Supported employment: review report - easy read

Scottish Government's Position on the Supported Employment Review Report

The Scottish Government accepts the findings and recommendations of this report. We will use it to help build future services.

Reach of Supported Employment

Supported employment is important in helping disabled people and people with additional support needs. This includes those who would struggle to find jobs.

Supported employment can help us reach our goal to at least halve the disability employment gap in Scotland. Targeted support is needed to help those who could find and keep jobs through supported employment.

Next Phase of Our Employability Service

We need to work with our partners on the recommendations. This will help plan services after March 2023.

We will think about how to take the recommendations forward. This will also help improve services for people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

Responding to the review report and next steps

The Scottish Government has listened to the concerns and feedback of the Steering Group about supported employment services.

The Steering Group have asked the Scottish Government to respond to each recommendation.

We can look at 2 of these right away:

Recommendation 7. Work with the DWP to allow supported employment services to claim Access to Work.

This is a decision for the UK Government to make. Scottish Government officials are talking to the DWP about this.

Recommendation 9. Remove the need for 16+ hours of work for people who use supported employment services

We want to create a flexible system that is person-centred. This will allow employees to work the number of hours a week that suits them best. We will explore this issue further.

We are looking at the other recommendations. We will use them to plan our employability services through No One Left Behind.

No One Left Behind is Scotland's plan for an employment system that puts the person's needs first.

The Scottish Government and the review Steering Group will work with local government to develop a new approach. This will include supported employment.

We will work with other partners (including people with lived experience and employers) to consider the learning and value for money of services across Scotland.

We will make sure that all recommendations are responded to.