Just before Christmas the Government made some policy announcements that could impact on many Social Firms. The Department for Work and Pensions will be:
- increasing the Access to Work budget from April 2010 so that more support will be available for disabled people in work;
- improving the programme so that it meets the needs of people with mental health problems more effectively;
- conducting trials for part-funding replacement cover for workers temporarily unable to work due to mental health problems or other fluctuating conditions;
- extending support for job coaches, which is likely to particularly help people with learning disabilities;
The Office of Disability Issues has announced that, for the pilots starting later this year,: