Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) disability employment charities and (b) business representatives on improving access to skilled work for autistic adults in Surrey Heath constituency.

My Department has numerous contacts with organisations in the Surrey Heath constituency on these matters.

Camberley Jobcentre works with Surrey Choices, which provides specialist employment support for individuals with autism through bi-weekly sessions.

The Work Well programme and a newly appointed Connect to Work Employment Specialist are also co-located at the Jobcentre, strengthening support for neurodivergent customers.

Additionally, our Disability Employment Advisors provide outreach via GP surgeries and partner with local charities such as Safe New Futures, Voluntary Support North Surrey, and Sight for Surrey to offer tailored support for residents with health conditions and disabilities.

Frimley Park Hospital delivers supported internships for healthcare roles, successfully helping individuals into work.

At national level, the DWP Strategic Relationship Team work in partnership with two national charitable organisations, Ambitious about Autism, and the National Autistic Society. We have utilised their expertise to deliver upskilling session to build awareness, capability, and confidence in DWP Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers. We have also developed an Autism Toolkit with support from these organisations, bringing together various resources utilised by colleagues to coach and guide our customers.

Ambitious about Autism support a quarterly session to employers and partners, raising awareness of autism in the workplace, myth busting and providing some tips on how to create inclusive recruitment and retention of autistic talent. These sessions offer an opportunity for DWP colleagues to arrange follow up conversations with attendees, to influence inclusive recruitment, discuss the DWPs Disability Scheme and any offer general support to meet employer needs.