Working with young people with disabilities and learning difficulties

Working with young people with disabilities and learning difficulties

Connexions has a policy of promoting equality of opportunity and there are a number of Personal Advisers who work with young people who have special needs such as sensory or physical disabilities or learning difficulties.

Connexions usually works with young people aged 13 to 19 but this can be extended up to age 24 when there is a special need. As with any young person we need to provide high quality work experience and employment opportunities for these young people.

Supported Employment
Research has shown that there are good business reasons for employing people with disabilities:

• Disabled people in work tend to have better attendance records, stay with employers longer and have fewer accidents at work. (Source: Unlocking Potential - The Employers Forum on Disability 2002)
• Customers will view the organisation as more representative and diverse
• 20% of the working population are disabled
• 1 million disabled people are unemployed but want to work
• There are 8.5 million disabled people in the UK, spending approximately £40 billion a year on goods and services.

Most disabled people can work alongside their non-disabled colleagues without any, or with very little, special assistance. Others may need some adjustment to the working environment or working practices, but adjustments can be straightforward and often inexpensive to implement.

Jobcentre Plus has a number of schemes to help people with disabilities and employers overcome work related obstacles to participation. For more details click here.

Approximately 150 employers in the Nottinghamshire area have been awarded the Jobcentre’s Disability Symbol. These employers have agreed to meet five commitments regarding employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees, including an undertaking to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy.

Ready4Work

The Ready4Work team at Nottinghamshire County Council offers support to employers looking to recruit disabled people into employment.

We offer a free and impartial service to enable you to employ someone with a disability.  Support begins with the job matching and recruiting process to ensure employers get the right person for the right job.

In addition we offer a tailor made package  of support targeted at the needs of the employer and individual employee including:

• Help with obtaining funding for reasonable adjustments to equipment or premises as needed
• Assistance with funding for training or other identified support.
• Guidance and support with health and safety and legal requirements.
• Disability Awareness training for your existing staff
• A dedicated Development Officer who will carry out regular monitoring reviews and be on hand to address any issues as they arise.
• Ongoing workplace support to enable the employee to succeed in open employment

Employer Retention Service

A free service to help you retain skilled and experienced staff who may be a t risk of losing their job through long-term illness or disability.

For further information, please contact the Ready4Work Team directly on: 0115 9340777 or 0115 9340767 or visit the website at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/supportedemployment