's paper?
Comments
We already have a recommendation on Accurate financial assessments of the benefits and implications of employment, including the benefits, difficulties and responsibilities clients will face should be available.
Volunteering discussed but no clear conclusion reached about the need for a recommendation on this. Scottish Executive Volunteering Strategy Strand Two focused on dismantling the barriers to volunteering and closing the opportunity gap. Aims to promote volunteering more effectively around other key life stages, both within and outwith the workplace. Central to work to make volunteering accessible to all will be actions designed to overcome the financial barriers to volunteering.
Some work undertaken to date by Scottish Enterprise on promoting self employment. Can this be strengthened or encouraged?
Possible recommendations
That Scottish Enterprise continues to promote self employment as an option for disabled people.
That trades unions should promote disability equality training amongst their members and ensure that disabled employees receive appropriate support
Possibly something on disability employment organisations?