Disability Working Group
Satellite Group 1 Meeting Note 3 October 2005
Group 1 - employment.
Attendance:
David Thomson, Scottish Executive: Equality Unit (Temp Chair)
Joe Dowd, Scottish Executive: Transitions to Work
Gillian Lawrence, Disability Rights Commission
Padam Singh, Scottish Enterprise
Jan Anderson, British Stammering Association
Graeme Bryce, Scottish Executive Equality Unit
Charlotte McHaffie, Scottish Executive Equality Unit (Note taker)
Apologies and non-attendees:
Teri Devine, RNID Scotland (Chair)
Ian Montgomery, STUC
Ian Sneddon, Scottish Disability Equality Forum
Fiona Stewart, Scottish Council on Deafness
Chris White, SAMH
Linda Long, Sense Scotland
Introduction
1. David welcomed the group members to the fourth satellite group 1 meetings. Those attending introduced themselves.
Note of last meeting
3. The note of the last meeting was agreed.
Background papers
4. The group received background papers and information on the following:
- Ian Sneddon's paper on Employment;
- Potential Recommendations Paper;
- Engaging Disabled People in Scottish Executive Policymaking; and
- Recommendations Profroma.
Discussion
5. The group considered Ian's paper along with the potential recommendations paper. Comments included:
Ian's Paper
- Ian's first recommendation is for publication of an employers guide on disability, however, there are already a number of guides/ publications available including the DRCCD on Employment and Disability and Top Tips for Small Businesses. Rather than duplicate them could they be developed, re-distributed/advertised.
- Information resources like the DRC guides are available but businesses are not utilising them. Need to find a way to get employers to engage and key messages across.
- Ian has provided a large number of suggestions. Need to prioritise these into a number of key recommendations. Group agreed to provide comments on each of Ian's suggested recommendations to Graeme to facilitate this.
Engaging Employers
- Engaging employers is difficult. DRC have tried a variety of methods, adverts in local/national/trade press, tapping into existing conferences, breakfast meetings etc. with mixed success. Need a multi-pronged approach and to measure outcomes.
- Sponsorship of a National Business Award for Scotland was suggested as one way of engaging with employers although benefits could be difficult to quantify. Group thought this would be something worth investigating.
- Are disability issues included in the Investors In People Award criteria? If not what influence do we have to include them? Equality Unit to investigate.
- Good disability equality training should be available not just on awareness but also on policy and practice. Develop standards for disability equality training to ensure quality.
- 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.
Benefit Issues
- Disabled people fear loss of benefit when entering employment.
- Suspicion of government messages and intentions.
- 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.
- Review how information is communicated to disabled people.
- Retention of disabled people in employment. Healthy Working Lives
Selling the message
- Could a person be employed specifically to work on selling the message to employers? Would this be duplicating the work of the DRC? Could DRC be provided with further resources to develop/expand their work?
- What is the message we are trying to sell? The message includes - employing disabled people is good for business, and there is a wealth of untapped talent. Compiling case studies with real stories, both positives and negatives, might be a helpful way of getting the message across.
- Negative attitudes towards disability remained a significant problem. Action to change attitudes was needed, like the "see me" campaign.
Job Fair
- Jobs fairs like the one run by Glasgow Employer's Coalition are on a small scale, resource intensive and only have a relatively small benefit.
- Some members of the group thought that specific job fairs were a helpful tool others that disabled people should be included in the mainstream.
Volunteering
- 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.
Draft recommendations
6. The group agreed that from their discussions there were potential draft recommendations as follows:
- That disability equality training should be more widely available and that employers should be encouraged to take it up.
- That the Scottish Executive should consider establishing a business award on disability.
- That work should be undertaken to challenge negative attitudes to disability including an advertising campaign
- That Jobcentre Plus provide accurate financial assessments of the benefits and implications of employment, including benefits, difficulties and responsibilities clients will face.
- That employment advice agencies should include clear and consistent messages about disability in their initial contacts with employers
7. The Group would come back to these draft recommendations and consider them further at its next meeting. The next meeting would also consider further the jobs fairs issue.
Any other business
8. David informed the group that this would be his last meeting as he has a new post within the Executive leading the Children's Hearings and Integrated Services Bill Team. The group thanked David for his input and wished him well in his new post.
Date of Next Meeting
9. Monday 24 October from 10.00 to 12.00 in G06 Meridian Court, 5 Cadogan Street, Glasgow
Scottish Executive, Equality Unit
October 2005
Action points
1. Equality Unit to pull together from discussions a set of draft recommendations.
2. Group members to provide comments on Ian Sneddon's suggested recommendations and Engaging Disabled People in Scottish Executive Policymaking paper to Graeme Bryce.
3. Equality Unit to investigate sponsorship of a National Business Award for Scotland.
4. Equality Unit to investigate Investors in People criteria.