Shaw Trust welcomes the Government’s planned investment in new programmes to support people into work and address economic inactivity – whether that is disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, parents facing significant childcare costs, or others.
The Health and Disability White Paper is an important starting point for a much-needed conversation about how to make the system work for all. We look forward to engaging with Government and others in the coming months ahead of the planned rollout.
The OBR estimates that in the next four years the Government’s new programme will help 10,000 people who are currently economically inactive due to disability or long-term sickness. While not insignificant – each individual helped is a life changed – we must remember that it represents just 0.5% of the 2 million disabled people in the country who are not currently able to work.
Growth is a vital national priority, and as a long-standing delivery partner for Government in this area, we stand ready to help do our part in driving growth and helping people into work where appropriate.
Shaw Trust will work with like-minded organisations, and those in the communities we represent, to ensure this unique opportunity to affect systems change represents the needs of the people it is set up to help. We will continue to play a leading role in developing new and innovative approaches to enabling people to access “good work” – because we know that it is important for individuals, for their households, and for our country.