Use of evidence-based employment support for disabled people would result in more people in jobs and at a lower cost

Existing investment in employment support for disabled people could be used to deliver much higher numbers of new or retained jobs, at significantly lower average costs, through greater use of evidence-based interventions in place of other less effective models of employment support.

Findings from a SSCR-funded study by researchers at the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) identified significant variability in the cost of employment support services and costs per job that could not be explained by factors such as the complexity of people's disability or size of service. The study also found that the capacity of local authority and NHS commissioners to apply the 'right' support model in the 'right' conditions is significantly impaired by commissioners not having and/or using the necessary data and by a lack of understanding of the evidence about what works in employment support.

Rob Greig, lead researcher and Chief Executive of NDTi, said: "Unfortunately only a third of money is currently invested in approaches we know will make an effective difference. It also looks like commissioners are starting to disinvest in employment support because of the financial pressures they're under. Far from being a reason to continue to disinvest, our findings show that far better employment outcomes can be achieved for disabled people if money is used wisely."

Read more; see the full findings summary