Supported employment service

Young people aged 14 to 16 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), can get support to find work that is right for them and their needs and to stay in work.

This is called supported employment and we use Optalis to provide this service for us. Optalis can help you:

• look for and apply for a voluntary or paid job
• decide on the type of training you would like to do
• help you to use public transport to get to and from your job

How it works

You will need a referral to access this service. This could come from:

• the Adult Social Care Team
• the Preparing for Adulthood Team
• your school
• a self-referral - this means you can refer yourself

Optalis will ask you to come for an assessment where you can tell them about what you would like to do.

They will ask you questions so that they can get to know you and the type of job you want.

You can tell them whether you want to do paid work, a supported internship, voluntary work, or do a course. They will make a list of other people who support you so that we can all work together.

Helping you find a job

You will have meetings with an employment advisor who will help you make an action plan. This is a written plan that shows you how you are going to achieve your goal.

If you need extra support, you will be able to work with a job coach. Your employment advisor or job coach will help you to write your CV where you will list what you are good at and what jobs you have done before.

They will help you look for jobs in the newspapers and online. You will also be able to come to their Job Clubs, where you will get advice on how to look for and apply for a job and what to do when you go for an interview.

If you want to go to college or do a voluntary job, they will help with that too.

Support when you have a job

Optalis will continue to support you when you have a job. They can help you talk to your employer if there are any problems and will make sure that you feel fully supported at all times.

If you have a job coach, they will be able to work with you when you first start to do your job. Once you feel that you can do your job by yourself, your job coach will keep in touch to make sure that everything is going well.

Help to use public transport

Optalis Supported Employment Service also offers travel training.

Your job coach will support you in using public transport and other types of travel such as:

• bus
• trains
• walking or cycling new routes

Your job coach will also support you in learning new skills such as:

• reading timetables
• building confidence to travel alone
• learning directions
• buying tickets
• applying for a bus pass

The goal is for you to be able to travel alone. This will allow you to:

• be independent
• have more freedom
• feel confident
• be able to travel to interviews, work experience, volunteering job or a paid job

Support to find and stay in work

If you are chronically ill or disabled, you might be entitled to support from the government. GOV.UK has information on:

• Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition
• applying for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if your disability or health condition affects how much you can work
• Work and Health programme to help you find and keep a job if you’re out of work
• help with moving from benefits to work programme

Contact the Supported Employment Service

Telephone: 0118 977 8600

Email: employmentservice@optalis.org