Just before Christmas the Government made some policy announcements that could impact on many Social Firms. The Department for Work and Pensions will be:
- increasing the Access to Work budget from April 2010 so that more support will be available for disabled people in work;
- improving the programme so that it meets the needs of people with mental health problems more effectively;
- conducting trials for part-funding replacement cover for workers temporarily unable to work due to mental health problems or other fluctuating conditions;
- extending support for job coaches, which is likely to particularly help people with learning disabilities;
The Office of Disability Issues has announced that, for the pilots starting later this year,:
- Access to Work will be included in the funding streams that a disabled person has a Right to Control, but
- Access to Work funding will not be available for disabled people seeking voluntary work.
These announcements followed shortly after the publication, in a series of documents, of the long-awaited employment strategy for people with mental health needs. Working our Way to Better Health is a Great Britain-wide strategy addressing wellbeing at work for all and better employment results for people with mental health conditions both in and out of work. Work, Recovery and Inclusion, specifically addresses the employment needs of people in contact with secondary mental health services in England, and forms part of the Government response to the review by Rachel Perkins . of how to strengthen employment, health and wider state support to help unemployed people with mental health conditions. Finally, New Horizons: A shared vision for mental health is a wider report that sets out a new approach to improving people's quality of life and improving the quality and accessibility of services for people with mental health needs.