The Work and Pensions Committee, under the chairmanship of Frank Field MP, is looking into the gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people.

The government has said that it aims to halve the gap: currently, just over 80 percent of non-disabled people have a job, compared with nearly 47 percent of those with a disability. Employment rates in both groups have risen by about three percent over the last three years, leaving the gap between them unchanged.

The Inquiry will consider whether measures that the government has put in place – including the latest cut to ESA for people who are considered able to work at some time in the future – are likely to achieve the ambition of getting an extra 1.2 million disabled people into employment.

The closing date for written submissions is 9th May: you can read more and find the link for contributing to the Inquiry, here

 

Since the announcement in last year’s budget of the National Living Wage, there have been voices raised from many of the sectors most concerned that it would be a disaster for them. Now it has arrived: anyone aged 25 or over (and not in the first year of an apprenticeship) should be paid at least £7.20 per hour, a 50p increase on previous minimum wage.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which supports the increase, has nevertheless warned that paying it could push care services to breaking point. They calculate that there is a deficit of at least £330m for 2016-17 which councils will need to cover in respect of the increased wage bills for home care and residential care providers.

Despite measures such as the 2% increase in rates and £1.5 billion extra for the Better Care Fund, there is still not adequate funding for social care. Carry on reading here

 

A great new resource for anyone who is struggling with statutory services in the fields of health, social care or education support.

The children's charity Cerebra has launched a problem-solving toolkit which aims to help unpick commonly experienced problems and to offer effective strategies for resolving them.

Written in straightforward language by Luke Clements, Cerebra Professor of Law and Social Justice at Leeds University, with lovely Alice in Wonderland-inspired illustrations by Gillian Clements (as shown here!), the toolkit looks at nine different types of dispute, with suggestions about how to resolve them. It includes templates for letters, and useful sections on busting myths and jargon.

You can download it free from the Cerebra website

 

Stephen Crabb, who last month replaced Iain Duncan-Smith as Work and Pensions Secretary, wants an end to the contracts with private firms which have been the cause of so many problems around eligibility for benefits and fitness for work.

You probably remember Atos becoming a byword for incompetence, prior to their replacement by Maximus. It is salutary to reflect on the National Audit Office findings at the beginning of this year, that not only has the cost of Work Capability Assessments doubled under Maximus, but 10 percent of their reports are rejected as substandard by the DWP, compared with one in 25 under the previous contractor...

You can read more here.

 

The Mercedes name is synonymous with luxury and reliability, and Steering Developments, who have specialised for more than 30 years in helping people with a disability to enjoy their motoring, have now chosen the V-Class Mercedes for their top-of-the-range wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV).

With an automatic tailgate, and electric sliding side doors, the V-Class offers great access for wheelchair users, whether as driver or passenger.

You can see more about WAVs, adapted driving controls and getting your wheelchair or scooter in and out of your vehicle, on the Steering Developments page

 

I have had a certain fondness for the word "shoddy", since I discovered its etymological origins in the textile industry, referring to a fabric made by shredding used woollen cloth, an early form of recycling. Now, of course, we apply it to almost anything of inferior quality, and it makes a thought-provoking title for an exhibition in Leeds (once a centre of the textile industry) of textile-based artwork considering the lives and concerns of people with a disability. One of the artists, Faye Waple, produced the Shoddy Sampler shown here. More details on the exhibition website.

We are just about a month away from the Wings for Life fundraiser, and as well as the orchestrated events around the world, they have added what they call a Selfie Run, for anyone who wants to take part, but can't get to an official location – or just prefers to run somewhere else. If you haven't come across Wings for Life before - the race involves Catcher Cars... which do what the name suggests. You can read all about it here!

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Until next time, all good wishes,

Frances