Hft - Written evidence (YDP0013)

The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

1         About Hft

1.1      Hft is a learning disability charity working across England and North Wales. We provide support to more than 2,000 adults with a learning disability, and employ over 2,500 staff to deliver a range of services including residential care, supported living, day services and respite care.

1.2      Hft was founded 60 years ago by a group of families who believed that, with the right support, their relatives were capable of more than society expected of them. Today, we still share that same vision to support adults with a learning to live their best life possible, where they can thrive and not just survive.

1.3      We support adults with a learning disability in several other ways, for example, to find friendship and connection through our Luv2MeetU project. Members are supported to get out, try new things, meet new people, make friends and develop relationships if they choose. Through Luv2MeetU we support people to achieve goals in life through becoming more involved in their local community, learning new skills, widening their circle of friends and signposting them to different opportunities and services.

1.4      Our work also extends to employment support, and we work in partnership with Project SEARCH, to support young adults with a learning disability and/or autism through supported internships and into paid employment. We have worked with 298 graduates with around 70% moving on to find paid employment, 60% of these being in paid employment of a minimum of 16 hours.

1.5      Through engagement with decision makers, the Public Affairs and Policy function at Hft seeks to affect positive change for adults who have a learning disability and the social care sector. We work closely with adults who have a learning disability to ensure their experiences and opinions inform our work. Our efforts focus on social care funding and reform, employment, housing and attitudes.

1.6      As a charity supporting adults with a learning disability, our written response to the questions posed in the call for evidence reflects this perspective.

2         Our inquiry response

2.1      What barriers do young disabled people face when leaving education and entering the job market and workplace? Does this differ between different conditions or disabilities, and if so, how?

2.1.1   Employment can bring many benefits for adults with a learning disability. This includes gaining new skills and personal development, increased income, confidence and wellbeing, as well as opportunities to socialise and develop a community.

2.1.2   Over recent years, disability employment has been on the government’s agenda, with commitments to reduce the disability employment gap made publicly. Indeed, in 2022 the Government announced that schemes including Access to Work and Disability Confident allowed them to reach their target of getting one million more disabled people into work.[1]

2.1.3   Yet far too many people with a learning disability continue to face barriers to employment. The employment rate for those with a severe or specific learning disability is 25.6%.[2] For people with a learning disability receiving long-term social care support, the rate has been around 5 to 6% for many years (4.8% in 2021 to 2022).[3]

2.1.4   Some of the key barriers faced by young people with a learning disability are outlined below. It is worth noting that while our experience of working to support adults with a learning disability reflects this evidence, there is a significant lack of data relating specifically to the experience of young learning disabled adults and their transition into work.

Expectations and attitudes of employers

2.1.5   Employers must treat all candidates equally through their legal responsibilities under the Equality Act. Yet research has highlighted that disabled people often face discrimination and negative attitudes on their journey to, or while in work, which are entrenched among some employers.  Indeed, 1 in 5 (19%) employers are less likely to hire a disabled person.[4]

2.1.6   Employers’ perceived barriers to hiring disabled people include[5]:

         The Cost of making workplace adjustments (69%)

         Practicalities of making workplace adjustments (67%)

         Accessibility of the application process (44%)

         Nearly 1 in 3 employers (29%) are concerned whether a disabled person could do the job

         1 in 10 employers (11%) are concerned whether a disabled person would be mistreated by other employees

A lack of support

2.1.7   For some people with a learning disability, having the right support at the right time is a lifeline to moving into and staying in work. There are a number of programmes and schemes available to learning disabled adults, however these are often considered to be ‘best kept secrets’ as accessing the support can be difficult.

2.1.8   The Access to Work scheme is just one example of this, as it provides funding for disabled people to pay for things like equipment, adaptations, support workers and transport.

