Wiltshire Employment Support team

Who we are

Wiltshire Employment Support Team, better known as WEST is a supported employment service for young people and adults with special educational needs and disabilities, including autism. We aim to support our customers to find and keep various levels of paid employment.

To do this we look at the different types of job options and what is realistic, including things like:

what jobs are available
travel implications
work ethic
skills and interests
working hours
previous experience.

WEST forms part of a wider team called Employment and Community Skills.

WEST applies a person-centred, yet realistic approach, working with people to enable stability in the job with the planned aspiration for you to do this independently.

We can help you

identify your skills and strengths
look at jobs that are realistic for you
identify your training needs and signpost you to where you can get help with that
look for jobs, fill in application forms, put together a CV
prepare for and support you at interviews
with appropriate job coaching that will help you start work and become part of the team
by regularly reviewing progress with you and your employer for up to 18 months after starting your job.

When WEST receives a suitable referral, you will be allocated to a job coach who will meet with you to register you to our service. They will ask you about your experience and expertise to help highlight further skills you may need for work, we call this profiling.

Your job coach will then support you to begin applying for jobs and prepare for interview, as well as approach employers on your behalf. We hope that you get offered a job and will do everything we can to support that.

You will actively look for paid work and need to be committed to your job searching. There will be responsibilities expected of you and the job coach, these will be reviewed regularly.

We cannot take responsibility for any decisions relating to benefits, but we can advise you on how to get information of how working could affect any benefits.

Should a job be found, and you are successful at interview, you will be supported by your job coach to start work. We can offer you on the job support if you need it. This will be until you and your new employer feel confident in the workplace and are being supported by them to carry on independently. We will continue to review how you are getting on and support you in sustaining your job.

Who is eligible?

You can be referred to WEST if you;

live in Wiltshire (local authority boundary area)
are motivated and committed to moving into work
are not supported by another employment agency
provide your National Insurance Number
have the required documents to prove you can work in the UK.

It then depends on who is referring you;

SEND, children and young people referrals

Young people 14 to 25 years of age with My Plan or Statement of Special Education Need (SEN) or previously held a statement
Young people with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) not meeting the above criteria and between 16 and 25 years of age.

Adult Care and Community Team for People with Learning Disabilities referrals

In all cases approval is required before making the referral:
18 years of age and above
Has an assessed eligible need for this service (Care Act 2014)
Identified under the following Reported Health Conditions
PI: Long term health condition – physical (acquired physical injury)
N: Long term health condition – neurological (Stroke, Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone Disease, Acquired Brain Injury)
SI: Sensory Impairment (visually impaired, hearing impaired)
LD: Learning, development or intellectual disability
ASC: Learning, development or intellectual disability (Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome/High Functioning Autism).

In most cases we are funded to provide services via social care or SEND services provided by Wiltshire Council.

If you are 16 to 25 years old, depending on the circumstances, we can, on occasion take a self-referral if you are on the autistic spectrum, including Asperger’s and do not access any services from Wiltshire Council.
This is on a case by case discretionary basis, and not always possible.