Closure of Dorset Council's Supported Employment Service EqIA

Aims of the strategy

It is proposed to close the current in-house provision and thereafter to externalise an ambitious supported employment offer to maximise the uptake of employment opportunities for people of working age with care and support needs known to People – Adults and Housing Directorate.

The provision of a supported employment service is not a statutory requirement of the local authority, and the directorate no longer has the expertise or infrastructure to successfully provide such a service. 

Whilst this equality impact assessment (EqIA) concerns the closure of the existing service it is pertinent to clarify that this decision is made within the context of an intention to improve the supported employment offer in due course.

The intention is to broaden the focus of the service from solely supporting people who have a learning disability to all adults with care and support needs. Moreover, we aim to facilitate a whole employment pathway – through training, work placement, voluntary work – rather than exclusively concentrate on paid employment as an outcome (although this should be the aim wherever possible). 

The service provider will be required to engage with local employers to raise awareness of the positive contribution that disabled people can make to their businesses, and in so doing will promote the Disability Confident Scheme or Disability Pledge. Nevertheless, the People - Adults and Housing Directorate needs to be mindful of its areas of responsibility in exercising its duties under the Care Act, and avoid straying into the areas of responsibility of other agencies – Access to Work for example.

Context to the proposal

The current service is not currently enabling Dorset residents who have a learning disability (who are the focus of the existing provision) to enjoy the opportunities for paid employment that are available in some other comparable local authority areas. The council is not offering a supported employment service to other adults with care and support needs. As a result, Dorset Council are not able to offer an employment pathway as a strengths-based alternative to more traditional ways of meeting care and support outcomes. 

Locally, we know that employment is important to people who have a learning disability and their families. The proposal links to the broader Better Days strategy and enablement pathways within the wider transformation programme that People – Adults and Housing Directorate are engaged in. There should be a strategic connection between this proposal and the ‘Pathways to Employment’ work that Children’s are undertaking. A business case sets out more detailed requirements of the new service provider.

Intelligence and communication

Data, information, evidence and research used and how it has influenced the decision-making process:

• three colleagues are impacted by the proposal. The employee and equality data concerning these individuals has been used to inform the proposal
• locally, we know that employment is important to people who have a learning disability and their families; People First Dorset and the Big Plan have identified the need to break down barriers to get into employment. Further engagement with citizens who may access the service will follow to co-design the new supported employment service
• directorate monthly performance bulletin (internal Dorset Council resource)
• Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) indicator 1E (proportion of adults with a learning disability in paid employment)
• supported employment analysis from National Development Team for Inclusion
• importance of the links between the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities reforms and an ‘adult’ supported employment offer
• analysis of current caseloads of vocational support workers and recent referrals to the service 
• ageism in the workplace
• labour market status by ethnicity
• analysis of deprivation in Dorset
• impact of caring role on informal carers
• supported employment: what works / positive impact on social inclusion
• the importance of volunteers in rural communities

• employment is one of the 4 ‘Preparing for Adulthood’ DfE key themes for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

• good employment outcomes for adults with a learning disability reduce the risk of social exclusion, promote health and wellbeing, and therefore reduce demand on centralised services. There is a strong link between employment and enhanced quality of life

• many of the better performing local authorities appear to have commissioned a specialist supported employment service and have given a priority to supported employment

• Dorset is under performing in paid employment for people who have a learning disability in relation to many comparator local authorities, and to the regional average. For example the 2018-19 ASCOF 1E indicatorshows that Dorset reported performance of 5.6% (NB our actual performance Q1 20/21 performance is recorded internally as 4%) against a South West regional average of 6%, and reported performance of 8.9% in Devon, 8.2% in Shropshire, 7.1% in South Glos and 14.1% in N. Somerset.

• there has been a steady decline in the numbers of referrals to the existing supported employment service over the last few years. In 2016 there were 45 referrals, in 2017 there were 38 referrals and there were 22 referrals in 2018. There were 8 referrals in 2019 and 4 in 2020
• through the period 2019 to date only 1 referral has resulted in paid employment being achieved
• of the people who live with a learning disability in paid employment (and ‘known to’ Dorset Council) there are a disproportionate number of males represented
• for success to be achieved in supporting people with care and support needs into paid employment there needs to be a clear pathway from education and training to work experience and voluntary work
• locally, we know that employment is important to people who have a learning disability and their families; People First Dorset and the Big Plan have identified the need to “Break down barriers to get into employment”
• nationally and locally there is little evidence that people with care and support needs are using personal budgets to access employment. 2 key limiting factors are cited as professional attitudes of ‘staff’ and local authorities towards employment, and the availability of good, evidence-based employment support
• a combination of a contracted employment service and personalised on-the-job support is most likely to lead to improved employment outcomes for people who have a disability

Further information needed to help inform this proposal

The consultation with colleagues currently engaged in providing a supported employment service (and who are at risk) will no doubt provide further information to help make sure that the proposal is the best possible fit for people with care and support needs in the Dorset Council area. There is a consultation plan, with timelines, at the end of this document within the action plan

As noted above, this EqIA concerns the proposal to close what is an ineffective service. It is intended that a new service will be co-produced with interested citizens

Engagement or consultation that has taken place as part of this EqIA

• the 2018, engagement work for the Learning Disability and Mental Health Service Review emphasised the importance of employment

• the Big Plan for Dorset (the workplan for the Learning Disability Partnership Board) is in development, but employment has been emphasised as a key theme by board members, including users by experience

• the three colleagues employed within the service have been kept abreast of emerging plans to externalise the service, and their thoughts about this have influenced the business case. However, upcoming formal consultation is seen as a key activity in seeking to shape the best supported offer that we can

• engagement with supported employment provider operating in an area with better supported employment (ASCOF1E) performance

Feedback

• there will be a report back to the next Learning Disability Partnership Board; at present the board has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but further iterations will include a date as and when the following board meeting is arranged

• there will be ongoing meetings and communication with affected colleagues

• at the end of the consultation colleagues will obviously be informed directly about the outcome

• internal communications to adult social care teams

• revision of information on the Dorset Council website to reflect the closure of the service

Assessment

Impacts of the strategy

Key to impacts

Action Plan

 Who has agreed this EqIA?