09 December 2008 – Publication of DWP research report no 548: Programmes to Promote Employment for Disabled People: Lessons from the United States
A report focusing on US evaluations that have informed best practices in providing services to disabled people in the US is published today by the DWP. The report reviews evaluation findings from the US experience in providing return-to-work supports for disabled people and discusses the implications for similar efforts in the UK. In particular the findings provide some useful suggestions for further developing of the UK’s Pathways to Work programme, and for developing and evaluating future UK employment initiatives, especially for people with severe psychiatric conditions and long-term incapacity benefits claimants.
Findings
Findings from US evaluations:
- Several US interventions have increased employment and earnings, but have shown no impacts on caseload size.
- More-intensive services are generally needed to produce impacts on employment and earnings.
Proposed lessons for current UK disability employment initiatives:
- Pathways participants with severe psychiatric conditions might benefit from additional supports, especially supported employment services.
- Adding work incentives to allow people to work more than 16 hours per week might further enhance Pathways outcomes.
- Long-term claimants may need more intensive supports than those currently offered to move into employment.
- Additional data on services delivered could be helpful in understanding the effects of Pathways or similar programmes on its intended population.
Proposed lessons for evaluating future UK employment initiatives for disabled people:
- Identifying outcomes that can measure the success of the programme before implementation is important to a clear articulation of key evaluation findings.
- Creating a research database from administrative files on programme participation is a valuable tool in tracking the progress of disability policies.
- When using non-experimental methods, it is best to use multiple approaches to conduct sensitivity tests on programme impacts.
Notes to Editors
- The Report Programmes to Promote Employment for People with Disabilities: Lessons from the United States is published today on 9th December 2008
- The report authors were Anu Rangarajan (Principal Investigator), David Wittenburg, Todd Honeycutt, Debra Brucker of Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
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Website: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs2008.asp
Prepared by: Department for Work and Pensions Work to Work Directorate
