<p>Universal Support is a supported employment programme which will support disabled people, people with health conditions, and people with additional barriers, to employment into sustained work. Universal Support will include help for the individual to address issues like debt, manage their health condition and help employers to put in place job shaping or other adjustments to accommodate the individual’s needs.</p><p> </p><p>Through Universal Support, more disabled people will have access to this ‘Place, Train and Maintain’ approach to employment support. This means placing participants in work at the earliest opportunity, training them to do their job effectively, and providing ongoing support to sustain them in work. That job placement will be based on a good understanding of what the participant wants to achieve, and the employer and participant receiving support through the recruitment process and into the workplace to sustain that employment.</p><p> </p><p>Supported employment programmes have a history of enabling people with a range of health conditions and disabilities into work, including people with visual impairments. For example, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) has been delivered across the world with positive impacts. The DWP-commissioned health-led trials showed that this kind of employment support can be effective when delivered to people with a range of physical and mental health conditions. Other trials of IPS have also repeatedly demonstrated the ability of supported employment to make a positive impact on employment outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>The scope of the programme’s support and the timetable and delivery approach for Universal Support will be confirmed following stakeholder engagement including with organisations with expertise in supported employment and provision for disabled people.</p>