Kevin Wright

Mental Health Week

Kevin Wright · June 26, 2025 ·

The team at DurhamEnable always take the time to prioritise mental health and wellbeing and understand the importance of looking after both our physical and mental health.

This year for Mental Health Week, Carole one of our Wellbeing Champions, decided it would be fun to randomly assign different challenges or tasks which often help with general wellbeing.

Below are some photos of the staff taking part and enjoying their challenge. We always love to hear what you’re doing to look after your wellbeing and always open to suggestions for our next challenge!

DurhamEnable Primark Stores Visits

Kevin Wright · June 20, 2025 ·

DurhamEnable visited Primark stores in Hartlepool, Darlington and Metro Centre to talk about inclusivity within the workplace.

We gained insights into what a day looks like for a Primark colleague and what they enjoy most about their job.

All the staff were amazing with us and gave so much of their time. They were also happy to answer all of our questions and gave out tips on how to manage a good work life balance.

National Apprenticeship Week 2025: 10 to 16 February 2025

Kevin Wright · February 6, 2025 ·

National Apprenticeship Week is week-long celebration that brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

We will be promoting and celebrating National Apprenticeship Week on our social media channels all next week, so make sure you check them regularly.

Durham Enable Supported employment service named best in UK

Kevin Wright · November 21, 2024 ·

A team which helps people with disabilities, neurodiversity, and long-term health conditions into work has been recognised as one of the highest-performing supported employment services in the UK.

Durham County Council’s DurhamEnable service was ranked as “excellent” in its most recent Supported Employment Quality Framework assessment.

The service received this accreditation in both its main UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) backed service and its Local Supported Employment Programme (LSE) – making it one of the only providers in the UK to have an “excellent” rating for both areas.

The report highlighted that 100 per cent of positions which have been secured through DurhamEnable have been sustained, which it credited to the extensive job matching that the service carries out for those looking for work.

Cllr Ted Henderson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “We are delighted to have been given the highest score of any supported employment provider in the country. This accreditation is a fantastic acknowledgement of the commitment our officers give to support disabled people to gain the skills and confidence to succeed in long term employment, and beyond.

“We also work hard with businesses to understand their needs and provide unique and tailored support to ensure their staff settle comfortably into their new role. We also help businesses access free training or funding needed for specialist equipment which would otherwise come at a cost.”

The report praised DurhamEnable for the support it provides to employers, including neurodiversity training to help them understand and meet the needs of employees.

Manor House Hotel and Spa, in West Auckland, has recently benefitted from this support, having worked with DurhamEnable to fill several vacancies.

DurhamEnable supported Manor House Hotel and Spa in matching its vacant roles with its jobseekers and arranged carefully structured work placements to allow candidates to demonstrate their skills.

The trial period gave candidates the opportunity to adapt to the job at their pace, and they quickly became integral members of the hotel’s team.

The partnership also allowed Manor House Hotel and Spa to save time in recruitment and training, with the latter provided for staff free of charge by DurhamEnable.

Johnathon Cairns, general manager at Manor House Hotel and Spa, said: “It has been a fantastic experience working with DurhamEnable and the candidates we’ve onboarded through the scheme. The initial supported placement ensured that the roles were a great fit for both us as the employers and the employees. It also helped identify any necessary adjustments. We now have two exceptional employees who are exceeding expectations in their roles, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the entire process.”

DurhamEnable helps people find jobs with Morrisons

Kevin Wright · November 13, 2024 ·

A new partnership between the region’s largest council and a supermarket chain has been launched to help people into work.

DurhamEnable, which supports people aged 18 and over with disabilities, neurodiversity, or long-term health conditions into work, has been working with Morrisons to launch a new pilot employment scheme.

The pilot saw five job seekers given work placements at three of Morrisons’ County Durham stores, where they took part in a six-week trial period.

The trial allowed the participants to develop the skills needed for the role while being given full support between shifts by DurhamEnable’s dedicated job coaches.

At the end of the six weeks, two of the job seekers decided to continue to paid employment and have started their new jobs with Morrisons.

Another job seeker was able to use the skills they gained from the trial to secure paid employment elsewhere.

The supermarket is now working with DurhamEnable to organise another opportunity to welcome job seekers and roll out the pilot across more stores in the county.

Cllr Ted Henderson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Morrisons to give some of our job seekers the opportunity to secure paid employment.

“People can sometimes find their disability or health condition can impact on finding and maintaining a job. This scheme has allowed us to work with a large employer and set up a trial period which is supportive and follows the job seeker at their pace, allowing them to build the skills they need to continue into work. We’re so pleased that some of our participants were able to secure employment through the scheme and wish them well in their new roles.”

Claire Coulthard, Morrisons people manager, said: “We’re really pleased that through this partnership with DurhamEnable, we have provided work opportunities for jobseekers with disabilities, neurodiversity, or long-term health conditions.

“We are proud to be working with such a worthwhile organisation and look forward to continuing and building on our partnership.”