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What We Do

The Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE) is a national umbrella organisation for those working in the field of supported employment, whether in the voluntary, public or private sector. It was set up in 1995 as a voluntary forum for the wide range of organisations offering practical employment support to disabled people which began to emerge in the 1980's and early 1990's.

Attitudes to disabled people in the 1980's were still generally paternalistic, with little expectation that they could move into mainstream employment. Organisations working in the new field of "supported employment" needed a forum where they could start to share information and ideas, and promote the approach more widely. SUSE emerged as a forum where this could take place, becoming formalised as a charitable company in 1997.

The supported employment model is a flexible one, tailored to the specific (and often complex) needs of the client, so there are a wide range of projects targeted at different client groups. Supported employment is also a collaborative approach, which needs the co-operation, and understanding, of everyone involved, from the client, support provider, employer and those responsible for funding it. Given this complexity, and the need for co-operation at a very detailed level, SUSE has encouraged the growth and development of local supported employment networks, where local information and ideas can be shared. SUSE has 13 such affiliated local networks, as well as over 100 organisational members.

The role of SUSE over the years has been to support these networks, through regular seminars, an annual conference and information exchange. It has also helped raise awareness about the supported employment model at a national level. In 2006 it was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to produce a "Blueprint for Supported Employment in Scotland", and is currentlythis was launched in (Spring 2007) launching this across Scotland with the support of the then Executive.

However, we are on the cusp of change and recognise that the organisation needs to develop to meet new challenges. SUSE has always been a small organisation, formerly with one member of staff and a "virtual" office and much of the organisational and lobbying work has been shared by board members. The retirement of the full-time co-ordinator, who had been with SUSE since its inception, has been one factor in making us re-examineSUSE continues to examine our role and purpose. In addition, however, there are a number of external changes in the legislative and policy framework in which we work which makes it both more challenging for our members, while offering the opportunity to establish the supported employment approach as a recognised mainstream and professional service.