Westminster Employment Forum Keynote Seminar
Disability in the workplace – training, capability assessments and support
with
Helen John, Deputy Director, Disability and Work Opportunities, Department for Work and Pensions and Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, Disability Rights UK
and
Dr John Canning, BMA; Beth Carruthers, Remploy; Paul Jenkins, Rethink Mental Illness; Linda Jordan, National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi); Emma Mamo, Mind; Mark McCusker, British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) and Texthelp; David Nash, Federation of Small Businesses; Jonathan Powell, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People; Dr Peter Purton, TUC; Andy Rickell, Action on Disability and Work UK and a senior speaker confirmed from Shaw Trust
Chaired by:
Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group and former Minister for Disabled People, Department for Work and Pensions and Baroness Thomas of Winchester, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group
This event is CPD certified
Morning, Tuesday, 11th February 2014
Central London
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Dear Ms Plain
I am writing to ensure you don’t miss the above seminar if you are able to attend. Please note there is a charge for most delegates, although concessionary and complimentary places are available (subject to terms and conditions – see below).
This seminar will be a timely opportunity to discuss how the £320m protected budget for disability employment could be used most effectively in supporting disabled people into work.
The seminar follows the review of specialist disability employment programmes, Getting in, staying in and getting on, and will feature a keynote address from the review’s author Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, Disability Rights UK. It is also scheduled to follow Government’s subsequent Disability and Work Strategy, due to be released later this autumn.
Topics for discussion include:
How disabled individuals can be better supported in making the transition between education and employment, including the future role for Residential Training Colleges;
The effect of the Children and Families Bill in extending support for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to age 25;
What steps can be taken to encourage and support more employers to take on disabled workers, particularly the future of the Access to Work scheme;
Concerns surrounding Work Capability Assessments for Employment Support Allowance (ESA); and
The impact of the Work Choice programme – designed to help unemployed people with a disability find work – and support for those affected by the closure of Remploy factories.
The draft agenda is copied below my signature, and a regularly updated version is available to download here. The seminar is organised on the basis of strict impartiality by the Westminster Employment Forum.
Speakers
We are delighted to be able to include in this seminar keynote addresses from: Helen John, Deputy Director, Disability and Work Opportunities, Department for Work and Pensions and Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, Disability Rights UK.
Further confirmed speakers include: Dr John Canning, Chair, Professional Fees Committee and Member, General Practitioners Committee, BMA; Beth Carruthers, Director of Employment Services, Remploy; Paul Jenkins, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness; Linda Jordan, Preparing for Adulthood Pathfinder Support Lead, National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi); Emma Mamo, Policy and Campaigns Manager, Mind; Mark McCusker, Chairman, British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) and Chief Executive Officer, Texthelp; David Nash, Policy Advisor, Federation of Small Businesses; Jonathan Powell, Chief Executive, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People; Dr Peter Purton, Policy Officer, Disability and LGBT Rights, TUC; Andy Rickell, Chief Executive Officer, Action on Disability and Work UK and a senior speaker confirmed from Shaw Trust.
Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group and former Minister for Disabled People, Department for Work and Pensions and Baroness Thomas of Winchester, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group have kindly agreed to chair this seminar.
Additional senior participants are being approached.
Networking
This seminar will present an opportunity to engage with key policymakers and other interested parties, and is CPD certified (more details). Places have been reserved by officials from the DWP. Also due to attend are representatives from Accenture; Brookfields School, Berkshire; Capability Scotland; Disability Law Service; Enham; Inclusion London; JustDifferent; Life Path Trust; Mencap; Papworth Trust; Peabody; Positive Employment Job Brokerage Project; Queen Mary University of London; Shaw Trust; Social Firms UK; Volunteer Initiative Working Group; Wandsworth Education and Weightmans.
Overall, we expect speakers and attendees to be a senior and informed group numbering around 120, including Members of both Houses of Parliament, senior officials from the DWP, HM Treasury and other Government departments and agencies, representatives of business and their advisors, trade unions and employee representative groups, legal professionals, the voluntary sector and academia together with representatives of the national and trade press.
