ThinkForward – Written evidence (YDP0076)

Written evidence submitted by ThinkForward to the House of Lords Public Services Committee on The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

Executive summary

ThinkForward’s evidence is based on working with 280 young people with learning disabilities and autism over five years in London, Kent, Warwickshire and Sandwell. Our evidence shows:

• More support is needed to help young people to be work-ready: Many young people with learning disabilities and autism have not been prepared enough to be work-ready as they approach the crucial transition from education to employment pathways. More quality exposures and practical experiences in the workplace which contextualise work skills are needed – this means there needs to be more emphasis on links that educators have with employers/support to broker these opportunities.
• Support needs to be sustained: Interventions that are long-term and tailored to the young person’s individual needs that support them through the gap between college and employment are the most effective at reducing the likelihood of them becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training)
• Get the timing right: The timing of support is crucial, as earlier interventions during school are less helpful than interventions when young people are preparing for the world of work.
• Provide proper preparation for employers: If we can provide more support for employers and help them prepare to employ young people with learning disabilities and autism, through incentives, awareness and support, we know they are keen to take more young people on as they prove to be loyal and hard-working employees
• Ensure parents/carers or circles of support are engaged: Positive parental/carer engagement is crucial to the success of a programme of support to help them recognise the opportunities open to their young people.

We recommend the government invests in long-term, place-based, tailored programmes to support young people with learning disabilities and autism during their transition from education to employment pathways.

These programmes need to

-          tackle the equal challenges of preparing young people for the world of work with high quality, personal support from coaches they can trust;

-          and prepare employers to take these young people on as employees at decent wages with high quality training and appropriate adjustments.

One without the other doesn’t work.

Introduction to ThinkForward

ThinkForward is submitting evidence to the House of Lords Public Services Committee because we want to use our knowledge and evidence to advocate for change to address the crucial gap between education to employment pathways, during which young people with learning disabilities and autism have far too little support.

ThinkForward exists to prevent the next generation of youth unemployment.

Our long-term coaching programmes work with young people at a key stage in their lives, enabling them to gain the confidence, independence, and skills they need to make a successful transition from school and college into employment. The young people we work with face barriers such as lack of opportunities, growing up in poverty, being at risk of exclusion or having learning disabilities and autism. Our coaches work closely with schools and local communities to provide the consistent support young people need to overcome these barriers and increase their readiness for work.

One-to-one coaching and exposure to workplaces encourage young people to develop their career goals and work readiness skills. Youth participation opportunities raise the voices of young people and enable them to make a positive change in their local communities.

Our work is unique in that we work with young people long-term and support their transition from education to employment. We work in regions that face above-average issues that can lead to unemployment and have a proven successful record of supporting young people in these areas into employment.

46% of the graduates from our programme specially designed for those with learning disabilities and autism have been gainfully employed. The national government statistic for the most comparable group is 4.8%.[1]

We are submitting our evidence so programmes like ThinkForward’s can be expanded across the whole country to ensure the most in-need groups of young people receive the long-term, tailored and placed-based support they require. We want the government to invest in and scale up youth support programmes to address the gap between school, college and employment in order to tackle youth unemployment, especially for those with learning disabilities and autism.

Case studies demonstrating the long-term positive impact of our long-term, specialised, personalised approach

Libby, Kent

“Before joining ThinkForward’s programme, I had no idea about what I would do when I left school. I had low expectations of myself, what I thought, in terms of what I was going to be able to achieve. I think that led me to be constantly seeing my coach because I was very aware that I didn't just want to do nothing. I really was eager to move forward, earn a living and be successful in something, because I had never felt that could be possible before joining ThinkForward.

I remember countless times talking to my coach and asking questions like: ‘What can I do?’ and ‘Will this make me look bad because I have a diagnosis of ADHD and autism?’ I really struggled with labels but the support from ThinkForward really helped motivate and encourage me to pursue a career in teaching, which is something I always knew I wanted to do. ThinkForward helped show me what the pathways were into my desired career. From becoming a teaching assistant and all these things that I didn’t know about before ThinkForward equipped me with the knowledge of career pathways.  

Since working with my coach and having experience in the workplace, I'm a lot calmer, a lot less impulsive. I used to be up and down and all around at times with my ADHD, and I think that was probably one of the reasons why I struggled so much in education. But now, I'd say that I'm a lot more able to just rationalise decisions, and my outlook on myself and life has changed an awful lot. I had such a negative view of myself and getting a job, but since working with my coach I would say that that's positively changed, and I can keep the anxieties at bay. 

I was able to achieve so much whilst at school in terms of getting my qualifications, and then getting my job at work through volunteering, paired with the invaluable career advice and tips from my coach, led me to be able to progress in life and at work and take on a bit more responsibility to get closer to teaching. I'm in a cover supervisor role now, at a SEN school, so I'm hoping to gain more experience through that and then start looking into Open University degrees and moving onto the next step to become a teacher.”

