You may not have heard about Supported Employment before, and may have questions you want a quick answer to. If you have a question we have not answered on the page, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Can I work without losing my welfare benefits?
Yes, we always make sure everyone we support gains the correct welfare benefits information, advice, and guidance before starting work. We understand everyone’s circumstances are different, so we work with local partners and welfare professionals to make sure people and their families will not be financially worse when working.
What kind of work can I do?
We can support you to do a range of work, whether paid, full time or part time, work experience or voluntary. We also help with self-employment if you want to work for yourself.
Can you support me if I have never worked before?
Yes we can.
We can help you to adjust to the changes having a job can bring, including building confidence using public transport, getting to work on time, forming good working relationships and making new friends. Through support, you can gain valuable workplace skills, experience, qualifications, and achieve paid work.
People we have supported into employment tell us they feel more confident, healthier, and happier.
What will the Job Coach do for me?
Your Job Coach will help you find work and support you in your new job. A Job Coach will be there to help you become comfortable with your new job, whether that will be helping you get used to the routine of work, assisting you with how to do certain tasks or become familiar to new surroundings.
Job Coaches are not there to do the job for you, and the goal is always to have the Job Coach fade away so you can become as independent as possible.
Your Job Coach will support your employer on how best to help you in your job.
What is this going to cost me?
Nothing. Our Supported Employment service is absolutely free, to you and your employer. The Job Coach is a Durham County Council member of staff, covered by our insurance – you do not have to pay for them.
If you need extra support once in work, we can help you apply for Access to Work which can fund extra Job Coach support, assistive technology to help you do your job, make adjustments to the workplace, even travel costs if you cannot travel to and from work. If you would like to know more, please see our information page on Access to Work.
Should I declare a disability or health condition in a job interview?
The Equality Act means that you should not be asked any questions about your health or disability unless you are going to be offered the job.
We always advise people to be honest with employers so that you are covered by the Equality Act.
Remember to let the employer know before your interview if you have any particular requirements because of a disability. These can be referred to as reasonable adjustments and your Job Coach can help you with these. We are experts when it comes to handling disclosures of disabilities and health conditions. Your Job Coach will be able to support you and employers through this process, so everyone feels safe, supported and seen, allowing everyone to flourish in their careers.
What is a reasonable adjustment?
A reasonable adjustment is a change that must be made to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to a disability or health condition in work, or during the recruitment process. This could involve making changes to a workplace, equipment, the way tasks are performed, providing accessible information, or receiving interview questions ahead of your interview.
Your Job Coach can support you to request these adjustments, whether at work or during an application process.