Output and About Us
A key output of the seminar will be a transcript of the proceedings, sent out within a week of the event to all attendees and a wider group of Ministers and officials at the DWP and other government departments; other agencies affected by the issues; and Parliamentarians with a special interest in these areas. It will also be made available more widely. This document will include transcripts of all speeches and questions and answers sessions from the day, along with access to PowerPoint presentations, speakers’ biographies, an attendee list, an agenda and sponsor information. It is made available subject to strict restrictions on public use, similar to those for Select Committee Uncorrected Evidence, and is intended to provide timely information for interested parties who are unable to attend on the day.
All delegates will receive complimentary PDF copies and are invited to contribute to the content.
The Westminster Employment Forum is strictly impartial and cross-party, and draws on the considerable support it receives from within Parliament and Government, and amongst the wider stakeholder community. The Forum has no policy agenda of its own. Forum events are frequently the platform for major policy statements from senior Ministers, regulators and other officials, opposition speakers and senior opinion-formers in industry and interest groups. Events regularly receive prominent coverage in the national and trade press.
Booking arrangements
To book places, please use our online booking form.
Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions below.
Please pay in advance by credit card on 01344 864796. If advance credit card payment is not possible, please let me know and we may be able to make other arrangements.
Options and charges are as follows:
Places at Disability in the workplace – training, capability assessments and support (including refreshments and PDF copy of the transcripts) are £190 plus VAT;
Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded individuals and those in similar circumstances are £80 plus VAT. Please be sure to apply for this at the time of booking.
For those who cannot attend:
Copies of the briefing document, including full transcripts of all speeches and the questions and comments sessions and further articles from interested parties, will be available approximately 7 days after the event for £95 plus VAT;
Concessionary rate: £50 plus VAT.
If you find the charge for places a barrier to attending, please let me know as concessionary and complimentary places are made available in certain circumstances (but do be advised that this typically applies to individual service users or carers, full-time students, people between jobs or who are fully retired with no paid work, and representatives of small charities – not businesses, individuals funded by an organisation, or larger charities/not-for-profit companies). Please note terms and conditions below (including cancellation charges).
I do hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a most useful morning, and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours sincerely
Sean Cudmore
Sean Cudmore
Deputy Editor, Westminster Employment Forum
T: 01344 864796
F: 01344 420121
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The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Employment Forum are: David Amess MP, John Hemming MP, Kelvin Hopkins MP, Andy Love MP, Chi Onwurah MP, Sandra Osborne MP, Baroness Prosser, Baroness Thornton, Baroness Wall of New Barnet and Robert Walter MP. Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.
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This email and any attached files are intended solely for the use of the entity or individual to whom they are addressed. Opinions or views are those of the individual sender and, unless specifically stated, do not necessarily represent those of the Westminster Employment Forum. If you have received this email in error please notify info@forumsupport.co.uk.
FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The delegate fee includes copies of the presentations via PDF and refreshments. Cancellation policy is as follows: (1) cancellations 14 or more days before the event: £70+VAT cancellation fee per delegate; (2) cancellations less than 14 days before the event: no refunds. Cancellations must be notified in writing to the Westminster Employment Forum. No charge will be made for replacement delegates. Transfer of any confirmed booking between events is not possible. The organisers reserve the right to alter the programme and change the speakers without prior notice. The Westminster Employment Forum is unable to grant extended credit and therefore must request that full payment be made within 30 days from the date of invoice. Should payment not be received within 30 days from the date of invoice, the Westminster Employment Forum will apply an administration charge of £40+VAT, likewise for payments made to our account in error.
