Strengthening DPULOs Programme monthly bulletin, no. 10 (end of year edition) #dpulo

This is the tenth monthly update about the Strengthening DPULOs Programme. This is also the last update of 2012, so rather than the usual mix of links and stories (which will begin again in January) I thought it would be useful to reflect on where the DPULOs agenda has got to.

2012: a year for DPULOs?

At the start of the year I suggested 2012 could be the year for DPULOs. There were 3 reasons for this view:

1. There was a detectable shift towards leveling the playing field for different types of providers in public services
2. There was proof that DPULOs could be clear about the value they add in representing disabled people’s voices locally
3. The evidence for the difference DPULOs make was starting to come through, and stakeholders were starting to take note.

What we’ve seen over the last 12 months is further evidence for each of the points above. For example:

1. DPULOs, social enterprises and mutuals are starting to be treated differently – and for the better – in the way public services are commissioned. Liverpool is one good example and we’ll have more in the New Year
2. There is now significant evidence of the difference the voice of disabled people in their local communities, represented through DPULOs can make. This isn’t just in saving money (though that’s important), but also in the improvements in people’s quality of life. Just look at the evidence here.
3. There is also now much more evidence than there’s ever been of the unique value DPULOs add when they deliver local services. They increase choice and control. They’re trusted more. They deliver a return on investment. And they save money. The evidence is here.

As a result, there’s been a major shift in thinking: the question I used to be asked all the time was “What is a DPULO?” Now, the question I am asked is “Now I know the difference they can make, how can I get the most out of one in my local area?”

Government has taken note, too: where DPULOs used to be thought of mainly in terms of social care, now they are reflected in several areas of policy:

• In the ODI’s Fulfilling Potential documents and Right to Control Trailblazers
• In the Home Office’s Hate Crime Action Plan
• In the DWP’s drive to increase take up of Access to Work
• In the DfE’s new approach to SEN and disability
• In DCLG’s Community Budgets work
• In the Cabinet Office’s Open Public Services White Paper
• (A full list is here)

Not only this, but the Strengthening DPULOs Programme has provided over £1m of funding through the Facilitation Fund to enhance the sustainability of DPULOs (see here) .

And we’re thinking ahead to the future, too: whilst keeping on with the good stuff we’ve been doing, we’ll be getting new work going  in areas such as:

• Examples of DPULOs working well with commissioners
• DPULOs and Making It Real in social care
• DPULOs and local Healthwatch
• DPULOs and young disabled people
• DPULOs, social media and accessible engagement
• DPULOs and fundraising
• Mapping the DPULO sector
• Further evidence on the return on investment DPULOs deliver.

What about 2013?

Despite all of the positives of 2012, it has of course been an incredibly challenging year. DPULOs have not been immune from this, partly because of the significant challenges that disabled people themselves have faced and will continue to face.

And we know that circumstances facing DPULOs are likely to be just as hard, if not harder, into the future as local government and others also face a tough time.

But I am optimistic. As Baroness Campbell said:

Disabled people are the best problem solvers.

In a year that will see lots of problems for lots of different people and organisations, what better people and organisations to have working with you than disabled people and Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations?

Over the festive period, I shall reflect on the incredible work that all of you have done through your DPULOs in your local communities, and think forward to what you will continue to achieve in 2013 and beyond.

I hope you have a restful and relaxing holiday.

Rich Watts

(On behalf of all at the Strengthening DPULOs Programme team)

Find out more about the Programme

To find out more about the Strengthening DPULOs Programme, you can visit our website. We also regularly update our Facebook the page with lots of information you will hopefully find useful, plus news from other DPULOs: http://www.facebook.com/dpulos. If you are on Twitter, you can share information and find out more about DPULOs using the hashtag #dpulo. Please also remember to use the #dpulo hashtag if ever you’re tweeting about your work

You can find all 9 of the previous monthly updates here.

Contact us

For information, biographies, contact details and details of the areas covered by each of the DPULO Ambassadors covers, please visit the Ambassadors page.

If you have any questions about the Facilitation Fund or any part Strengthening DPULOs Programme, please contact odi.businessperformance@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Please feel free to forward this information on to any DPULOs, networks or stakeholders you think might find it interesting.

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DPULOs, peer support and Access to Work – Expression of Interest

Introduction

The Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey MP, recently announced further measures to ensure disabled people can benefit from Access to Work.

