Over the past 30 years, specialist employment support for disabled people and those with health conditions has significantly evolved. This journey began with the New Deal for Disabled People and now moves toward the next generation of devolved services being commissioned.
We believe that support is best provided through a combination of programmes and services, both national and local. It ensures everyone can access the help they need to move into work. We also believe that it is vital that we learn from the successful features of previously commissioned programmes that supported tens of thousands of disabled people into employment.
To mark Employability Day, we have produced our latest Policy Paper, which considers the lessons we can learn from two national employment support programmes – Work Choice (2010-2019), and the Work and Health Programme (2017-2026).
Work Choice
Work Choice was a voluntary programme for those with disability-related barriers to work, designed to support individuals in finding and maintaining employment. Through a flexible delivery approach, the programme included up to 12 months of work-entry support, followed by in-work support. A further job retention service was also incorporated, aimed at supporting those already in employment who were at risk of falling out of work.
A recently published evaluation considered the impact and cost-effectiveness of Work Choice. The findings highlight that the programme successfully helped participants enter and stay in employment:
Those who joined the programme had more than a 10 percentage point higher employment rate. They were also more than 7 percentage points less likely to be in receipt of benefits. The evaluation also illustrated the cost effectiveness of Work Choice, with each £1 spent delivering:
- £2.19 to the participant
- £1.67 to the Exchequer
- £2.98 to wider society
Work and Health Programme
Succeeding Work Choice, the Work and Health Programme was rolled out between 2017 and 2018. It offered up to 21 months of tailored, community-based employment support for disabled people and other priority groups. In September 2023, the programme was expanded to include a new element called Pioneer, targeted at ‘economically inactive’ customers. The initiative used a ‘place and train’ approach as Phase 1 of Universal Support, now called Connect to Work.
The latest statistics highlight the positive impact of the Work and Health Programme. These show that of those individuals who started between November 2017 and November 2022 (the most recent point at which participants completed the full time on programme), 46% achieved first earnings from employment and 31% achieved a job outcome within 24 months.
Maximus has been particularly successful in delivering the programme in Wales, making us the highest performing provider, despite this being one of the most challenging labour markets. More than 26,000 people have joined the Work and Health Programme with us in Wales, of whom more than 20,000 have entered employment.
Ten lessons for future employment support
We have seen the positive impact of Work Choice and the Work and Health Programme through first-hand service delivery. Using official evaluations, performance data, and internal insights, we developed a Policy Paper outlining 10 key lessons. These lessons aim to guide the design of future employment support services effectively.
