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Supported employment for young people with intellectual disabilities facilitated through peer support: a pilot study
- Authors:
- KAEHNE Axel, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 17(3), 2013, pp.236-251.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
The article reports the evaluation of a small-scale–supported employment project in a local authority in England. The study examined whether or not the peer support model could be used to deliver supported employment to a group of young people with intellectual disabilities. The authors utilised a mixed-method approach involving activity data, family interviews and a postal survey with participating employers. Five families took part in the study. The findings show that families viewed the project positively, although it was insufficiently embedded in the wider transition planning. The study indicates that the peer support model may represent a useful addition to the conventional supported employment efforts for this population. However, more research is needed to demonstrate the benefits of peer support over and above the benefits of conventional supported employment for young people in post-school transition. In particular, producing a better evidence base on the exact impact of peer support on service users’ experiences is recommended. (Publisher abstract)
Can peer support help with the employment challenge?
- Authors:
- KAEHNE Axel, ALLAN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, August 2011, pp.30-32.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The first Youth Supported Employment Programme (YSEP) was launched in Calgary, Canada, in 1994. YSEP aims to emulate the career paths of non-disabled young people by organising Saturday and evening jobs for young people with learning disabilities and by teaming them with a non-disabled peer supporter. YSEP was first piloted in the UK in 1999 and has recently been implemented and evaluated in Manchester. Results from the evaluation were encouraging although the number of participants was small. Five young people were recruited and were supported in the workplace by peers; support was successfully phased out to all but one of the young people. There was also some evidence that participants developed some social contacts during the project. Employers were positive about the project and the majority indicated that they would hire young people with learning disabilities again.