2.1.9   However, despite being a valuable resource, there are numerous barriers which can prevent young adults with a learning disability from accessing this support:

         Low awareness of the scheme

• A complex application and approval process

         Delays in the funding being awarded

         An application and appeals process which is difficult for many learning disabled adults to navigate

         Poor disability awareness among assessors who do not fully understand the individual needs of learning disabled adults

         A lack of funding for pre-employment support. At present, Access to Work will only fund support for individuals who have successfully gained a job, but will not cover invaluable pre-support before this point for example, for job searching, applications and interview preparation. 

2.1.10                      Supported internships are another form of support. They are available for young adults (16-24 years old) with a learning disability and/or with autism to support them to move from education into work. The core activity of a supported internship study programme is completion of a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach who provides 1:1 support, alongside accessing an employability curriculum. The aim of this is to support participants to be ready to access paid employment opportunities upon completion.

2.1.11                      As an employment support partner with Project SEARCH, Hft is fully aware of the benefits of supported internships. Of Project SEARCH graduates:

         60% move into full-time jobs (16 hours plus)

         94% complete the programme

         Graduates who are employed work on average 25.4 hours per week

         The average starting salary for graduates is above minimum wage

2.1.12                      However, support provided through supported internships is only available to a narrow pool of individuals with a learning disability and/or autism due to funding eligibility, meaning they are not available to young adults with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), nor to those over the age of 25. 

Perpetual volunteering and low-paid work

2.1.13                      Anecdotal evidence points to many people with a learning disability working in volunteering roles perpetually, or in roles paid far below the minimum wage.

2.1.14                      Attitudinal factors play a key role in this, with employers or managers assuming that employees with a learning disability are not capable of completing a job efficiently, and are therefore not ‘worth’ a fair wage. Consequentially, long-term volunteering or low-paid work is often accompanied by little to no opportunity to progress through training or goal setting.

2.1.15                      The role of the ‘benefits trap’ also contributes, with some individuals concerned about pursuing a paid role due to the potential impact it may have upon their eligibility for welfare. The government should review how the welfare system is facilitating disabled people to engage with the workplace. This requires an approach that evaluates how disabled people are able to access the financial support that they are entitled to.

Inaccessible recruitment processes

2.1.16                      Another common barrier we see is inaccessible recruitment processes ranging from online application portals which can be difficult to navigate, to prospective employers refusing all reasonable adjustments for interviews.

2.1.17                      We believe that employers should be obligated to offer and deliver reasonable adjustments to ensure their application processes are accessible. Prospective employers should ask openly about reasonable adjustments and make it easy for candidates to request them and guarantee they will be received.

2.1.18                      Examples of reasonable adjustments include:

• Providing questions ahead of an interview, at a time agreed with the candidate
• Allowing 1:1 support or a job coach during an interview. This does not mean the individual supporting answers the question on behalf of the candidate, but may intervene or advocate to make the process more accessible or equitable for the applicant. For example, by explaining the meaning of a word in an interview question.
• Offering work trials or working interviews. This can be particularly helpful, especially where we see qualification requirements for a role being higher than necessary, as individuals can demonstrate their skills and ability to do the job. Where working interviews are offered, the employer must have reasonable expectations of the candidate (noting that performance is unlikely to be perfect, given that new jobs require learning), should be time limited and paid. There are instances where unpaid work trials continue for weeks which is in essence, free labour.

2.1.19                      Employers can also meet the needs of adults who are learning disabled and/or autistic by ensuring their recruitment portal or website is accessible. This includes: using accessible language (or ‘plain English’), making navigation easy and user friendly, using an appropriate size text (as per minimum Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and offering an obvious means of requesting support or an alternative way of applying.

2.2      How do far do staff in education settings engage with employment support services and schemes such as Access to Work, supported internships, or disability employment advisors in order to support young disabled people?

2.2.1   All our programmes are run in partnership with a school or college and therefore in our experience, providers are generally well engaged with supported internships. Each of the education providers we work with provides a full time tutor to work on the programme, and will have a manager who will sit on the steering group. Some colleges have more broader involvement than this, but the above is the bare minimum which all offer.

2.2.2   It is worth noting that due to our role in the supported internships we offer, we handle Access to Work applications and often, colleges aren’t very au fait with this.

