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Description
The project focuses on transfer of know-how and a good practice models on Supported Employment service delivery for young adults with disabilities (Y/AwDs) that has proven its viability in the United Kingdom, to beneficiary partner countries: Romania, Lithuania, and Portugal, with the ultimate goal to contribute to the creation of an inclusive European labour market.
The model has been transferred, adapted and implemented and has been well received by both Y/AwD and employer organisations, suggesting that it remains valid as a framework to deliver improved employment outcomes for jobseekers with a disability. The programme changed the perception of people with disabilities and their capacity to undertake paid work. It showed that with the right type of supports, people with disabilities could make a meaningful contribution, if they wished to do so.
Innovative approaches on lowering youth unemployment have been developed or adopted – the training package for family members of Y/AwD established a common multicultural and multinational methodological approach that focuses on their needs, in order to better support their children in gaining and retaining employment. Our project has raised awareness and prepared the family members making employment more attainable and smoothing the transition of young adults with disabilities from school to labour market.
The results were achievable thanks to the transnational cooperation among project partners, especially in assuring quality standards in delivering Supported Employment services to Y/AwD and also in elaborating the Guide of good practice. Participation in transnational collaboration was the “step up” of each partner from operating at a regional/local level to building a transnational reputation and network, developing profile, confidence and knowledge in the labour market issues.
Summary of project results
Romania, Bulgaria Portugal and Cyprus have ratified the new UN Convention on Rights of Persons with a Disability but don''t have national support available for Y/AwD to find and maintain a paid job on the open labour market. The services for support for Y/AwD employment are not sufficient or are not available in all communities/regions from all the partner countries. In Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Cyprus there are big differences between regions in terms of availability of support services for disabled people and there are no similarities in services in between countries. The project creates opportunities by developing 3 Centers of resources in SE (1 in Bucharest region of Romania, 1 in Bulgaria and 1 in Portugal), 4 Centers for direct delivering of SE services (In Romania - South-Est region, Bulgaria - Central Region and Portugal - Est Region and 1 in Cyprus) and setting up of 4 national networks of organisations that deliver SE services, one on each partner country.
The project responds to challenges in countries participating in the project (according to the study ''Supported Employment for people with disabilities in the EU and EFTA-EEA'') such as:
- In Romania and Bulgaria labour market mobility is relatively low and the long-term unemployment rate is high which indicates that labour market adaptability and social protection are also relatively low. There are no national SE programmes, there are large regional differences in delivery of SE services, there are no clearly defined Supported Employment programmes, services. providers do not have adequate knowledge to assist them, limited support for Y/AwD.
- In Portugal and Cyprus there is a rather poor labour market adaptability and low income protection. Training and education indicators are also low. SE services have few incentives to progress Y/AwD into permanent, ordinary paid jobs, low skilled jobs offer, parents who refuse employment of Y/AwD and staff limited trained involved in SE services.
LEAD project has transferred know-how and good practice in Supported Employment (SE) from UK to Romania, Portugal and Lithuania by:
- Elaborating quality systems and standards in employment for young adults with a disability (Y/AwD);
- Adapting existing best practices from UK to Beneficiary countries requirements;
- Implementing a model of best practice in SE with tools and work procedures in place;
- Internal monitoring by UK Partner to confirm standards have been implemented and benchmarked against original best practice;
- Promoting SE services and developing national networks in Romania, Portugal and Lithuania, in order to influence national public policies.
In terms of innovation and exploration a family oriented approach has focused on developing a training package and setting up of self-help groups for families with the aim of increasing their capacities in getting employment support to Y/AwD by:
1. Surveying the actual needs of family members of Y/AwD by using quantitative or qualitative methods;
2. Establishing national working groups (interdisciplinary team) that has provided feedback and viewpoints all through the duration of the work package;
3. Developing a Training package for family members of Y/AwD;
4. Implementing developed methodological approaches in training seminars for family members that ensured valorisation on a pragmatic level (pilot and validation);
Lastly, in terms of transnational cooperation on labour market issues the project partners have strengthened own capacities to innovate, modernise and adapt to new challenges in Youth Employment for Y/AwD, to promote youth employment for Y/AwD across Europe but at the same time to also help identifying and assessing issues and solutions for reforms in policies related to employment.