Government Publishes National Disability Strategy - Employment Aspects
On 28 July 2021, the government published a National Disability Strategy which sets out the steps it intends to take to remove limits that disabled people face in their lives.
Here are the key aspects employers need to be aware of.
The Strategy, which is separated into three parts, has been published in acknowledgement that only half of the 7 million people living with disabilities in the UK of working age are currently employed. The first part of the strategy addresses a commitment to improving the lives of disabled people right now, the second part how the government will work with disabled people in the future, and the third part summaries the actions that individual government departments will take. It should be noted that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are working on their own separate strategies.
What Commitments Have the Government Made?
The first part of the strategy sets out the key commitments with regards to employment. These are:
- to provide a new online advice hub, which will aim to provide clear, accessible information and advice on employment rights for disabled people. The department for work and pensions (DWP) will also aim to develop and test more tailored information for employers on supporting disabled people in the workplace
- adjustment passports and access to work: DWP will make the 'Access to Work' scheme a digital service, in the form of 'adjustment passports.' These will aim to provide disabled people with greater flexibility and smoother transitions between job roles, and remove the need for repeated disability assessments. The passport will be piloted in 2021 and will be made available to disabled students when they leave university
- consulting on disability workforce reporting: the consultation will consider what aspects of reporting should be mandatory and which should remain voluntary. It will also consider whether standardised questions can be asked of all employees
- consulting on making flexible working the default in Great Britain for disabled people, unless employers have a good reason not to
- introducing unpaid leave for carers who are trying to balance their caring responsibilities with full time employment
- improving and expanding existing support schemes for disabled people and employers, including more intensive back to work support in Jobcentres
- publishing proposals of how they will support disabled entrepreneurs, to ensure that any disabled person who wants to start a business has the opportunity to do so
- improve access to civil service jobs, including defence and national security agencies through open conversations and percentage targets
- take steps to support disabled apprentices. To do this, the government will look at the barriers that disabled people face in undertaking apprenticeships, and how to address them (results due in Feb 2022). A workforce development programme will also be introduced for apprenticeship providers, and further support given to employers, to focus on the gap in attainment between apprentices who declare a disability and those who do not
The success and results of the strategy as a whole will be tracked, with a dashboard monitoring progress due to be published by summer 2022. Although many of the proposals include consultations and any resultant changes are not yet known, employers should be aware that changes, which includes more support and further resources, are already in motion.