Supported employment

Overview

Internationally, the purpose of ‘supported employment’ is to ‘support individuals with the most significant disabilities in achieving competitive employment outcomes in integrated work settings’.¹ Underpinning this approach is the understanding that most people can succeed in work if provided with the right mix of workplace and family supports.² 

Over time, supported employment has developed a substantial evidence base and become accepted as best practice in the employment of people with intellectual and other disability types.³ It is often aligned with a ‘place, train and maintain’ approach as opposed to a ‘train-then-place’ approach, which requires work ‘readiness’ prior to placement.⁴ For people with high support needs, such as those with intellectual disability and psychosocial disability, there is evidence that they benefit from real work settings in which to learn and that they will not gain ‘readiness’ easily without this.

Supported employment is widely used in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom and Europe.^{5 6 7} Some jurisdictions have moved to align supported employment practice with a Quality Framework (and fidelity model), such as the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) in the UK.⁸

In Australia the term ‘supported employment’ does not always have the same meaning as in international usage. In Australia the term ‘supported employment’ was defined by the Commonwealth of Australia’s Disability Services Act 1986 which linked it to people ‘for whom competitive employment at or above the relevant award wages is unlikely’ and to segregated work settings later known as disability enterprises or Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs). Even after the replacement of the Act with the Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023, and the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the use of the term ‘supported employment’ remains confused in Australia.⁹  

In Australia, the term supported employment has evolved and includes the provision of employment supports to people with disability with high support needs. This now facilitates employment in a variety of settings including: 

• mainstream employment
• social enterprises
• micro-businesses
• disability enterprises, sometimes called supported employment services, including traditional ADEs.¹⁰

Key strategies for success

At the heart of supported employment is the understanding that all people with disability can be employed if the right supports are provided. There are a number of strategies that can be used to promote success in supported employment, including:

• personalised assessment: this helps to develop a deep understanding of the person’s goals, skills and support needs in real job settings to build confidence and refine preferences – this can include a ‘Discovery’ process and vocational profiling
• employer engagement, job development, matching and placement: developing individualised job search plans that match people with roles that suit their interests and strengths, and connecting with relevant employers
• conducting intensive job site training – using structured learning methods ensures employees learn the tasks needed for their job and that they meet workplace expectations
• providing ongoing support to employees and employers for as long as required helps ensure long-term success, and to identify career progression opportunities.^{11 12}