2.3      How far do employment support mechanisms such as Access to Work or Disability Employment Advisors meet the needs of young disabled people entering the job market for the first time? How could these services be improved?

2.3.1   When they work well, support mechanisms can play an important role in the journey of young learning disabled adults into work. However, young adults with a learning disability frequently face barriers in accessing these support mechanisms. We outline these barriers below, as well as the ways in which these mechanisms do not meet the needs of people with a learning disability.

2.3.2   As highlighted previously, the Access to Work scheme offers support for adults with a learning disability and/or autism on their journey to, or while in work. It provides funding to pay for things like equipment, adaptations, in-work support and transport. Yet there are a number of significant issues with Access to Work which limit its effectiveness. We go into more detail about these issues here.

o       Awareness of this scheme is low with just one in five disabled adults in the UK stating they currently or have previously received Access to Work support.[6] The figure is not known for adults with a learning disability and/or autism.

o       There are often delays in the funding being awarded, with almost two thirds (61%) of disabled people stating that it took over three months for their application to be processed, and over half a year for a fifth of them.[7] This means that necessary equipment or support is not in place from day one for the majority of disabled people, making it more difficult for people to begin and stay in work. ‘In principle’ funding and passporting of equipment between different employers would help to alleviate this issue.

o       From our experience of supporting adults with a learning disability and/or autism to apply for Access to Work, or appeal a decision, it is clear that the process is inaccessible for many. This could be improved by:

o       Making online application forms more accessible, for example by providing easy-read forms, writing in larger text and copy in ‘plain English’

o       Allowing employment support providers to apply for Access to Work on an individual’s behalf in full

o       Allowing employment support providers to access an online system to track applications, relevant documentation, invoices and payments

o       Providing remittances when payments are made to allow providers to marry up payments with invoices

o       Contact providers if there is a problem with paperwork which has been submitted so this can be rectified in a timely manner

o       Offering multiple ways of communicating with claimants – we have had instances where individuals we support have had their claims closed because they did not answer their phone when Access to Work advisors rang. Some individuals we support don’t answer their phone to numbers they are unfamiliar with, or are non-verbal, so offering an alternative means of communicating, or scheduling communications can be vital to progressing an application

o       Contacting those who are supporting claimants with any queries so support can be arranged for the claimant in a timely manner

o       Improving disability awareness among advisors – on a number of occasions, advisors have refused to award an Access to Work claim for long-term follow-on support (support provided by job coaches while an individual is in work), insisting that this must taper off at a maximum of two years. However, individuals with a learning disability and/or autism may need this support for the rest of their working life, as their needs are unlikely to change. Improved awareness of learning disability among Access to Work advisors would ensure young learning disabled adults receive the right support necessary to move into, and stay in work.

o       Access to Work should also provide improved support for adults who are learning disabled and/or autistic and are looking to move into work by funding follow-on support for individuals before they are in employment. At present, Access to Work will only fund follow-on support for individuals who have successfully gained a job, but will not cover invaluable support before this point for example, for job searching, applications and interview preparation. Eligibility for Access to Work should be expanded to include support for this part of an individual’s employment journey.

2.3.3   It is worth noting that the Government have committed to developing an Access to Work Plus model for adults with a learning disability and/or autism. Detail on this is minimal at present, but it has been suggested that:

o       the scheme will provide long term support, rather than for a short period to support individuals to settle in

o       the scheme will reimburse employers for ‘profit lost’ due to employing someone with a learning disability

o       the scheme will be available only to adults with a learning disability who receive care

2.3.4   While we would welcome the prospect of long-term employment support for adults with a learning disability and or/autism, reimbursing employers for ‘profit lost’ through the scheme would perpetuate an unhelpful stereotype that people with a learning disability and/or autism are less capable and less productive. Furthermore, although many adults with a learning disability and/or autism who receive care will need support through Access to Work Plus, we would encourage the government to ensure that all adults with a learning disability and/or autism are eligible for long term support, not just those who are known to the care system.

