Work Connect is under threat of closure due to Health and Social Care Partnership cuts!

Work Connect - An award-winning Specialist Supported Employability Service has been established since 2007 and is currently based in Levengrove Park. West Dunbartonshire's Health and Social Care Partnership has proposed a full closure of this much-needed service.

In the past two years, the service was cut twice with the loss of the Pavillion Café, which removed 7 staff posts in 2024, and the closure of Café Connect in 2023, which removed 9 posts (the majority of these posts were held by employees with a disability). This is more than a 50% reduction in staff in two years. 

The training suite at Levengrove Park was purpose-built for Work Connect (in partnership with WDC Greenspace) using a combination of Heritage Lottery Funding and WDC match funding and opened in 2019. Although it sits under Learning Disability Services, the client base is made up of LD/Mental Health/Autism/Addictions and Criminal Justice clients.

Work Connect supports over 100 clients across West Dunbartonshire and offers a range of employability opportunities, from engagement and barrier removal to in-work support. These cuts could potentially lead to service users who have already secured a place in employment, losing their jobs without this vital support.

This service offers tailored person-centred plans to remove barriers and access support. This in turn empowers clients to become involved in their community and move forward with their lives. Work Connect is the only service in the area that offers the full spectrum of support for these client groups. 

EDIT; The closure of Work Connect will have an effect on other services within West Dunbartonshire Council such as Working4U which, in a letter from Beth Culshaw, “If a closure goes ahead there are a range of other services that provide employability support within West Dunbartonshire”. This service is already under stress due to staff cuts. Working4U also relies on government funding. What will happen when that funding is cut? The running of The Maple Garden, according to Culshaw, “Greenspace would be responsible for planning access to Maple Garden going forward.” Another service under strain from cuts  if they can’t cut the grass, how can they be expected to run a specialist play area?

With the recent and highly publicised cutting of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by the Labour government, which a vast majority of service users rely upon, it is unfair and does not make sense to cut a service that supports individuals to gain skills to get into work or employment to make up for the loss of payments. 

West Dunbartonshire Council has recently raised council tax by 11.5%. Clearly, the raise in tax is not being spent to support the most vulnerable people in our community. 

Without Work Connect, clients will be left unable to access mainstream services as the numerous barriers faced daily by people with disabilities are not catered for in the general population.

The Maple Garden, which is specifically designed for individuals and families to use specialised play equipment in a safe environment, is connected to the facility in which Work Connect is based. This will affect the running of that facility. 

The closure of this service is an injustice, and it highlights West Dunbartonshire HSCP's lack of respect for individuals in our community. 

 

NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT TO SHOW THEM THIS DECISION IS A MISTAKE!

 

As well as signing and sharing this petition, please email your local Councillor (you can find your councillor by postcode on the West Dunbartonshire Council website) to let them know your feelings on the matter. 

 

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