Introduction

According to Floyd and Curtis (2000), it is the aim of all European governments to increase the economic activity of disabled people. From the government's point of view, there is a perception that the cost of the growth in the number of disabled people claiming long-term disability benefits is unsustainable, but also that non-employment brings financial and health risks to disabled people and their families. From the perspective of the disability movement, exclusion from employment is one of the principal barriers to social inclusion. However, the disability movement is also committed to preserving benefits levels of those who cannot work as a result of their impairment, and wishes to see the emphasis on tackling barriers in the workplace rather than on pressurising disabled people to work. The recent Green Paper, Pathways to work: Helping people into employment (DWP, 2002), sets out the case for increasing levels of employment among disabled people, and in particular the measures proposed by the government to help people move from incapacity benefits to work (see later in this chapter for further discussion). Work Preparation is one of the programmes run by Jobcentre Plus (JCP) to help disabled people develop capability and confidence, overcome obstacles and explore alternative employment through short-term workplace trials (Riddell et al, 2002).

This chapter draws on data from a national evaluation of the Work Preparation programme (Banks et al, 2002). The research was intended to identify strengths and weaknesses of the programme as perceived by key stakeholders and to suggest some ideas for its future development. The evaluation brought to light a number of policy tensions in relation to enhancing the employment prospects of disabled people. In this chapter, we first summarise the development of the Work Preparation programme and recent policy developments relating to the employment of disabled people. Subsequently, we present findings from the evaluation of the Work Preparation programme, highlighting different actors’ perspectives. Finally, we discuss the findings of the evaluation in relation to the new focus on moving many more disabled people into employment.

The Work Preparation programme and UK government policy on disability and employment

The Work Preparation programme grew out of the job rehabilitation programme, designed to help disabled service men return to work in the aftermath of the Second World War.