Review update – 21 February 2011

Over the past month Liz and the team have been busy gathering evidence for this review by:

• speaking with disability leaders, employers, trade unionists and a wide range of other stakeholders
• visiting Remploy factories and Residential Training Colleges
• pulling together the latest research, data and analysis.

We will continue to consult widely throughout February, to help inform the thinking for developing recommendations for the final report due to be published in summer 2011.

Final reminder for call for evidence

The call for evidence closes on 28 February 2011.

• Liz is keen to hear from as many people as possible. We would urge anyone with an interest to take this opportunity to shape future policy so that more disabled people are enabled to work and have satisfying careers.

Please send your evidence to:

Email: employmentsupport.review@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Disability Employment Support Review Team
Disability and Work Division
Floor 2
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9NA

Phone: 0207 449 7896

We have had a good response to the call for evidence so far, from a wide range of stakeholders including:

• a wide range of disabled people with different experiences of disability and work
• Jobcentre Plus staff
• welfare-to-work providers, training providers and vocational rehabilitation providers
• disabled people’s organisations and charities
• health professionals
• British Sign Language interpreters
• other people working with disabled people.

The wide variety of responses received to date includes:

• different experiences of using Access to Work
• evidence on what support works best for disabled people
• comments on specific barriers faced by people with different types of impairments
• a range of views on the role of sheltered employment and training provision
• the important role of the employer.

Scrutiny group

We have established a small scrutiny group to provide support and challenge to the review. This group comprises:

• Mike Adams, Chief Executive of the Essex Coalition of Disabled People (Joint Chair)
• Kay Allen, OBE, Group Head of Social Policy and Inclusion, Royal Mail (Joint Chair)
• Dr Rachel Perkins, OBE, freelance consultant on employment, inclusion and recovery for people with mental health conditions, and member of Equality 2025.
• Lord Sawyer, former Deputy General Secretary of UNISON

The role of this group is to:

• provide a challenge function to Liz on the recommendations of her report
• put forward their own recommendations for consideration
• assist Liz in developing recommendations.