Westminster Employment Forum Keynote Seminar:
Disability in the workplace – training, capability assessments and support
Timing: Morning, Tuesday, 11th February 2014
Venue: Central London
Draft agenda subject to change
8.30 – 9.00
Registration and coffee
9.00 – 9.05
Chairman’s opening remarks
Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group and
former Minister for Disabled People, Department for Work and Pensions
9.05 – 9.30
Challenges for improving employment opportunities for disabled people in the UK
Liz Sayce, Chief Executive, Disability Rights UK
Questions and comments from the floor
9.30 – 10.20
Supporting disabled people in their careers – training, guidance and Work Choice
What kinds of provision do people want to see emanating from the extension of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision to age 25, included in the Children and Families Bill; how well will the extension of provision cater for different kinds of disabilities? What needs to be done to ensure that young people with SEND receive high quality and tailored careers advice for their needs? What steps can be taken to raise the career aspirations of economically inactive people with a disability who are able to work in some form? To what extent has the increase in Apprenticeships catered for people with disabilities? How can disabled people be better assisted in starting their own businesses? What should be the future role for Residential Training Colleges, and how should they be funded? How effective has the Work Choice programme been in helping disabled individuals into independent employment? How can the coordination of Work Programme and Work Choice providers, Jobcentre Plus and support groups be improved?
Linda Jordan, Preparing for Adulthood Pathfinder Support Lead, National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi)
Jonathan Powell, Chief Executive, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People
Andy Rickell, Chief Executive Officer, Action on Disability and Work UK
Senior speaker confirmed from Shaw Trust
Commentator
Questions and comments from the floor
10.20 – 11.00
Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
How well are concerns around the suitability and fairness of WCAs for ESA claimants being addressed by Government? What steps can be taken to ensure WCA criteria take account of a full range of conditions and their impact on people’s ability to work, particularly fluctuating and progressive conditions and disabilities? How can the Government ensure that mental health conditions are accurately reflected in WCAs? What steps could be taken to reduce the variability in the decisions made in the assessments? Is there a case for greater flexibility in the length of time between assessments, given the variance in claimants’ conditions? Should those awaiting the result of an appeal continue to receive financial support?
Dr John Canning, Chair, Professional Fees Committee and Member, General Practitioners Committee, BMA
Paul Jenkins, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness
Senior representative, assessment service
Questions and comments from the floor
11.00 – 11.05
Chairman’s closing remarks
Rt Hon Anne McGuire MP, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group and
former Minister for Disabled People, Department for Work and Pensions
11.05 – 11.25
Coffee
11.25 – 11.30
Chairman’s opening remarks
Baroness Thomas of Winchester, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group
11.30 – 11.40
An employer’s perspective
Senior speaker to be confirmed
11.40 – 12.30
Changing attitudes, workplace accessibility and the future for supported employment
What further steps can be taken to encourage more employers to take on disabled workers; is there a need to raise awareness of existing funding streams for support for adjustments? How effective has Government’s Access to Work scheme been in improving accessibility for disabled workers? What further steps can be taken to improve workplace accessibility? Is there more that can be done to challenge misconceptions over disability among both employers and employees, particularly with regards to mental health? What are notable examples of businesses using flexible, part-time and other alternative working practices to support disabled workers and accrue benefits for the business? What has been the impact of Remploy closures on unemployment rates for disabled people; is the support for Remploy employees being made redundant sufficient?
Beth Carruthers, Director of Employment Services, Remploy
Emma Mamo, Policy and Campaigns Manager, Mind
Mark McCusker, Chairman, British Assistive Technology Association (BATA) and Chief Executive Officer, Texthelp
David Nash, Policy Advisor, Federation of Small Businesses
Dr Peter Purton, Policy Officer, Disability and LGBT Rights, TUC
Questions and comments from the floor with senior speaker to be confirmed
12.30 – 12.55
Government’s disability strategy
Helen John, Deputy Director, Disability and Work Opportunities, Department for Work and Pensions
Questions and comments from the floor
12.55 – 13.00
Chairman’s and Westminster Employment Forum closing remarks
Baroness Thomas of Winchester, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group
Jonny Roberts, Associate Editor, Westminster Employment Forum
Southwark Trade Union Council 