Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote neuroinclusion in the workplace.

We are committed to improving employment outcomes and inclusion for disabled people and people with health conditions, including those who are neuro-divergent. For example:

Through the Disability Confident scheme, DWP is engaging with employers, offering online guidance and helping to promote the skills, talents and abilities of people with autism and associated hidden impairment conditions.

A Disability Confident Toolkit has been developed to provide comprehensive information on autism and other hidden impairments, as well as guidance on employment and local authority services. This Toolkit has been promoted to all Government departments.

Research published last year suggests Disability Confident has had a significant impact on disability employment practices. Almost half of employers interviewed said they had recruited at least one person with a disability, long-term health or mental health condition as a result of joining the scheme. This went up to nearly two thirds among larger employers.

Access to Work offers eligible individuals practical advice and a discretionary grant of up to £59,200 per year to fund support above the level of an employer’s statutory obligation to make reasonable adjustments. Access to Work staff have a specialist knowledge of disabilities and health conditions, including neuro-divergent conditions, which enables them to offer customers tailored packages of support.

DWP is working with the Supported Business Alliance (SBA) and The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) to develop a new long term element of Access to Work, to support people working for a supported business, many of whom are neuro-divergent.

DWP is also working in partnership with Department of Health and Social Care to publish a consultation on how employers can best support disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, including those who are neuro-divergent, to stay and thrive in work.