Staff experiences of supported employment with the Sustainable Hub of Innovative Employment for people with Complex needs

Abstract

Accessible Summary Many people with learning disabilities want to work. The Sustainable Hub of Innovative Employment for people with Complex needs (SHIEC) project is about supporting people with complex needs to find work. This study interviewed staff members who are part of SHIEC. Staff said it can be difficult to help people with complex needs to find work and this often made them worried. Staff also said that when people with complex needs found work, it was very rewarding. Staff said being part of SHIEC helped them do this. Summary Whilst the value of supported employment for people with learning disabilities is well substantiated, the experiences of supporting individuals into work are less well documented. The Sustainable Hub of Innovative Employment for people with Complex needs aims to support people with learning disabilities and complex needs to find paid employment. Sixteen semi‐structured interviews administered to staff members of Sustainable Hub of Innovative Employment for people with Complex needs revealed seven core themes concerning their experiences of helping people with complex needs into work. This included the practical and emotional reality of facilitating supported employment and a reflection on those factors that influenced success. This article discusses how findings relate more broadly to work in this area, and the vital roles frontline staff play in making employment happen for people with learning disabilities.

Transitions into work for young people with complex needs: a systematic review of UK and Ireland studies to improve employability

“…these articles described how local authorities sought to promote the employment of people with complex needs. For example, the formation of SHIEC (Gore et al, 2013) where the main purpose was to organise a network of services willing to provide employment opportunities to people with complex needs. The ABLE project initiative was financed by the Big Lottery Fund (2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014) and led by a voluntary organisation and registered charity.…”

Purposes of education for young people with severe learning difficulties: exploring a vocational teaching resource – ‘A stepping stone to…’ what?

“…They add, however, that experiences and outcomes vary according to nature of disability and need and that research and policy often neglects to explore provision for young people with learning difficulties. There is some research around supported employment (for example, Beyer and Robinson (2009) and Kaehne and Beyer's (2013) work in the area of peer support) although there are very few examples of research in this area focusing on people with severe learning disabilities (Gore, Forrester-Jones, and Young's [2013] study of staff experiences of supported employment is an exception) and opportunities for people with more severe learning disabilities remain limited and rare, especially in times of economic recession.…”