New Government support package to help more disabled people in Grantham into work

A new package of support is set to help thousands of disabled people into work.

Fifteen Jobcentre Plus sites, including Grantham, are set to trial a framework to become more autism-friendly, with 26,000 work coaches undergoing accessibility training to improve jobcentre services for disabled people.

Thousands more disabled people are set to benefit from a new package of support designed to help them into the work they want.

Minister for Disabled People, Chloe Smith, has today announced that 15 Jobcentre Plus sites, including Grantham will be testing an autism framework, designed with the National Autistic Society (NAS), to transform the service available to jobseekers with the disability.

The framework pilot will aim to help people with autism find, retain and progress in fulfilling jobs.

This comes as 26,000 work coaches in jobcentres across the country are undergoing specialist accessibility training, delivered in partnership with Microsoft, in a further effort to help more disabled jobseekers secure employment.

The work coaches will look at how they can support disabled jobseekers with tools including immersive readers, magnifiers and automated captions, which will not only improve their daily work but will also help with the completion of job applications and interviews.

One in 100 people are autistic and there are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK, according to the National Autistic Society (NAS). Working age autistic people are often locked out of employment due to a lack of understanding from employers and colleagues, and anxiety-inducing environments that can be distressing.

It is hoped that the framework will help to break down these barriers and see more autistic people in jobs they love.

Chloe said: “Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to find a job they love and to progress in their career, but we know we must do more to help people with autism.

“By testing this autism framework and offering new specialist training to our jobcentre staff we are helping to deliver more employment opportunities for those who would otherwise feel locked out, as we work towards seeing one million more disabled people in work by 2027.”

The framework explores how best to support people living with autism into employment, including ensuring jobcentre appointments with autistic customers take place in the right environment and educating local employers in the additional needs of autistic workers.

For example, many autistic people become distressed in busy, bright and noisy environments. As part of the pilot, jobcentre staff will therefore be asked to carry out appointments with customers triggered in this way in quieter rooms, with more appropriate lighting.

Work coaches will also be able to help providers and employers in the local communities understand the additional needs required by autistic employees, which should in turn create more opportunities for autistic jobseekers in settings where they can thrive.

If successful, the framework could be rolled out to more jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales, benefitting thousands of people with autism.

Christine Flintoft-Smith, head of autism accreditation at the National Autistic Society, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with the DWP to ensure that the support and considerations they undertake when working with autistic people meet their needs.

“It is a positive step that the DWP are taking to ensure that they are providing the best support possible for those accessing their service.

“The framework of best practice has been developed specifically with Jobcentres in mind and should ensure that Jobcentre staff are able to reflect on their practice and make the necessary adjustments to achieve inclusive strategies for autistic people.

“We look forward to our continued work with the team to develop practice and lead to better outcomes for autistic people.”

Hector Minto, lead accessibility evangelist at Microsoft, said: “Technology has the potential to greatly empower disabled people in the workplace, but awareness is often low, people don’t know that there is support built into modern digital experiences.

“In creating this training with DWP, built on our own internal training, we found there is terrific passion and energy in this workforce to share their knowledge with jobseekers. I am confident that it will drive real impact and help us tackle a real challenge in society.”