Employment Project

What is the Employment Project?

Employment Project

In March of 2004 the learning disability day centres of South Ribble, Chorley & West Lancs. in partnership with the Employment Placement Service based at Weldbank in Chorley started a project together to look at the government's white paper "Valuing People" in moving forward into employment. This project was initiated originally by Heather Roberts the Day centre manager at Bankside at the time.

On Monday 4^th April 2005 the employment project had a meeting to discuss the way the project had progressed in the last 12 months. Each of the five day centres put forward three service users who wanted to access paid employment making fifteen in total, this reached twenty four by March 2005 of which fifteen had actually started paid employment, four were on work trials and we are in negotiation with employers for other paid employment as we write.

What is the Employment Project?

The employment project is a partnership between the day centres and the employment service
It is funded through Social Service.
It is designed for people with learning disabilities to find paid employment

How does it work?

A service user normally expresses a wish to do paid employment from their Person Centered Planning meeting

In conjunction with the support officer from the day centre and the Employment Officer a Vocational Profile is carried out. This highlights employment preferences.

The employment officer will then job search with the service user.

When the job is found and after the person interviews successfully, the support officer will support the person until both the person the employer and employment officer feel the time is right to with draw

What type of wage can be earned?

Work is usually based on permitted work (lower limit) where clients earn less than £20 per week

Permitted workers and supported permitted workers can earn up to £78 per week

Both of these options are first talked through with Lancashire County Council Welfare Rights Service.

How long do jobs last?

The jobs are usually permanent

The hours would normally be below 16 hours unless a service user wish's to do full time work.

What is expected of the service user?

That they attend work on time and on a regular basis.

They follow the induction and training development plans of the company

What will we provide?

We will provide a suitable job match

We will provide support both in the applying for jobs and in the work place.

We will advise on benefits and arrange for visits to the Welfare Rights Service.

We will monitor the employment at least twice a year

What are the benefits of paid work?

New identity
New friends
Structured day
New purpose in life
A wage and the choice on how to spend it

The meeting on the 4^th April was attended by Service users who are in paid employment, Adrian Emerton, Barry Dugdale, Sam Hyland, support officers from the day centres, Joanne Caffery, Brenda Wilkinson, Barbara Sutton, Michelle Robinson, Dave Lupton Day Centre Manager, Gill Holt Project Development officer, Alex Houghton Senior Employment Officer and Paul Fitzpatrick Employment Officer who presented the meeting, at the next meeting it is hoped to invite the parents/carers and employers to attend also, as the feedback from service users and staff was very positive.

It is thanks to the support of the day centre managers, and support staff making this a team effort with employment that has helped to make this project the success it has become.