2.3.5   Another mechanism available for young adults with a learning disability moving into work is completing a supported internship. These are available for young adults (16-24 years old) with a learning disability and/or with autism to support them to move from education into work. The core aim of a supported internship study programme is completion of a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach who provides 1:1 support.

2.3.6   However, as outlined above support provided through supported internships is only available to a narrow pool of individuals with a learning disability and/or autism due to funding restrictions. This is because funding for supported internships in England comes via Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and the Access to Work scheme, which will only award funding for supported internships for individuals under the age of 25 and with an EHCP.

2.3.7   The Government should broaden the application of Access to Work Funding to widen access to supported internships for adults with a learning disability and/or autism without an EHCP or who are over the age of 25.

2.4      What is the first point that a young disabled person would engage with an employment support scheme, and how are such schemes communicated to young disabled people?

2.4.1   Supported internships programmes, of which we have experience, should be advertised via college partners and on the local offer website of each Local Authority. We also visit local schools and attend events to advertise these opportunities. We are also aware that social workers and individuals working for the Department for Work and Pensions signpost to employment support schemes.

2.4.2   However, it is worth noting many learning disabled young adults are likely to be missing out on this opportunity. If a potential applicant isn’t already at a college or school, does not have an EHCP or isn’t actively seeking a course about employment, it would be much harder for them to hear about supported internships.

2.5      How effective are government programmes which support or encourage employers to employ disabled people, particularly young disabled people? Does this differ by condition or disability? How could they be improved?

2.5.1   As outline previously, stigma is a key barrier preventing young disabled people from moving into and staying in work, with almost a fifth (19%) of employers stating they are less likely to hire a disabled person due to concerns about the cost and practicalities of workplace adjustments, the accessibility of their recruitment processes, whether a disabled person could do the job and mistreatment by other employees.[8]

2.5.2   Schemes such as Disability Confident should help to tackle these misconceptions and encourage employers to hire young learning disabled adults. It was introduced in 2016 to educate employers who signed up to the programme on the processes needed to recruit, retain, and develop disabled people in their careers, as well as the confidence and skills to do so.

2.5.3   However, research from Leonard Cheshire suggests that Disability Confident is not supporting employers to develop the skills, knowledge and practices to meet one of the key commitments of the programme – providing inclusive and accessible recruitment practices. Among employers, ensuring the interview and application processes were accessible were seen as considerable barriers to employing disabled people (40% and 44% respectively). These figures were higher still among all employers who were Disability Confident accredited (52% and 54% respectively).[9]

2.5.4   Reforming the Disability Confident scheme to require participants to meet minimum thresholds regarding the percentage of disabled people in their workforce, alongside the implementation of mandatory disability reporting would also mean that employers are able to see, and reap, the benefits of inclusive employment practice, rather than using the scheme as a tick box exercise. This is one of the calls on Government outlined in the Disability Employment Charter[10], which Hft are a signatory of.

2.5.5   The importance of access to follow-on support for individuals who are learning disabled and/or autistic has been outlined above, but support for employers as part of this is equally valuable. It includes things like offering space to ask difficult questions and giving guidance on inclusive employment practices or tackling other challenges.

2.5.6   Support for employers is a key part of the Project SEARCH programme and Hft have also worked with councils in North Wales to develop a toolkit, Tap into the Talent[11], and film[12] which gives practical tips and advice to help employers open up their recruitment practices to learning disabled people.

2.5.7   One employer who worked with Hft to recruit someone with a learning disability, the Genera; Manager at the Village Hotel, Chester and is quoted in the Tap into the Talent film said, “I think what’s been really beneficial is the dedication and support of the Hft mentors… they’ve taken their time with us…”

2.5.8   In contrast, where no support is provided to either employers or employees, issues can escalate, often under the pretence that employers cannot intervene or follow disciplinary action because the individual is learning disabled and/or autistic. Such negative experiences can compound stigma and misconceptions about disabled people being able to do a job, or their productivity, whereas with the right support a much more positive outcome may have been achieved.

September 2023