DEAC Outline Strategy and Work Plan 2008-2011
Introduction
1. This Business Plan sets out the key work areas that the Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) envisages will form the basis of its work over the next three years; recognising the need to be flexible to new developments in the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) policy agenda, and the Government’s overall employment agenda.
2. DEAC’s objectives, aims and remit are set out in Annex 1.
3. The work areas are set in the context of DWP’s overall objectives, the relevant Public Service Agreement Targets and the Welfare to Work Directorate Forward Look for 2008-2011.
DWP Strategic Objectives 2008-2011
4. Within DWP’s overall strategic objectives there are two of particular relevance to DEAC and provide the context for its work.
Maximise employment opportunity for all and reduce the numbers on out-of-work benefits:
- The overall employment rate.
- The gap between the overall employment rate and the employment rates of disabled people, lone parents, ethnic minorities, the over fifties, those with no qualifications, people living in the most deprived wards and those most likely to be socially excluded.
- The number of people on out-of-work benefits.
- The time people spend on out-of-work benefits.
Promote equality of opportunity for disabled people:
- Disabled people’s perception of the choice and control they have over their lives.
- The gap between the overall employment rate and the employment rate of disabled people.
- Access to goods and services for disabled people.
DWP Public Service Agreement 2008-2011
5. DEAC’s work will contribute to DWP’s delivery of the PSA targets on:
- maximising employment opportunity for all;
- addressing the disadvantage that individuals experience because of their gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief;
- improving the skills of the population, on the way to ensuring a world class skills base by 2020; and
- increasing the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and in employment, education or training;
- PSA 16
Welfare to Work Directorate Forward Look 2008-2011
6. DEAC is linked to the Welfare to Work Directorate as its sponsor. While DEAC operates independently of the Directorate, it is mindful of its targets and priorities, and works with its officials to ensure that its work contributes to DEAC’s overall aim of improving employment and retention opportunities for people with disabilities and long term health problems. These are set out in Annex 2.
Key Themes
7. Within this context DEAC has identified the following themes which it will work and advise on, between 2008 and 2011.
- DWP Commissioning Strategy
- Building effective links with policy makers and service providers regarding health and work
- Mental health strategy
- Employment and Skills
- Raising the profile of retention strategies across employment, health social care and so on to prevent the link with work being broken and to support disabled workers staying in work.
- Employer Engagement
- Learning Disabilities - Cross Government Working
- Pathways to Work
- Local Area Agreements/City Strategy
- Employment and Support Allowance
- Employment programmes – following on from the Review of Disability Employment Services consultation
- Flexible New Deal
- Cross Government employment
- Multiple barriers to employment for BME communities homeless people, ex-offenders with disability/health problems, school leavers and older people
- WORKSTEP – soft outcomes
- Independent Living
- Disability Living Allowance and work
- Over 50 Employer Steering Group
- Individual Budgets
- Link to the personalisation agenda
- Impact of the economic climate on disabled people in terms of best practice for retention and redundancy
- Impact of Disability Equality Duty on employment opportunities for disabled people
8. Annex 1 also sets out the areas that DEAC worked on between 2006 and 2008.
Implementation
9. DEAC will implement this Strategy and Work Plan over the next three years by:
- Engaging proactively with Ministers and officials, particularly those from the DWP, and have regular meetings with them to gauge DEAC’s effectiveness.
- Producing Advisory Notes for the DWP and other Government Departments who have a vested interest in them, and then seeking feedback on their content.
- Advising on relevant DWP policies from their inception to their implementation.
- Integrating more closely with the DWP research/policy development process.
- Continually promoting DEAC’s contribution to policy making and employment strategy.
- Programming work by clear role allocation and identification of project leads.
Guidance
10. In order to deliver a consistent approach and to ensure clarity, the Committee has drawn up guidelines to inform and direct its work (Annex 3 and Annex 4).
Measuring DEAC’s success
11. It is important that DEAC receives feedback on whether its advice is of value in terms of content and timeliness. To help the Committee gauge its success we will seek and expect feedback from Ministers and officials to all Advisory Notes and other meetings put to the Department.
12. We will also look to officials to share with DEAC, when making presentations to the Committee or in project meetings, the impact of its advice.
13. We will look to the Secretariat to prepare regular up dates on project work and policy development.
14. A summary of this Plan will appear on the DEAC web site to complement the review of DEAC’s work in its Annual Report.
DEAC
June 2008
