Ensuring Adults with autism benefit from wider employment initiatives

Young people are a particular area of focus for the Government during this period of economic downturn. Building Britain’s recovery: Achieving full employment therefore announced over 100,000 new opportunities for young people, meaning that from January 2010 all 18-24 year olds, including those with autism, will be guaranteed a job, work placement or work related skills training from the six month point of their claim to Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). This will be delivered through:

  • a new job created through the Future Jobs Fund
  • help with getting an existing job in a key employment sector
  • new work-focused training opportunities, and/or
  • a place on a Community Task Force, delivering real help within local communities. (5.6)

[The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)] is committed to ensuring that these programmes work for young people with autism, and that the choices and support they are offered reflect their specific needs. (5.8)

Personalising welfare and work support

The Government will continue to take forward welfare reform to personalise the support given to people seeking work. At the core of this process is the principle that the ability to get and keep a job, and then to progress in work, is the best route out of welfare dependency. But the personal needs of individuals can differ vastly. Some require intensive support to build skills and overcome barriers to work, while others need little more than access to job opportunities. (5.9)

Reforming existing provision

Following recommendations for improvement made by the NAO, the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit report Improving the life chances of disabled people, the PAC and the views of many disabled people, employers, external delivery partners and Jobcentre Plus staff, DWP undertook a major review of its existing specialist disability employment provision (i.e. WORKSTEP, Work Preparation and the Job Introduction Scheme).

As a result, this provision has be replaced by a new programme – Work Choice. Work Choice will be a pan-disability programme, designed to help customers who face complex disability-related barriers and have the highest support needs to find and keep a paid job, or progress in work. The new programme will provide specialist support for adults with autism where DWP mainstream provision may not be appropriate or does not meet the particular needs of the individual. (5.17-5.18)

Jobcentre Plus has now changed Access to Work to improve support services for customers with autism. (5.21)

Developing new approaches that will better support adults with autism

Many of the initiatives recognise the importance of co-ordinated health and employment support for jobseekers. They build on the strong partnerships already created with GPs through the Pathways Advisory Services pilots, which tested placing Jobcentre Plus advisers in GP surgeries. These pilots are now being expanded to treble the capacity. (5.32)

As part of the ongoing goal to personalise support for disabled people – including adults with autism – the [Office for Disability Issues (ODI)] ... has worked with disabled people to develop the Right to Control. This will give disabled people greater choice and control over the support and services they receive, and shift the balance of power from the state to the individual. (5.33)

DWP will also ensure Jobcentre Plus advisers are aware both of the need to make suitable adjustments for adults with autism and of the kinds of adjustments that may be beneficial. (4.11)