Connect to Work: Employment Support for Disabled People

Connect to Work is a Government-funded employment support programme designed to help disabled people and those with health conditions or complex barriers to employment. Funded through the 'Get Britain Working' Strategy with £240m investment, the programme aims to achieve an 80% national employment rate by joining up health services and employment support. The programme will support approximately 100,000 disabled people nationally, with 12,243 participants across the East Midlands region (Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire). It uses evidence-based Supported Employment ('place, train, and maintain') delivered through two intervention types: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF). The East Midlands Combined Authority is the Accountable Body and commissions delivery in partnership with local authorities. Connect to Work is a voluntary programme that supports participants to enter employment, progress in work, and remain in work, contributing to a more inclusive economy and local growth.