Small Employer Offer
19th September 2017
As part of the new Green Paper Initiative that was launched in 2016, the Government aims to support 1 million disabled people into employment.
For the last two decades many attempts have been made to increase the number of disabled people in work but the gap of around 30% remains largely static. Not every disabled person should be expected to work and everyone's contribution should be recognised regardless of whether they are working or not. But there is a vital economic case for acting to close this gap, which currently represents a difference of two million people. Social Market Foundation research has found that halving the gap and supporting one million more disabled people into work would boost the economy by £13 billion. In an attempt to close this gap, the DWP have taken bold steps to employ Community Partners, largely made up of disabled people themselves who have knowledge of how the community works and barriers people face. With teams of specialist advisors who can work with both JCP staff and businesses to increase the confidence and knowledge of employing disabled people and support them in setting up a in work support schemes for both employer and employee to help them settle into their new role and have long term sustainability. In addition to the Community Partners, the DWP have created the Small Employer Offer which is a brand new package of support and advice for businesses and potential disabled employees. There are three Small Employer Advisors working across the district to engage businesses with between 1-25 employees in the conversation around the employment of disabled people. Matt Bowen is the Small Employer Advisor for Rotherham and Barnsley. The offer aims to bring together the bespoke recruitment needs of businesses and find tailored job matches to ensure that business needs are met. Closing the employment gap is also about raising disabled people's living standards. Being in work can be an essential part of achieving financial resilience, and a good standard of living is about more than just income. It also means being independent in the widest sense: having purpose, self-esteem, and the opportunity to build relationships. In addition to all of the above, more and more businesses are signing up to Disability Confident every week. The scheme was introduced in 2014 and it aims to help employers think differently about disability, and improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers. "Being Disability Confident sends a signal to employees, clients and stakeholders about the type of organisation we are." Marek Tokarski, CDC Enterprise Agency If you are interested in being a Disability Confident Employer or having a chat with our Small Employer Advisors or Community Partners, contact Peter Jones on : 0114 2590542 or 07833402703