Barriers facing young people with learning disabilities and autism that drive youth unemployment

All young people face barriers to employment, especially in areas of deprivation where there is a lack of jobs and opportunities. However, those with disabilities face far more due to their sense of their own abilities, their families’ aspirations, lack of networks and support, and employer attitudes.

Location plays a huge role in ensuring that young people can get to their jobs, school, university or other education and training opportunities. Young people from rural and remote areas may find it difficult to access the same range of opportunities as those living in more urban areas. Transport can become an even greater barrier for those with learning disabilities and autism.

Employers need additional support to prepare to employ young people with disabilities. A high number of businesses are hesitant about employing young people in general. Research by the Institute of Employment Studies found that 1 in 5 employers in the UK did not hire any 22-25 year olds in the past year.[2] They also found that around a quarter of employers have no experience hiring young people who face disadvantage.

The gap between education and employment needs to be addressed. Supported Internships are one example of this; getting young people out of the revolving door of college. This means educating parents and circles of support earlier, as well as educators on 'bridging the gap' into meaningful employment. Adjusted and inclusive apprenticeships need to be seen and promoted as viable pathways of transition from education into employment.

More education for school leaders is needed around the importance of intentional workplace experiences which delves deeper than Gatsby 8 Benchmarks.[3] There is still a disparity amongst our young people and how and when we start to talk to them about employment and aspirations and the knowledge they have gleaned from schools around their ability to link these to relatable jobs and careers for their futures as adults.

Scope of the inquiry

We support the inquiry’s broad approach not only to focus on young people with an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

50% of young people on all of our programmes have declared they have special educational needs but do not necessarily have an EHCP. This could be due to additional needs being recognised too late in school or families being reluctant to label their child as having SEND due to fears of stigmatism or cultural barriers. There is also often a gender bias, girls often remain undiagnosed due to them being more likely to mask behaviours linked to learning disabilities[4], so boys are more likely to be diagnosed and get an EHCP. A national shortage of educational psychologists is also leading to long waiting lists for EHC assessments.[5]

In our experience, an inclusive approach means taking the needs of all young people into account, whether or not they have an ECHP.

Solutions which are effective in removing barriers for young people with learning disabilities and autism accessing employment opportunities

We believe interventions that are long-term and tailored to the young person’s individual needs are the most effective.

We work with young people who have mild to moderate learning disabilities from the age of 16 until they secure paid employment, up to the age of 25. As a result of our intervention, 46% of our young people with learning disabilities and autism are in paid employment, proving its effectiveness. This compares to the UK average of just 4.8% of adults with learning disabilities being in paid work.[6]

Our programme creates long-term social and economic value for young people and their families. The Social Return on Investment from this programme has been calculated as £1.75 for every £1 invested. At a cost of £1.4m it has delivered almost £4.5m of value.

This long-term intervention working with young people with learning disabilities and autism that provides one-to-one coaching, work insight trips and work experience opportunities is highly successful in supporting young people into paid employment.

We believe there are a lack of interventions like this that are long-term and bridge the gap between education and employment.

Qualified coaching: Our coaches work with the same young people for a number of years, allowing young people to build a trusted relationship with an adult who supports them to come up with their own solutions to the challenges they face.

“ThinkForward is centred around the individual, it offers the tools and life skills to become independent”. S, a parent of a young person on the ThinkForward programme.

Business insights: As well as coaching, we support young people by broadening their experiences through work insight visits, social action and youth voice projects and a business mentoring programme. We take young people on trips to visit workplaces and gain an insight into various roles and career pathways. This builds their confidence to travel and increases their understanding of the world of work. Additionally, our business mentoring programme enables young people to meet with professionals who mentor them and offer advice. They also learn how to create their own CV and cover letter, empowering them to apply for job opportunities.

“ThinkForward are there to help. Without them, disabled people will struggle out there in the real world to find full time jobs. ThinkForward help you to find a job. For a person with a disability, you won’t know who to speak to, the right people to go to. That’s what ThinkForward do, they help you.” M, a young person on the ThinkForward programme from London.

“I was in a state of panic. School was semi-helpful, but they were very busy – they didn’t have the time that [the ThinkForward coach] has that would really work for you. So, I was very pleased that they took an enormous weight off my shoulders. They found you the internship and supported you with the RSC to get that off the ground.” Mandy, parent of a young person on the ThinkForward programme.

Parental engagement: the support and engagement of our young people’s parents or carers is pivotal in creating positive outcomes for young people to progress towards employment.

We have found that parent’s/carer’s aspirations for their children with learning disabilities and/or autism can be lower due to societal stigmatism and stereotypes and comparison with neurotypical siblings. Parents/carers of young people with learning disabilities are also often predisposed to negative, restrictive language being used to describe their young people, so their minds are not open to the possibilities and potential of their young people. We have found that parental aspirations for their young people can be raised by coaches building open lines of communication with parents/carers about the opportunities available to their young people and sharing achievements and examples of young people stepping outside of their comfort zone. For example, by young people taking part in work experience placements, parents gain a better understanding and are better able to support their young people to continue to pursue employment opportunities.