The Government will also implement a package of measures recommended by the Access to Work expert panel, chaired by Mike Adams from the Essex Coalition of Disabled People (ecdp).

The full notice can be found in the DWP’s pressroom. Further information about Access to Work can be found on GOV.UK.

One of the measures recommended by the Access to Work expert panel is for “Grassroots disability organisations (Disabled People’s User Led Organisations) to look at what else can be done to provide one-to-one peer support to disabled people using the Access to Work scheme”.

This Expression of Interest outlines how you can get involved in this work.

DPULOs, peer support and Access to Work – background

DPULOs currently deliver peer support in areas such as social care and volunteering. Evidence from social care reports show people have more choice and control and flexibility over their care and support through peer-led approaches, including in assessment, care planning and implementation. Formal programmes in health – such as the Expert Patient Programme – are also built on principle of peer support.

We are now keen to look at how peer support can work for people using Access to Work in their local area.

There is a variety of options for DPULOs to deliver peer support activities in their local area which could both complement and supplement support provided through the Access to Work process. These include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• Buddying scheme – pairing up individuals with similar impairments / conditions or employment situations who use Access to Work
• Advice – DPULOs can provide focussed and targeted advice on specific groups, eg people with learning disabilities or mental health conditions, or young disabled people
• Support – DPULOs could provide support to employers and encourage and up skill JCP advisers to support employers in their local area
• Workshops – DPULOs could arrange Access to Work workshops with groups of people in preparation for starting work or long-term sick employees returning to work. Workshops would be able to identify what help is available and enable employees to have an opportunity to share learning of what works
• Other forms of peer support – DPULOs can offer various other forms of peer support, such as one-to-one, on the telephone, or as mentoring in the workplace. Workplace peer support could also be used to enable disabled employees to progress in work and more importantly keep the job.

What we are going to do

Working through the Strengthening Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations programme, we are inviting local DPULOs to put forward their ideas for delivering innovative peer support for people using Access to Work. This can be either a new project, or build on something you are already doing.

We are aiming to start this work as soon as possible. Expressions of Interest are invited below, and will be marked according to the criteria highlighted.

Organisations that are successful at the Expression of Interest stage will be asked to write a full proposal for consideration at a special meeting of the Facilitation Fund Board, which will comprise members of the Access to Work Expert Panel and Ambassadors from the Strengthening DPULOs Programme.

We are looking for around 10 local DPULOs to deliver a project. We anticipate these projects beginning in January 2013 and running for approximately 12 months, including evaluation.

Please note: any DPULO is eligible to express an interest, even if you have already received funding from the Facilitation Fund. The normal Facilitation Fund financial limits will not apply to this work. For further information on this, please contact Rich Watts (details below).

Expressions of Interest

We would like DPULOs to submit a brief (no more than 4 sides A4) Expression of Interest to deliver an innovative peer support project for AtW in their local area.

Your Expression of Interest will be marked against the following criteria:

• The DPULO’s knowledge, understanding and expertise regarding Access to Work and the barriers individuals face
• The DPULO’s track record in delivering peer support approaches that result in tangible differences in their local area
• The DPULO’s idea for an innovative peer support project for Access to Work in their local area
• The scalability of the proposed innovative peer support project
• The DPULO’s approach to partnership work in delivering the project
• The DPULO’s approach to capturing learning and evaluating the effectiveness of the project
• The DPULO’s capacity to demonstrate the ability to deliver this work over the next 12 months
• The proposed cost for this project and its value for money.

Expressions of Interest will be considered and marked by the Strengthening DPULOs Programme and members of the Access to Work Expert panel. Shortlisted DPULOs will be chosen solely on the basis of the information provided.

Please submit your Expression of Interest to Richard.Watts1@dwp.gsi.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday 14 December.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Rich above. Similarly, if you know a DPULO who may be interested in this opportunity, please pass this information on to them.

November 2012

#DPULO bulletin extra edition: over £1m awarded to DPULOs, working with commissioners, and Access to Work

Three pieces of good news through the Strengthening DPULOs Programme that I couldn’t wait any longer to share them…

The Strengthening DPULOs Programme has 3 pieces of news that are so good that we couldn’t wait until the end of the month to share them with you!

