Supported Employment in Worcestershire Needs Assessment  

Task 

In recent years, a number of Supported Employment models have been successful at helping vulnerable people find employment, and in delivering value for both the individual, the wider community and local authorities. 

In Worcestershire, there are a range of services that offer employment-related support to vulnerable people, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other learning disabilities, problematic drug or alcohol use, or poor mental health. These include Supported Employment services, Reablement, Supported Internships, and employability through Engagement and Recovery Workers. It is estimated there may be over 9,000 people in Worcestershire with a learning disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder specifically who are unemployed and may benefit from employment support. Although the network and expertise of employment services is extensive, it is estimated that only a fraction of those who need support are currently accessing it. For those who are, the outcomes and cost effectiveness of services are not well understood . 

Worcestershire County Council engaged TONIC to conduct a needs assessment. The aim was to understand the levels of unmet need for employability support among vulnerable groups of local people and identify opportunities for improvement. The needs assessment was informed by both service data and the views of service users and stakeholders. 

Our Approach 

TONIC used a mixed methods approach to engage directly with over 100 relevant stakeholders and service users through an online survey and face-to-face interviews. TONIC also heard the experiences and views of 75 stakeholders including professionals from employability support services, day centres, education institutions, charities and government departments. In addition, TONIC gained insight from the people who commission, design and deliver services, from commissioners, programme managers and coordinators to mentors, healthcare practitioners employability support officers. 

Outcome 

Through the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data TONIC presented a range of conclusions on the current state of employment support within Worcestershire. These findings identified a number of key strengths and challenges to the employment support service which were summarised in the report. In particular, these identified the essential challenges of engaging with employers and further supporting those with a Learning Disability or Autism. This led to the generation of a range of system-wide and service-specific recommendations with the aim to improve the governance, visibility and performance of employability support in Worcestershire, so that more vulnerable people can be supported to find or retain work.