Supported employment offers high-quality, personalised support for people with disabilities or disadvantages or both which enables them to find, access and stay in employment.
The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) website provides more information about supported employment.
BASE has developed National Occupational Standards for supported employment, an accredited qualification and a framework of service quality standards.
Member organisations
These are BASE’s current member organisations in Devon, all of whom deliver supported employment services:
- Lifeworks College – Dartington
- Dawlish Gardens Trust – Dawlish
- Devon Disability Collective – Exeter
- Pluss – Exeter
- No Limits Cafe, Newton Abbot
Supported businesses in Devon
A supported business is a service where more than 50% of the workers are disabled persons who because of the nature or severity of their disability are unable to take up work in the open labour market. Each company has signed a declaration to confirm this to BASE and their company details are held by the Department for Work and Pensions.
In Devon, there are two registered supported businesses and these are Devon Disability Collective and Pluss.
Job coaching
A job coach is an individual who is employed to help people with disabilities learn, accommodate, and perform their work duties. A job coach may work with individuals one-on-one or in a small group or both.
In addition to working on skills related to performing specific tasks, a job coach may also help with interpersonal skills necessary in the workplace.
A job coach provides a valuable link between the employer and the employee, ensuring any concerns from either party are addressed quickly and efficiently.
Effective job coaching means being creative and flexible so that the person being supported gets just the right amount of support to learn the job well. Job coaches can recognise when and how to provide support, and when to increase, decrease or remove it.
Job coaches benefit employers by freeing up personnel time which would otherwise be needed for training and can hopefully improve the experience for all involved
Job coaches are often employed to support learners on supported internships, in addition to recognised supported employment opportunities and paid work.