These are highlighted below. Remember: if you use social media and would like to stay up-to-date on relevant DPULO news, you can find regular updates on our Facebook page and on Twitter using the hashtag #dpulo.

1. Strengthening DPULOs Programme Facilitation Fund passes £1m mark

Over £1.2m has been awarded to more than 80 DPULOs through the Strengthening DPULOs Programme Facilitation Fund since it began in July 2011.

The full press notice is available here.

We have updated the website, guidance notes and application forms to make information about the Facilitation Fund easier to access. You can find this here.

Please do consider submitting a bid soon – we’re keen to ensure the Facilitation Fund benefits as many DPULOs in as many areas as possible!

2. DPULOs Making A Diference: working with commissioners

Living Options Devon – a DPULO in the south west – is bringing together a collection of case studies on behalf of the Strengthening DPULOs Programme to explore how DPULOs and commissioners have worked well together for the benefit of disabled people in their communities. The focus will be on practical solutions and will encourage commissioners to start, or continue, working closely with DPULOs in their area.

We are looking for a range of case study examples for the collection on a range of different topics, and can pay DPULOs £340 for their involvement in the work.

To find out what case studies we’re looking for and to get in touch with us on this, please visit DPULOs Making A Difference: working with commissioners.

3. Access to Work

Some positive changes to Access to Work were announced earlier this week – you can read the full press release here.

In announcing the changes, the Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey MP, also highlighted that DPULOs will be invited to look at what else can be done to provide one-to-one peer support to disabled people using the Access to Work scheme. More information will follow on this soon.

Please feel free to share this update with your networks. The next Strengthening DPULOs Programme monthly bulletin will be sent next week. If you have anything you would like to include in it, please let me know – Richard.Watts1@dwp.gsi.gov.uk.

Where DPULOs make a difference

The West of England Centre for Inclusive Living (WECIL) asked me to talk about Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations at their Annual General Meeting today, which was a pleasure and a delight.

After talking about the Strengthening DPULOs Programme (on which more here) and hearing from one of the Ambassadors for the programme (you can find out who they are here), I talked briefly about the difference that DPULOs can and do make.

In social care, for example, I noted that were DPULOs provide support services, they can make a significant difference to the choice and control disabled people (and service users more generally) can have over their support.

To take one area: in Essex there is an independent support planning service which is run by and for disabled people. As a result of the different approach, 100% of the people who use this service end up with some form of cash payment – essentially giving them more choice and control. This compares to around 20% for the local council.

Similarly, across Essex, Thurrock and Cambridgeshire, an average of 92% of people who use an independent and peer-led information, advice and guidance service to find out about the social care process end up with a Direct Payment. This compares to global figures in social care of approximately 10% of users on a Direct Payment.

Even if it’s not quite comparing apples with apples, those are pretty significant differences that indicate the underlying difference DPULOs uniquely provide in enabling people to have more choice and control.

(The Office for Disability Issues published a significant report on the role of Disabled People’s User-Led Organisations in Support, Advocacy and Brokerage here.)

As well as thinking about the role that DPULOs can play in addressing disability hate crime (covered in a separate talk to Leicester CIL earlier this week), I also looked forward to two areas I think greater involvement of DPULOs could make a difference.

The first is Access to Work.

This was recently called the government’s “best kept secret”. I think there is a significant role that DPULOs can play in bridging the gap between Job Centre Plus, employers and potential employees in letting them all know about Access to Work: how to find out about it, how to get it, what to do with it.

The benefits from this won’t just be for disabled people or businesses, either: for every £1 invested in Access to Work, the government gets nearly £1.50 in tax and National Insurance contributions.

At a time when the economy needs to grow, this seems like a pretty good thing to do.

The second area is HealthWatch.

One of the areas that is potentially strong in the current NHS reforms is HealthWatch – the bit that is going to ensure the representation of the voice of service users and patients in the new system.

There’s an argument to say that Local Involvement Networks haven’t fulfilled the overall potential they had to hold health and social care to account. I’d argue that this was partly because it was the wrong types of organisations who were trying to run LINks. As far as I know, only two DPULOs were formally LINks bodies. If we can ensure that more DPULOs take on this function as HealthWatch, I have no doubt it will make the health and social care system better.

