Sheffield’s Connect to Work Programme has gone live, with referrals now being accepted for supported employment engagements for eligible residents with Autism, Learning Difficulties or Disabilities, and/or Neurodiversity.
Opportunity Sheffield is delivering Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) provision for this cohort, following on from successful delivery of the Local Supported Employment (LSE) Sheffield Programme between 2022 and 2025.
Connect to Work – a national Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employment programme, devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Authority clusters – replaces LSE Sheffield, along with two other centrally funded programmes – the Work and Health Programme (delivered in Sheffield by REED in Partnership) and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (delivered in Sheffield by The Shaw Trust).
The programme is the first major element of the Government’s Get Britain Working Strategy, which was announced in Autumn 2024.
SEQF supported employment
Sheffield’s SEQF offer is the first component of the programme to launch, with additional Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to be commissioned for other eligible cohorts for a 2026 start date.
An external SEQF commission, to complement this Council-delivered service, is anticipated to launch in 2026.
On the SEQF programme, participants can work with a job coach to address employability barriers, find work, and receive training and on-the-job support. SEQF follows a fidelity assured ‘place, train and maintain’ model.
Referrals are invited to Opportunity Sheffield’s triage service, contactable at opportunity@sheffield.gov.uk or on 0114 229 6188
About Connect to Work
Connect to Work is a national programme being delivered across the UK.
Within South Yorkshire, the Accountable Body for Connect to Work is South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA). The constituent Local Authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield are Delivery Area Members.
South Yorkshire’s Connect to Work programme will comprise of the following strands of activity:
1. A regional Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme targeted at residents with disabilities and health conditions
2. Localised IPS employment support for eligible participants whose primary barrier is not a disability or health conditions
3. Localised SEQF employment support, targeted at residents with Autism, a Learning Difficulty or Disability, and/or neurodiversity
4. Localised SEQF support for other select individuals, who are eligible for Connect to Work and have been determined by the Accountable Body as requiring an SEQF, as opposed, to IPS intervention
Eligibility and suitability
An individual is eligible to receive support on Connect to Work if all the below criteria are met:
The individual:
1. Is in one of the targeted participant groups; has a disability or long-term health condition, or is one of the specified list of disadvantaged groups.
2. Is entitled to work in UK and receive support
3. Is of working age, aged 18 or more in England, or in exceptional circumstances, aged 16 or 17 (for example, if they are on UC).
4. Has the right to work in the UK.
5. Has the right to live in the UK and are resident in England or Wales
6. Does not belong to a group which has no entitlement to public funds.
7. Is not on a DWP employment programme.
8. Is available to participate in Connect to Work.
In terms of suitability for support, individuals must fit at least one of the situations below:
- unlikely to be able to move into/retain paid work without very frequent, comprehensive and tailored support above and beyond standard employment support (e.g. IAG, CV and application support) or other national employment provision including Restart.
- has previously or is expected to struggle with learning new skills or adapting to new environments due to their disability, long-term health condition or disadvantages.
- needs employment support that is integrated with support for their other needs e.g. health services, probation, social care.
- will need employer flexibility to tailor the role and/or workplace to support with their disability, long-term health condition or disadvantages.
- requires/will require significant support to retain work over and above standard reasonable adjustments.
Connect to Work IPS service
IPS services for other disadvantaged groups are scheduled to go live in Sheffield in April 2026. This service will extend support to individuals who are:
- an offender (someone who is serving a community service) or ex-offender (someone who has completed a custodial or community sentence)
- a carer
- an ex-carer
- a homeless person
- a former member of His Majesty’s (HM) Armed Forces (AF), a member of HM AF reserves, or a partner of current or former Armed Forces personnel
- a person for whom a drug or alcohol dependency, including a history of dependency, presents a significant barrier to employment
- care experienced young person or a care leaver
- a refugee, a resettled Afghan
- a person on the Ukrainian scheme
- a victim/survivor of domestic abuse
- young people identified as being involved or at risk of being involved in serious violence
- a victim of modern slavery.
teacakeclub.org 