TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for supporting people with disabilities in the workplace. Areas for discussion include priorities related to employer responsibilities, workplace participation, service integration, and local delivery.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to consider the likely impact of reform brought forward through the Employment Rights Act 2025. This includes changes to Statutory Sick Pay - with the removal of waiting days and extending eligibility to lower earners - strengthened rights to flexible working as default from day one, and new Right to Request provisions, expanding employees’ ability to request workplace adjustments and predictable working arrangements, alongside protections against unfair dismissal.
Delegates will examine next steps for implementing statuary requirements following the recent publication of the Government’s consultation response on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, with employers with over 250 staff required to publish mandatary reports and workforce composition data. Discussion will look at effective approaches to the introduction of employer action plans, adaptation of existing gender pay gap reporting frameworks, accountability and enforcement, responsible data sharing, and employer-employee transparency - as well as how potential regulatory burden for organisations might be addressed.
Attendees will also look at key findings and recommendations from the Work and Pensions Committee’s Inquiry into Employment Support for Disabled People, the recently published Keep Britain Working review, and initial insights from the Timms Review’s call for evidence into Personal Independence Payment. We expect discussion to bring out latest thinking on employer duties, reasonable workplace adjustments, resource allocation, scheme design and how best to balance delivery across local and national frameworks.
Inclusive culture, employment support & use of technology
The agenda will examine how employers are successfully moving beyond compliance with regulated duties to the creation of productive, inclusive workplace cultures and improving support programmes for employee wellbeing. Sessions look at approaches to proactive delivery of support, tackling stigma and discriminatory behaviours, and collaboration between employers and staff on tackling barriers.
Recruitment practices, retention strategies, and workplace adjustments will also be examined, with a focus on practical options for increasing longer-term participation in work. This also includes how employee networks, mentoring schemes, and sponsorship pipelines can best be utilised to support workers with disabilities into promotions and senior leadership opportunities.
The role of technologies in breaking down barriers will also be discussed, such as developments in assistive technologies including screen readers, speech-to-text software and adaptive equipment - as well as AI-enabled recruitment tools to reduce bias, digital platforms supporting flexible and remote working, and workplace analytics to better identify and respond to employee needs.
With the Work and Pensions Committee calling for a move beyond generic employer schemes towards high-intensity, tailored interventions, delegates will examine what can be learned from examples of successful approaches. Those attending will look at priorities for use of the additional £2.2bn committed by the Government for employment support over the next four years. They will discuss scheme design, targeting of funding, and streamlining of delivery for programmes such as Access to Work and Connect to Work, as well as for tackling regional disparities and persistent inequalities.
Following the launch of the Timms Review’s call for evidence - assessing the role and purpose of Personal Independence Payment - delegates will discuss barriers to accessing PIP, eligibility and assessment criteria in its awarding, and aligning provisions with varying support needs, as well as the interactions between PIP and wider labour market changes. The Right to Try Guarantee will also be examined in the context of potential future welfare system changes.
Practicalities for employers
Employer duties and organisational issues will be examined, looking at implications for both large and small employers in varying workplace settings, including options for guidance and support as new requirements come into effect.
We expect discussion on approaches to dealing with capacity and cost pressures, and potential regulatory burden - including the potential impact of evolving legal obligations, expectations around workplace adjustments, and engagement with employment services on day-to-day workplace operations and workforce planning.
Workplace health provision, return-to-work support & employer schemes
Discussion will consider how measures proposed in the final Keep Britain Working report might be taken forward in practice. This includes implementation of strengthened Workplace Health Provision, reform of the Disability Confident scheme, introduction of Stay-in-Work and Return-to-Work Plans, and the launch of the Vanguard phase, alongside the role and remit of the new Workplace Health Intelligence Unit.
Attendees will consider implications for recruitment and retention, access to financial support, and how responsibilities might be shared between national and local systems. They will also look at early findings from the Keep Britain Working Vanguard scheme - including examples from delivery of the Healthy Working Lifecycle - and what these may indicate for prevention, early intervention, and sustainable workplace rehabilitation. Discussion will also consider how insights emerging from implementation could be scaled up, and where further guidance may be needed for SMEs and support in areas such as financial accountability, administrative pressures, and operational capacity.
Employment support programmes - resource allocation, scheme design & delivery
Sessions will also assess strategies for employment support providers and combined authorities in forging employer engagement and co-ordination, and for improving impact on access, continuity, and outcomes, taking into consideration capacity of national and local programmes to meet varied employment needs.
Looking at support programmes and delivery models, areas for discussion include what effective integration of health and employment services can look like, opportunities for strengthening this integration, and the role of initiatives such as Connect to Work, new Neighbourhood Health Centres, and the expanded WorkWell service. The agenda will examine priorities for design and delivery of employment and benefit services at a local level to maximise individuals’ willingness to engage with support, particularly where needs are complex or change over time.
Targeted support for young people with disabilities who are not in education, employment or training will also be considered, looking at how Youth Guarantee frameworks might be tailored to provide for those with additional needs.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Health and Social Care; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; and The Scottish Government.
