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<p>The department is committed to improving access and inclusion for colleagues and
members of the public through the on-going development of its Jobcentre design guides.
The design guides provide the standards for future properties and major refurbishments
of existing sites. In 2021/22, the department commissioned the Civil Service Policy
Lab to explore best practice in Jobcentre design for disabled people and those with
health conditions.</p><p> </p><p>Policy Lab were set up in 2014 to support the Civil
Service with specialist expertise to help understand the present, imagine the future,
and design ways to achieve the intended policy impact.</p><p> </p><p>The aim of the
project was to work with experts, staff, and disabled people, to develop recommendations
for inclusive design to inform future guidance for Jobcentres.</p><p> </p><p>Research
included working closely with participants, to better understand their personal ‘lived
experiences’. This included in-depth interviews to understand their individual health
condition and relationship with the local Jobcentre. The research included an immersive,
sensory mapping approach, where the researchers’ joined participants on their journeys
to the Jobcentre and around the buildings.</p><p> </p><p>Supporting this work, the
department also commission a specialist access and inclusion consultant, with property
expertise, to oversee changes to guidance. The scope includes improving environments
for more people by considering the latest guidance on neurodiversity.</p><p> </p><p>Findings
and insights from the research are informing the department’s new design guide for
Jobcentres. This guidance is currently under development with the in-house design
team. Trials will follow on several sites, which will include detailed customer evaluation
of all the agreed deliverables. Stakeholder groups will also be involved in finalising
this inclusive design guidance.</p><p> </p><p>This work forms part of a wider programme
of work the department is undertaking to look at, and continue to improve, employment
support for disabled people.</p>
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