After outlining the difference I think DPULOs can make in just one or two particular areas (their effects, of course, aren’t just limited to these) I finished my talk with WECIL with a question to its members, which I’d like to offer more widely to readers and interested parties here: as the Strengthening DPULOs Programme continues to develop and make the case for DPULOs to decision makers and stakeholders, what messages do you think they should know about regarding DPULOs?

Access to Work and reasonable adjustments

I blogged twice last week on the issue of Access to Work. In my post on Access to Work in general, I noted that the DWP has issued unannounced, updated guidance on Access to Work which reduces the amount of support that was previously available to disabled people in securing employment. Furthermore, this has been done before an announced review of Access to Work has been published.

In my post on the numbers behind Access to Work, I noted that: Access to Work supports disabled people in securing work; it’s not about reasonable adjustments; it is the fourth smallest “benefit” paid by DWP; it acts as a net income generator for the Treasury.

In this post, I just want to pick up on this argument about reasonable adjustments. DWP has made the case that employers should be meeting some access costs as a reasonable adjustment (RA) under their obligations due to disability law.

Though I’ve demonstrated that the RAs defence isn’t a defence – Access to Work is designed to supplement rather than replace any reasonable adjustments – let’s take the view at face value. The question is: has the requirement for employers to meet their RA obligations positively affected employment factors for disabled people?

The answer is no.

Around 50% of disabled people are employed, compared to 79% of non-disabled adults (EHRC Triennial Review, p.396). This employment gap has remained virtually unchanged for several years.Indeed, the EHRC’s Triennial Review showed that disability affects work status more than gender or lone parenthood (EHRC Triennial Review, p.396).

When disabled people are employed, they are significantly more likely than non-disabled people to work part-time. In 2009, 33% of disabled people were in full-time employment compared to 60% of non-disabled people. Furthermore, disabled people are also more likely to be employed in elementary occupations (18% in totaly) compared to non-disabled people (at 11%) (from the “Experiences and Expectations of Disabled People”, ODI, p.100).

More qualitatively, persistent barriers for accessing work for disabled people – as reported by disabled people themselves – include the negative attitudes of employers about productivity, the “risk” of employing disabled people and inaccessible transport.

Clearly, reasonable adjustments have not created the shift in accessing employment needed to close the persistent employment gap faced by disabled people. Within this picture, Access to Work is a practical, cost-effective scheme that addresses such issues, beyond the letter of disability law and reasonable adjustments, that provides support to disabled people for employment purposes.

The government would do well to understand this.

More on the cuts to Access to Work

I blogged yesterday on the question of whether cuts are being made to Access to Work. In summary, the DWP has issued unannounced, updated guidance on Access to Work which reduces the amount of support that was previously available to disabled people in securing employment. Furthermore, this has been done before an announced review of Access to Work has been published.

Let’s look a little more into what Access to Work (AtW) is and the numbers behind it. (All statistics from the DWP’s own Core Evaluation of Access to Work in 2009 – available here (pdf) – unless stated otherwise.)

AtW is essentially a pot of money that can support an individual if their health or disability affects the way they do their job by giving advice and support with extra costs to meet any extra costs associated with someone’s needs.

Over time, AtW has grown: in 1997/98 its budget was £14.6m rising to £69m in 2008/09. In 2009/10 spend was £95.3m. According to figures published by the Guardian based on DWP data, only Statutory Sick Pay (£65m), “Non-Contributory Xmas Bonus” (£33m) and additional expenditure on Council tax benefit (£62m) cost the DWP less last year. The previous government committed to doubling the AtW budget to £138m by 2013/14, with a commensurate increase (i.e. doubling) of people benefiting.

In terms of beneficiaries, some 10,000 “customers” received AtW in 1994/95, rising to 27,500 in 2007/08 and 32,000 in 2008/09.

Thus, someone receiving AtW has around £2,150 on average to support them into work. But this isn’t a one-way cost: there are significant benefits to the taxpayer from AtW: for every £1 spent on Access to Work, the government recoups an average £1.48 in tax and National Insurance contributions (from Destination Unknown).

Importantly, AtW is not just about meeting “reasonable adjustments” under what was the Disability Discrimination Act. As the DWP’s own evaluation of AtW states:

Access to Work is designed to supplement rather than replace any reasonable adjustments made by employers in line with the DDA.

