Restart Scheme: Disability

Question

There are no current plans to extend the eligibility criteria of the Kickstart Scheme or the Restart Scheme beyond Universal Credit claimants.

Disabled people, including those on Employment Support Allowance, who require more intensive employment support would also have access to both the Work and Health Programme (WHP) and Intensive Personalised Employment Support (IPES) and can volunteer for this support at any time irrespective of benefit claimed or no benefit. The WHP predominantly helps people with a wide range of disabilities and health conditions to enter into and stay in work, and is suited to those who expect to find work within 12 months. IPES is an intensive, highly personalised voluntary support package that is flexible to participants’ needs. It supports disabled people with complex barriers to work who are more than 12 months from the labour market without the benefit of IPES support.

The department will be monitoring the characteristics of people who participate in employment programmes, including which benefit conditionality group they are from. We will be evaluating the Kickstart Scheme and Restart Scheme to explore the delivery and outcomes from the programmes. This will include capturing the experiences of a range of participants, including disabled participants.

Universal Credit claimants are supported by a Work Coach who will seek to recommend and refer to the most appropriate provision for the individual.