A Quality Standard for Supported Employment in Scotland
The Quality Standard for Supported Employment in Scotland will be launched in the autumn. Following a pilot project with 3 SUSE members – North Lanarkshire Council, City of Edinburgh Council and Values Into Action Scotland – we’ve finalised the standards and indicators. Sincere thanks to these partners for their support with this. We’ll shortly pilot the next 2 phases of the process and expect to have the finalised Quality Standard ready to launch at the 2026 AGM.
The need for a Quality Standard for Supported Employment
There are common challenges within services – lack or resources, large caseloads, investment in skills development, staff turnover, varying employment policy between local authorities – and anyone who has worked in Supported Employment will be familiar with the difficulties these create within services who are doing their best to deliver high-quality support.
A Quality Standard for Supported Employment would ensure a service level that disabled people could expect across all parts of Scotland.
This is not a new initiative. Our partner organisations in Europe have developed a quality standard that it being used in several countries, the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).
Why Scotland Needs its own Quality Standard in Supported Employment
While the SEQF provides a strong shared foundation, when we consulted with SUSE members, they asked us to develop a specific Quality Standard for Supported Employment in Scotland. The Quality Standard has been co-produced with SUSE members, using the principles of the Scottish approach to service design – which involves a collaborative approach ensuring users and staff are involved in the development. This need has been clearly articulated by SUSE members in Scotland, who are best placed to understand delivery realities on the ground.
A Scotland-specific Quality Standard:
- Allows Supported Employment to align clearly with frameworks such as Fair Work, No One Left Behind and the wider human‑rights‑based approach being developed in Scotland.
- Strengthens accountability and consistency. Commissioners, funders and delivery partners require clear, shared expectations to ensure public investment delivers high‑quality, evidence‑based outcomes for disabled people.
- Supports transparent commissioning, reduces inconsistency across local areas and protects the integrity of the Supported Employment model as services scale up.
Crucially, this approach responds directly to the expressed needs of SUSE members in Scotland.
By complementing rather than replacing the European framework, a Scottish Quality Standard maintains international alignment while embedding local ownership, credibility and relevance – ensuring disabled people across Scotland receive consistent, high‑quality support into real, paid employment.
What does it aim to achieve?
A Quality Standard will recognise the achievements of Supported Employment services and make the case for greater investment that ensures all services reach a minimum standard and every disabled person who signs up is guaranteed high-quality and bespoke provision in line with the 5 stage Supported Employment model.
We believe that this will not only make services high quality but it will ensure they achieve better, more sustainable results – ensuring disabled people receive a positive experience.