Thus, in principle, and despite the coalition government suggesting new guidance starts only where reasonable adjustments end, the question of reasonable adjustments has never been one that AtW was ever supposed to answer. (I’ll deal with the question of reasonable adjustments, taken at face value, in a separate post.)

In summary: Access to Work supports disabled people in securing work; it s not about reasonable adjustments; it is the fourth smallest “benefit” paid by DWP; it acts as a net income generator for the Treasury.

Given the general success of Access to Work, what’s driving the government to put in place what are effectively cuts to the service? Politically, I’d suggest something like this: there is a policy direction of moving disabled people off benefits and into work. This means (in theory) there are more disabled people looking for work. If the Access to Work budget has been protected, then this means more people either are or will be applying to it. Thus, there is a requirement to ensure that the existing budget can go further than it currently does.

Or, succinctly put, they want more for less.

I’m not quite sure where this leaves us.

The current government’s policy is to decrease the number of people on welfare and get them into work. Access to Work is a funding stream designed precisely to do that, specifically supporting disabled people to access work opportunities that they otherwise couldn’t. If it didn’t already exist, it couldn’t be a better-designed financial support to enabled disabled people to make a worthwhile contribution as employees and taxpayers.

Of all the things the coalition government has done so far with regard to welfare and benefits for disabled people – DLA, ILF, Housing Benefit, mortgage relief, Employment & Support Allowance and so on – there’s a significant argument that says it’s political ideology that has driven the cuts. Though I don’t agree with the decisions, that’s the prerogative of governments.

But the effect of the apparent decision on AtW, before it was stated a decision would be made, and that goes against even the government’s own policy intention of supporting people into work, is quite bemusing. I look forward to some clarity on it soon.

More on the possible cuts to Access to Work

I blogged yesterday on the question of whether cuts are being made to Access to Work. In summary, the DWP has issued unannounced, updated guidance on Access to Work which reduces the amount of support that was previously available to disabled people in securing employment. Furthermore, this has been done before an announced review of Access to Work has been published.

Let’s look a little more into what Access to Work (AtW) is and the numbers behind it. (All statistics from the DWP’s own Core Evaluation of Access to Work in 2009 – available here (pdf) – unless stated otherwise.)

AtW is essentially a pot of money that can support an individual if their health or disability affects the way they do their job by giving advice and support with extra costs to meet any extra costs associated with someone’s needs.

Over time, AtW has grown: in 1997/98 its budget was £14.6m rising to £69m in 2008/09. In 2009/10 spend was £95.3m. According to figures published by the Guardian based on DWP data, only Statutory Sick Pay (£65m), “Non-Contributory Xmas Bonus” (£33m) and additional expenditure on Council tax benefit (£62m) cost the DWP less last year. The previous government committed to doubling the AtW budget to £138m by 2013/14, with a commensurate increase (i.e. doubling) of people benefiting.

In terms of beneficiaries, some 10,000 “customers” received AtW in 1994/95, rising to 27,500 in 2007/08 and 32,000 in 2008/09.

Thus, someone receiving AtW has around £2,150 on average to support them into work. But this isn’t a one-way cost: there are significant benefits to the taxpayer from AtW: for every £1 spent on Access to Work, the government recoups an average £1.48 in tax and National Insurance contributions (from Destination Unknown).

Importantly, AtW is not just about meeting “reasonable adjustments” under what was the Disability Discrimination Act. As the DWP’s own evaluation of AtW states:

Access to Work is designed to supplement rather than replace any reasonable adjustments made by employers in line with the DDA.

Thus, in principle, and despite the coalition government suggesting new guidance starts only where reasonable adjustments end, the question of reasonable adjustments has never been one that AtW was ever supposed to answer. (I’ll deal with the question of reasonable adjustments, taken at face value, in a separate post.)

In summary: Access to Work supports disabled people in securing work; it s not about reasonable adjustments; it is the fourth smallest “benefit” paid by DWP; it acts as a net income generator for the Treasury.

Given the general success of Access to Work, what’s driving the government to put in place what are effectively cuts to the service? Politically, I’d suggest something like this: there is a policy direction of moving disabled people off benefits and into work. This means (in theory) there are more disabled people looking for work. If the Access to Work budget has been protected, then this means more people either are or will be applying to it. Thus, there is a requirement to ensure that the existing budget can go further than it currently does.