A barrier to employment for young people with learning disabilities and autism can also be potential worries about the impact on household income in terms of benefit payments. Some young people we have spoken to feel they are restricted to part-time work in order not to earn above a threshold that would affect their eligibility for financial support from benefits, such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP). We believe that a solution to this could be for the government to phase out PIPs as certain thresholds are met, for example, once a young person has been employed for a number of months, to ensure there isn’t a sudden sharp decline in household income when these payments stop.

“He’s a completely different man, he’s so very knowledgeable about things – he retains a lot of information. He’s a lot happier in himself – and ThinkForward are a big part of that.” Steve, a parent of a young person on the ThinkForward programme.

“The programme is changing whole families’ perceptions of what it’s like to work, and this is being achieved through young people with additional needs. That’s vast.” Assistant head at Samuel Rhodes School.

Solutions which are effective in supporting employers to take young people with learning disabilities and autism on as employees

Unfortunately, opportunities for young people with learning disabilities and autism to engage in work experience are sparse. Some employers struggle as they don’t have access to the specialist skills and knowledge needed to support the development of work placements for young people with additional needs. This puts these young people at risk of missing out on the opportunity to gain experience, develop their work readiness skills and access future paid sustainable employment.  

“ThinkForward are fantastic partners - supportive, collaborative and innovative. Your support has been instrumental in helping us develop supported employment in our organisation and cultivate a positive environment for neurodiverse staff and staff with disabilities at all levels in the organisation.” Employer partner of ThinkForward

“ThinkForward has really opened our minds to what we could be doing with young people with additional needs. For example, some of them are really smart with technology, so it’s about connecting them to these wider roles that we have in the organisation.

We really enjoy working with them. As a team we have learned so much from them, how can we communicate with a neuro diverse language, the tone, the words, and imagery, the amount of content, the importance of having stand out activities, need for more frequent short breaks. Questions young people ask also helps us to improve what we do on site.” Employer partner of ThinkForward

The Disability Confident initiative is valuable in raising awareness of the value of employing young people with disabilities and should be championed more. Our experience shows that if the initiative was based more around proven practices and not just a tick box exercise, supporting the Disability employment charter, it would be more effective.

Extended recruitment: Our business insights programme helps young people appreciate what employment opportunities are possible and broadens their horizons. But these are not sufficient on their own. We need to give young people with learning disabilities and autism the chance to experience work for themselves as it can take more time for them to adjust and adapt to a working environment. We run work placement schemes to offer work experience tailored to the specific needs of post-16 young people diagnosed with a learning disability. The objective is to co-design bespoke work placements which create effective pathways into entry-level jobs and map to funded skills programmes (traineeships, inclusive apprenticeships, supported internships). We deliver training to employers and supervisors to develop their understanding of the support needs of these young people, support more inclusive recruitment practices and offer guidance on designing suitable employment opportunities, focusing on the skills, level of support and preparation needed for them to engage meaningfully in the workplace. 

Educating businesses on the benefits of hiring young people with learning disabilities: People with learning disabilities stay in their jobs 3.5 times longer than their non-disabled coworkers[7], they have a lower than average sickness absence[8] and employing people with a learning disability has a positive impact on staff morale.[9] Employers can gain access to a part of the workforce that they are unlikely to have reached before. They are more likely to recruit the right person to the right job if they are not excluding anybody. Additionally, 77% of the public think more highly of companies that make an extra effort to employ people with a disability[10], thus businesses can improve their brand image.

Educating businesses is only part of the solution. Providing tangible incentives to sustain jobs for young people with learning disabilities will be necessary to persuade employers.

“You need dedication but give them a chance. Be patient. Let them find their feet, guide and push them to do things – you will both be surprised how far they go. Young people with learning disabilities need to be given the chance. W has proven he is capable of much more than he said. I can’t imagine the place without him.” Sue, W’s employer.

“ThinkForward has really opened our minds to what we could be doing with young people with additional needs. For example, some of them are really smart with technology, so it’s about connecting them to these wider roles that we have in the organisation. Waldemar, Community Engagement Officer at Multiplex (an employer partner).

Recommendations to the House of Lords Public Services Committee

1. The government should work with schools, colleges, training providers and charities to ensure that all young people with disabilities have access to ready-for-work programmes that will provide them with the skills they need to transition to the working world. More investment is needed in programmes that support young people who are most in-need of additional support.
    
2. The government should work closely with local authorities to ensure they provide employment and training opportunities. More investment is need in training providers and charities to broker and support internships and work experience placements. More support is needed for businesses to run inclusive job creation schemes for young people with disabilities.

3. The government should invest in training and initiatives for employers on how to work with young people with learning disabilities.

4. The government should review Personal Independence Payments thresholds and criteria to encourage full employment by young people with disabilities and reduce the chance of a sudden drop in household income.

22 February 2024