- Scheme to help employers recruit and retain disabled people to be reformed – boosting workplace inclusion and living standards as part of Plan for Change.
- Reforms to previous Government’s Disability Confident scheme include tailored support for SMEs and greater peer-to-peer support for employers.
- New standards to improve scheme for employer and employees will be shaped by the voices of disabled people.
Sick and disabled people will have more opportunities to move into work following the overhaul of a scheme that will boost living standards and workplace inclusion.
The Disability Confident scheme – launched by the previous government in 2016 – has delivered huge variations of support across different UK regions, often overlooking specific local needs and priorities.
While around two thirds of employers agree that joining the scheme had a positive impact on their organisation, the landmark Keep Britain Working review by Sir Charlie Mayfield concluded that while it has many positive aspects it “lacks teeth”.
In response to the review, the Government is taking action to prevent ill-health, support people to stay in work, and help employers build healthier, more resilient workplaces. Overhauling the Disability Confident scheme is a key part of this.
This will involve trialling reforms through employers, alongside the work taking place in the Keep Britain Working Review Vanguards, such as:
- The Disability Confident scheme has three levels of commitment – we are reducing the time employers can remain at the entry level from three years to two, and removing the option for them to renew at this level to encourage employers to progress up the scheme.
- Tailoring support for SMEs to their needs and capabilities, so that businesses of all sizes can benefit.
- Connecting employers together so that they can access peer-to-peer support and share good practice, with practical resources so that they can tap into the scheme’s full potential.
- Reflecting the views and voices of disabled people throughout the scheme so that guidance reflects real experiences.
The reforms are aimed at making employers’ experience on the scheme more meaningful and more impactful on their organisations, incentivising them to progress their Disability Confident status and make their workplaces inclusive of disabled talent. This will improve the employment outcomes of disabled people across the country, boosting living standards and helping to get the more than 2.8 million people signed off long-term sick in the UK into secure employment.
Around 19,000 employers are signed up to the current Disability Confident scheme, benefitting an estimated 11 million paid employees in their organisations. By improving the offer to employers, the reformed scheme has the potential to benefit even more employees.
Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms said:
Disability Confident – with around 19,000 employers signed up – has enormous potential. For too long, though, it has not delivered enough support for disabled people, or for employers who want to recruit, retain and develop disabled people.
That’s why we are improving the scheme, through robust reforms to ensure a better service for all, including through greater support for SMEs and improving access to resources for employers.
This comes alongside our investment of £1 billion a year in employment support by the end of the decade, and our Connect to Work programme which will help 300,000 sick or disabled people into work by the end of the parliament.
Sally Gardner, Business Solutions Manager at Tees Valley Mayoral Combined Authority, welcomed the changes, saying:
Tees Valley Combined Authority supports the proposed reforms to the Disability Confident scheme and welcomes the opportunity to test new approaches that will strengthen the scheme’s impact.
These changes, including tailored support for SMEs and enhanced verification, will help ensure the scheme continues to drive meaningful progress and promote greater inclusivity for businesses in our region.
Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said:
Adding a small business-focused track to Disability Confident is a good move, delivering on something that FSB proposed in our 2022 Business Without Barriers report.
Ensuring that the great work done by countless small businesses to support disabled employees can be captured and recognised is an important step, and we look forward to seeing how Disability Confident can be shaped in other ways to make it as relevant and useful to small firms as possible.
The Government will be engaging closely with current Disability Confident scheme members, SMEs, and larger businesses such as The Gym Group who are Disability Confident leaders, as well as the recently announced Independent Disability Advisory Panel to ensure that reforms are both impactful and realistic.
The changes build on the work the Government is doing to unlock work for sick or disabled people including the £1 billion investment in employment support by the end of the decade, and the Connect to Work programme that will support 300,000 into work, alongside the launch of employer-led Vanguards to address issues highlighted in the Keep Britain Working Review.