Or, succinctly put, they want more for less.

I’m not quite sure where this leaves us.

The current government’s policy is to decrease the number of people on welfare and get them into work. Access to Work is a funding stream designed precisely to do that, specifically supporting disabled people to access work opportunities that they otherwise couldn’t. If it didn’t already exist, it couldn’t be a better-designed financial support to enabled disabled people to make a worthwhile contribution as employees and taxpayers.

Of all the things the coalition government has done so far with regard to welfare and benefits for disabled people – DLA, ILF, Housing Benefit, mortgage relief, Employment & Support Allowance and so on – there’s a significant argument that says it’s political ideology that has driven the cuts. Though I don’t agree with the decisions, that’s the prerogative of governments.

But the effect of the apparent decision on AtW, before it was stated a decision would be made, and that goes against even the government’s own policy intention of supporting people into work, is quite bemusing. I look forward to some clarity on it soon.

Are cuts being made to Access to Work?

New and unannounced guidance issued at the end of 2010 by the Department for Work in Pensions has subtly changed what can and can’t be met by Access to Work.

Since Access to Work is a dedicated resource that provides practical advice to overcome issues arising from disability in the workplace, and can pay towards any extra employment costs associated with disability, it is a crucial part of the government’s drive to get (disabled) people back into work.

But the practical application of the guidance means that disabled people who are trying to get back into work, or have secured a role and are liaising with their employers to ensure the workplace is accessible so they can do their work, are effectively receiving less support than they would have before the new guidance was issued. Those who do receive support are experiencing significant problems in securing this support.

The list of items that will no longer be covered by Access to Work is here (you can also download the full Access to Work guidance from the Deposits section of the Parliament website – it’s paper DEP2010-2088 here). Items include hearing aids, any telephony, some voice-activated software and walking aids. (There’s a related point here about the proposed reforms to Disability Living Allowance, which also mean these types of items wouldn’t be paid for by state support.)

There’s another crucial point as well: these practical changes have taken place ahead of the government’s planned reforms of Access to Work: the DWP’s business plan states that changes are being designed for Access to Work until December 2010 and the implementation plan of changes will be developed between January to April 2011.

The explicit reason given for the new guidance is that employers should be meeting some of these access costs as a “reasonable adjustment”. However, there is a clear political imperative here, based once again on cost saving (more on which in another post).

It thus appears that DWP has issued unannounced, updated guidance on Access to Work which reduces the amount of support that was previously available to disabled people in securing employment. Furthermore, this has been done before an announced review of Access to Work has been published.

It may not be a cut in name, but it feels like a cut in practice.

Are cuts being made to Access to Work?

New and unannounced guidance issued at the end of 2010 by the Department for Work in Pensions has subtly changed what can and can’t be met by Access to Work.

Since Access to Work is a dedicated resource that provides practical advice to overcome issues arising from disability in the workplace, and can pay towards any extra employment costs associated with disability, it is a crucial part of the government’s drive to get (disabled) people back into work.

But the practical application of the guidance means that disabled people who are trying to get back into work, or have secured a role and are liaising with their employers to ensure the workplace is accessible so they can do their work, are effectively receiving less support than they would have before the new guidance was issued. Those who do receive support are experiencing significant problems in securing this support.

The list of items that will no longer be covered by Access to Work is here (you can also download the full Access to Work guidance from the Deposits section of the Parliament website – it’s paper DEP2010-2088 here). Items include hearing aids, any telephony, some voice-activated software and walking aids. (There’s a related point here about the proposed reforms to Disability Living Allowance, which also mean these types of items wouldn’t be paid for by state support.)

There’s another crucial point as well: these practical changes have taken place ahead of the government’s planned reforms of Access to Work: the DWP’s business plan states that changes are being designed for Access to Work until December 2010 and the implementation plan of changes will be developed between January to April 2011.

The explicit reason given for the new guidance is that employers should be meeting some of these access costs as a “reasonable adjustment”. However, there is a clear political imperative here, based once again on cost saving (more on which in another post).

It thus appears that DWP has issued unannounced, updated guidance on Access to Work which reduces the amount of support that was previously available to disabled people in securing employment. Furthermore, this has been done before an announced review of Access to Work has been published.

It may not be a cut in name, but it feels like a cut in practice.