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Capacitate

Logo for Capacitate www.capacitate.org.uk 

Partnership information

Description

advisory group meeting

Background

While unemployment is at an all time low, Jobcentre Plus figures show that in the County of Carmarthenshire 26% of the population of working age (14,000 people) are claiming Incapacity Benefit although there is a labour and skills shortage. The Government Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work’ reports that more than 75% of those people claiming Incapacity Benefit would like to return to work but face barriers in doing so, leaving them excluded from the labour market. To meet their labour force needs, many local businesses recruit from foreign countries, a practice which creates a disadvantage for Incapacity Benefit claimants seeking work and also incurs a significant cost for the employing organisations. Many employers have a negative attitude and preconceived ideas regarding people who have a disability or long-term illness. Capacitate has been formed by twelve organisations with an interest in promoting the return of Incapacity Benefit claimants in Carmarthenshire to sustainable employment and is addressing these issues through their work both with employers and Incapacity Benefit claimants.

Aims

The aim of Capacitate is to increase the opportunities for people claiming Incapacity Benefit to return to work by providing information on support services, by developing education for employers, and by promoting a positive attitude regarding Incapacity Benefit claimants to ensure that vacancies are open to all.

Objectives

  • Provide specific training for Carmarthenshire employers, including Disability Awareness Training
  • Set up a web site of local providers and support organisations, and provide training for the web site’s target audience
  • Set up networking groups of local providers
  • Set up networking groups of current and ex-Incapacity Benefit claimants
  • Survey the attitudes of employers in Wales, Hungary and France to produce a guide of good practice
  • Provide training to advisors on EU practices in Hungary and France.

Target Groups

  • Employers
  • Support agencies
  • Incapacity Benefit claimants

Video interviews

Effect of Training on an Employer - Leigh Verril Rhys, Employer 1 MB
Employer Engagement - Mike Jones, DP Director 1.8 MB
Innovation and New Technology - Alan Delbridge, Focus Group Facilititator 2.5 MB
Making the Business Case for Diversity - Leigh Verril Rhys, Employer 2.7 MB
Purpose of Project - Mike Jones, DP Director 724.6 KB
Tackling Barriers - Alan Delbridge, Focus Group Facilititator 295.7 KB
Tackling Barriers to Employment - Mike Jones, DP Director 337.8 KB
Working with Employers - Mike Jones, DP Director 1.1 MB

Round

2

Round 1 to Round 2

This Development Partnership was not involved in Round One.

Lead partner

Antur Teifi
www.anturteifi.org.uk

Core partners

Carmarthenshire County Council, Carmarthenshire Local Health Board, Carmarthenshire Tourist Association, Disability Wales, Disabled Workers Co-operative, ELWa, Gallu, Job Centre Plus, Jobforce Wales, Llanelli Town Council, Remploy, Trac

Transnational partnerships

Information for Transnational partnerships

Contact

David Pugh, Antur Teifi,

End-dates

Action 2: 30 September 2007
Action 3: 31 December 2007

Equal theme

Facilitating access

Origins

The Partnership grew from seeing the need to establish coordinated support services for people on Incapacity Benefit by bringing together the many regional support organisations with expertise in this field, including Jobcentre Plus, Disability Wales, and Health Boards.

Beneficiaries

Employed in large firms, Employed in SMEs, Labour market returnees, Unemployed
Total beneficiaries: 430

Intended impact/ sustainability

The development of the web site has proven already to be a vital tool for support organisations in working with Incapacity Benefit claimants. At the end of this project maintaining this service as part of the core business of key partner organisations (e.g. Jobcentre Plus) will be an important part of the regional strategy to assist people to move from claiming Incapacity Benefit into employment.

Scatter plot

Process
Practice X
Product X X
Policy
City Local Regional National European

Practice/Local

The delivery of disability awareness training to staff of local employers has proved to be very successful in removing prejudice in the workplace towards people on Incapacity Benefit. Robust mechanisms are needed to ensure that employers take proper responsibility for equal opportunities issues.

Product/Regional

Development of the web site should be extended as a resource across Wales and, indeed, the UK. This would require national decisions, for example, about the remit of Jobcentre Plus.

Product/European

A Guide of Good Practice to employing people with disabilities and people with health conditions has been developed, based on research into employer attitudes undertaken in three European countries.

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Connections

Connections

Activities and products

Activity
CAD - Capacity and Diversity The objective of the transnational partnership is to address discrimination in the employment of people with health conditions. The three partners... CAD - Capacity and Diversity is a transnational partnershipExpand/collapse Products (2)
Meeting/congress
Advisory GroupThe Capacitate project has been giving disabled people and people who are or have been on Incapacity Benefit their 'say'. The Capacitate Advisory...
Print
Capacitate Research - attitudes and fears at the workplaceResearch report into Employers attitudes towards disability and employing people with disabilities....
Website
Capacitate Web siteSearchable website of service providers and support organisations in Carmarthenshire and its environs. Contains basic advice on benefits, housing, return...
Print
Project Final ReportReport of the whole project pulling together key findings, key evaluation criteria and recommendations....
Meeting/congress
Training for businesses and their staffThe Capacitate project has been helping Carmarthenshire business comply with the Disability Discrimination Act and become more disability aware....