The National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 requires the Department, along with all public service bodies, to progressively increase the percentage of our workforce with a disability to 6% by 2024.
All employees within the Department are asked to declare a disability through an anonymous online survey on a voluntary basis. The responses are gathered and returned to the Central Monitoring Committee annually. The survey returns show that the number of declarations has almost doubled from 3.6% in 2015 to 7.1% in 2020.
The Department engages in the following activities to promote and support the employment of people with a disability:
- Recruitment is dealt with through the Public Appointments Service, and as such, is subject to the policies and procedures in place for that organisation, in particular, I refer you to the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024.
- Follows the Civil Service Code of Practice for the Employment of People with Disabilities.
- Has a designated DLO to act as the point of contact for staff with disabilities, their line managers and the HR Unit to provide assistance and support to both staff and their line managers by the provision of information, advice and supports, where necessary.
- Participates in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM), which is a work placement programme that aims to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities. There was one WAM placement in 2020.
- The Department facilitated a weeklong transition year student work experience programme from two local schools in 2020 with 4 out of 8 of these students living with disabilities. The purpose of this programme is to encourage these students to pursue a career in the civil service.
- Provides training to staff
- The Department also periodically offers unconscious bias, disability awareness, diversity & inclusion and SAFETalk training to department staff
A Monitoring Committee within the Department of Health collects annual data on the number of people with a disability employed in the HSE (including section 38 agencies) and Non-Commercial State Agencies. Out of the 23 agencies reported on for 2020, 19 of them met or exceeded the current target of 3%. 7 of these agencies already exceeded the future target of 6%. The Monitoring Committee and the National Disability Authority work with the agencies under the Department’s aegis in order to meet and exceed the targets set. The reasons for the failure of a small number of agencies to meet the national target are explored and discussed, with feedback given to improve for the coming year.
