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<p>We announced in Improving Lives that we would "improve advice and support
both at a national and local level, making sure it works for employers of all sizes,
in particular for SMEs, and for their employees". An important part of this is
our Disability Confident scheme which offers information and advice about employing
disabled people and encourages employers to take leading roles in driving change.
Over 9,500 employers are currently signed up to Disability Confident and that number
grows weekly.</p><p> </p><p>We’re committed to continuously improving the support
provided through Disability Confident. DWP commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct research
with Disability Confident employers to understand the effect that signing up to the
Disability Confident scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and
practices with regards to disabled people. In addition, the research study aimed to
understand what motivates employers to sign up to the scheme and what support those
employers need to promote the scheme both within and outside of their organisation.</p><p>
</p><p>We published the results of this research on 13 November 2018. The majority
of employers surveyed were satisfied with the Disability Confident scheme, and as
a positive expression of this satisfaction, nine in ten said they would recommend
the scheme. However, the survey revealed some areas which could help improve the experience
of employers who have already signed up</p><p> </p><p>We have action in place to meet
these requests including:</p><ul><li>working with JCP to develop products that they
can use and share with employers to help them on their Disability Confident journeys.</li><li>providing
Specialist Themed Events to provide in-depth learning on specific issues. Themes covered
so far include mental health, workplace adjustments, recruitment processes, and supporting
staff with terminal illnesses.</li><li>working more closely with the third sector
to ensure they understand how Disability Confident works and can promote it amongst
the disabled people they work with.</li><li>Providing a new “Find a job service” which
provides a free facility for employers to post jobs and jobseekers to apply for those
jobs. Jobseekers are now able to search for jobs displaying the Disability Confident
badge, with over 8,000 Disability Confident vacancies currently listed on the site.</li><li>providing
new communications channels to ensure we can easily reach all Disability Confident
employers with information, advice and case studies.</li></ul><p> </p><p>The Disability
Confident scheme has always been intended to be only part of the process of getting
more disabled people into work. The Access to Work scheme can also provide support
towards the costs of workplace adjustments and we have also conducted research into
how that scheme operates and can be improved. We are integrating Access to Work communications
into Disability Confident promotions so employers can easily understand how they can
receive support with the costs of making workplace adjustments.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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