Employment and disability

1
Employment and disability

• Niamh Fawl
• Policy and Public Affairs, NDA

2
Outline

• Role of the NDA
• Facts and Figures
• National Disability Strategy
• Interlinked Policy Instruments
• Comprehensive Employment Strategy
• Conclusion

3
The NDA

• The National Disability Authority provides
  independent expert advice to the Government on
  policy and practice, as the lead state agency on
  disability and universal design.

4
Employment status of pwdCensus 2006 Aged
20-64
Principal economic status
At work 73,000 35
Unemployed 15,000 8
Student 6,000 2
Home/family 20,000 10
Retired 11,000 5
Unable to work due to illness/disability 81,000 39
Other 2,000 1
5
Low participation in work

• 35 of people with disabilities have a job v. 74
  of others (Census 2006)
• 60 of people with disabilities not working are
  restricted in type or amount of work they can do
• Low qualifications add to disadvantage

6
Employment and disabilityCensus 2006
7
Employers and Disability

• 88 of companies say they do not employ anyone
  with a disability
• Only 5 employers have accommodated a staff
  member with disabilities
• Over half dont know about employer help
• Minimal take-up of FÁS supports especially job
  retention

8
National Disability Strategy Employment and
disability commitments

• A comprehensive employment strategy for people
  with disabilities
• 7,000 more in work
• Cross-departmental co-operation across
  Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Education and
  Skills Health Social Protection
• Specific commitments
• enhance supported employment
• bridge between HSE and mainstream training
• systematic process of engagement with people with
  disabilities to establish employment aspirations
• 3 target mandatory under Part 5 Disability Act

9
FÁS supports for pwdNo. of participants 2006-2008
Programme 2006 2007 2008 TOTAL
Wage Subsidy Scheme 141 191 191 523
Supported Employment Programme 700 865 849 2,414
FÁS Mainline Training 380 334 296 1,010
Specialist Training 433 447 383 1,263
TOTAL 1, 654 1, 837 1,719 5,210
Estimated figure
10
National Disability Strategy Targets Employment
and disability

• Dept of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA),
  Sectoral Plan 20062009
• Disability Activation Project - develop
  comprehensive employment strategy on individual
  case management basis with pwd on disability
  payments
• Interdepartmental implementation team HSE, FÁS,
  NDA, VECs
• Started September 2008
• To date 14 training programmes, 170 participants
  completed

11
Linked policy commitments

• National Development Plan 2007-2013
• participation in education, training and
  employment up 50
• proportion at work up from 37 to 45 (QNHS)
• Towards 2016 High level goals
• elaboration of Comprehensive Employment Strategy
• National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
  2007-2013
• increase pwds participation in society and
  employment by service provision and activation
  measures

12
Comprehensive employment strategyNDA report -
Key pillars

• Make work pay, remove benefit traps
• Equip pwd to compete in labour market now and
  future
• Enlist public and private sector employers
• Prevent flow into inactivity
• School leavers
• People acquiring a disability
• Systematic process of engagement
• Comprehensive across individuals and levels of
  ability

13
Supported employment Almost 4 of workers with a
disability

• Two separate state-funded arrangements
• FÁS scheme
• In principle 18 hours a week
• c. 900 in work 1,100 in job assessment/job
  search phases
• HSE-funded supported employment
• Less than 18 hours a week typically ½ day -1 day
  a week
• c.1,000 receiving HSE or service provider job
  coach support

14
Part 5 Disability Act

• Legal obligations on public bodies to
• Promote and support employment of people with
  disabilities
• Achieve 3 target of employees with a disability
• People with ID under-represented in the public
  service relative to other employments
• Good models of partnership with local disability
  services and supported employment consortia could
  be built on
• Small bodies that find it hardest to reach 3
  could use supported employment work experience
  placements

15
Employment Equality Acts 1998 2004

• Employer duty to take appropriate measures to
  ensure pwd can access and carry out their work
  participate in training, unless measures impose
  disproportionate burden on employer

16
Employment Equality Acts 1998 2004

• Appropriate measures
• Adaptation of work premises or equipment,
  patterns of working time, distribution of tasks
  or provision of training
• Disproportionate burden
• Financial or other costs
• The resources of the business

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Joined-up thinking

• Importance of dovetailing policies in HSE,
  D/Enterprise and D/Social Protection
• HSE review of Adult Day Services
• Opportunity for mainstream alternatives to
  segregated sheltered work
• Review of Supported Employment programmes
• Earnings disregard for DA of 50 of earnings
  between 120 and 350 a week
• Review of DA Disability Activation programme
• Commitment in Government programme on medical
  card continuation

18
Recent developments

• Cabinet reshuffle restructuring March 2010
• More streamlined joined up approach
• Most recent Social Welfare Bill 2010, transfer of
  employment and community services and staff to
  the Department of Social Protection
• Opportunity to align training/education of pwds
• Opportunity to link welfare support and support
  pathways to work

19
Conclusion

• New developments possible new opportunities
  for
• Integrated streamlined provision of supports for
  people with disabilities by Depts and HSE
• Planning for the economic upturn by outcome-based
  training for people with disabilities
• Implementation of the Comprehensive Employment
  Strategy

20
Some References

• National Disability Strategy
• http//www.justice.ie/en/JELR/NDS.pdf/files/NDS.pd
  f
• National Development Plan 2007-2013
• http//www.ndp.ie/documents/ndp2007-2013/NDP-2007-
  2013-English.pdf
• Towards 2016
• http//www.taoiseach.gov.ie/attached_files/Pdf20f
  iles/Towards2016PartnershipAgreement.pdf
• National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
  2007-2013
• http//www.socialinclusion.ie/documents/NAPinclusi
  onReportPDF.pdf