Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694256555401.pdf (Ireland)
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters 6th July 2023 Department of Social Protection Opening Statement by Fiona Ward, Assistant Secretary General Introduction Thank you Chair and thank you to the Committee for the invitation to attend here today.

My name is Fiona Ward, and I am the Assistant Secretary General in the Department of Social Protection, with responsibility for Employment Services.
I am joined by my colleague Tadgh O’Leary, Principal with responsibility for Contracted Employment Services, including EmployAbility and Annette Conroy, Principal with responsibility for Employment Services Policy.

Colleagues from the Department, who have attended this Committee previously have already outlined to you in detail the suite of incomes supports available for those with a disability.
As previously outlined these supports are not contingent on the nature of the disability but on the extent to which a particular disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work.

Disability- related income schemes have been designed to support people with disabilities to enter or return to employment or self-employment.
Employment Services In addition to income supports, the Department provides a wide range of services and supports to assist jobseekers, including those with a disability to find work.

We also provide recruitment and retention incentives for employers.

The Department provides a case managed employment service to jobseekers including those with disabilities who seek support from their local intreo centre.
The jobseeker works with an Employment Personal Advisor with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment opportunities and supports available.

The Community Employment scheme and the Work Placement Experience Programme, through community based work placement and training, provide valuable stepping stones into sustainable employment.
Our Department also contracts AHEAD - that is, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability – to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring and ‘Get Ahead’ programmes on its behalf.

These programmes provide paid work experience and other supports for graduates with disabilities seeking to enter or re-enter employment.
EmployAbility The Department recognising the additional challenges that some jobseekers with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment, contracts for the provision of specialist employment services, through EmployAbility, to help address this.

The EmployAbility Service, a network of 23 supported employment companies nationwide, are contracted to deliver supports to persons with any long-term medical condition, illness, injury or disability.
A jobseeker with a disability, who is working with an Intreo Employment Personal Advisor may be referred to these specialist services if it is agreed that it would be of benefit to them.

The goal of the EmployAbility Service is to provide support to people with disabilities to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market leading to independence and career progression.
Jobseekers work with a job coach who provides both pre-employment and in- employment support and assistance to ensure the sustainability of their employment.

There are currently approximately 3,000 participants engaging with the service and the engagement period is for 18 months.
The Department has commenced a procurement process to update current employability services in order to comply with legal advice from the Attorney General and to meet with the Department’s objective of shifting emphasis from the financial monitoring of these service providers to focusing on service quality for clients.
It is not intended to significantly change the services currently provided to clients, rather the new model will enhance the autonomy of the providers giving them more flexibility to enable them to continue to provide and grow a high-quality service for people with disabilities.
Early Engagement As part of our commitments under the Pathways to work Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, the Department has commenced an early engagement approach for young people with disabilities whereby designated Employment Personal Advisors proactively engages with them at the earliest opportunity to offer support and assistance, on a voluntary basis, to help them enter or return to employment.
This has already been introduced for those aged between 18 years and 22 years and is now being rolled out to those aged between 22 and 25 years with some 10,500 people contacted to date.

In addition, the Department provides a range of services and supports for employers to recruit and retain jobseekers with a disability, including financial incentives under the wage subsidy scheme and the reasonable accommodation fund grants.
A comprehensive review of the latter is being finalised at the moment and a public consultation has just opened in relation to the former, with a closing date of Friday 21st July.

Conclusion Employment rates of people with disabilities in Ireland are lower than in other countries, although differences in definitions needs to be taken into account when making such comparisons.
The development of services and policies to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities is a whole of Government responsibility, requiring a broad-based approach encompassing education, treatment, rehabilitation, social care and employment supports.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is the lead Department in co-ordinating these efforts but we all have our part to play.
We, in the Department of Social Protection, recognise the significant challenges faced by people with disabilities and I have sought to outline the measures that have been taken to address these and our plans to do more going forward.

We are happy to assist with any questions the committee may have.

Thank you.