DFN Project SEARCH response to the publication of Think Work First report

In 2023 DFN Project SEARCH gave evidence to the UK House of Lords Public Services Committee inquiry into the transition from education to employment for young disabled people and earlier this year we hosted the Committee at our wonderful site at Barts Health NHS Trust.

Earlier this week, the committee published their report: Think Work First: The Transition from Education to Work for Young Disabled People.

The report shows that supported internships are a vital part of the solution to bridging the disability employment gap and getting young disabled people into work with 3 of the first 10 recommendations on supported internships:

🔸 Supported internships are an effective way to support people furthest from the job market to gain experience in the workplace and enter the workforce. They also provide effective support for employers to address cultural and practical barriers to employing disabled people.

🔸The Government should honour the commitment of the previous Government to double the number of supported internships and should take steps to ensure that as many young disabled people as possible are eligible for them.

🔸The Government should take steps to increase the number of supported internships, and should introduce ambitious, time-bound rolling targets for this. Building on the success of supported internships in NHS Trusts, the campaign should include targeted work to increase public sector uptake of supported internships.

Welcoming the report, our Chief Executive Kirsty Matthews said: 

“Having contributed to the consultation that led to the Think Work First report,  we very much welcome the report and its recommendations, including increasing the number of Supported Internships. The DFN Project SEARCH model addresses many of the gaps identified in the report for young adults with a learning disability trying to access work, including lack of work experience and the need for tailored employment support throughout and following the internships. We urge the Government to seriously consider the recommendations and work with the sector to help raise the shockingly low employment figures for this group.”

Shortly after the report publication, Chair of our Youth Advisory Group, Harry Georgiou was invited to Sky News Tonight to give his take on the report. You can watch his interview here: