To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of Job Centre staff who have experience in supporting disabled people to find employment.
Answered on
15 December 2020
We remain absolutely committed to supporting disabled people, including ensuring access to Disability Employment Advisers (DEA). Our DEAs are an integral part of our service, supporting Work Coaches to provide more personalised support, tailored for each claimant’s individual needs; this includes peer coaching, three-way conversations with claimants and by sharing knowledge and information about health and disability services nationally and in local communities.
All Jobcentre Work Coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey designed to equip them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to provide a high quality service to all claimants including people with health conditions or disabilities. They receive on-going learning in their roles and have access to guidance which is refreshed at regular intervals. Part of the training programme advises Work Coaches to consult with their DEA if the claimant has a complex health issue or disability which need to be better understood. We are doubling the number of Work Coaches across our network of Jobcentres, from 13,500 to 27,000, so that every jobseeker receives tailored support to build skills and move into work.
Additional support for disabled people is also available through initiatives such as Access to Work (ATW), Disability Confident, Work and Health Programme (WHP), Fair Start Scotland, and the Intensive Personalised Employment Support Programme (IPES).