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Disability Liaison Officers Network

Annual Report 2015

Contents Page

Disability Liaison Officer – Role and Responsibilities 3

Disability Liaison Officer Network Meetings 2015 4

Disability Liaison Officer Workplan 2015 5

Employment of People with Disabilities in the Public Sector 6

Capturing Good Practice by National Disability Authority 7

Reasonable Workplace Accommodations 8

Job Shadow Initiative (JSI) 2015 9

Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) 2011 11

Ahead – WAM Awards and Events 12

Well-being Month in the Legal Aid Board by Paul Daly 15

World Mental Health Day 2015 17

Let’s Talk about Mental Health by Dr. Kara McGann 17

International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2015 19

Appendix 1 DLO Officers – Committee 21

Appendix 2 DLO Officers - Network Members 22

DLO Network Annual Report 2015 2

Disability Liaison Officer – Roles and Responsibilities

Section 47(1)(a) of the Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies to take all reasonable measures to promote

and support the employment by them of persons with disabilities.

To fulfil this obligation a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) was appointed within each Government

Department.

The Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) works in conjunction with Human Resources, Corporate Services,

Information and Communications Technology Division and the Employee Assistance Service to assist and

support staff with disabilities and their managers. To enable the provision of an effective and efficient service

each DLO endeavours to undertake the following actions in their respective organisations:

Act as a point of contact for staff with disabilities, their managers and Human Resource Section

Provide advice, suggestions, guidance, necessary information and appropriate contacts

Assist in the implementation of best HR practices in line with equality legislation including the collection,

maintenance and reporting of data in compliance with Part 5 of the Disability Act, 2005

Facilitate increased awareness of disability throughout the organisation

Advertise the DLO role to staff every six months

Keep disability to the fore at meetings

Ensure DLO contact details are available for staff induction

Promote self-disclosure

Attend DLO Network meetings and training sessions


Disability Liaison Officer Network Meetings 2015

The Network met four times during 2015 including the AHEAD Learning Event in the Chester Beatty Library

in December 2015.

Some of the topics discussed were:

Work plan for 2015

Monitoring compliance under Part 5 of the Disability Act, 2005

Assistive technology

Job Shadow Initiative 2015

Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) Programme

Workplace Accommodations

Promotion of the DLO Role and Services

Marking International Day of Persons with a Disability 3 December

Engaging with Disability organisations such as AHEAD, IASE, NDA

Meetings in 2015 - 15th January, 5th March, 11th June & 10th September


DLO Work Plan 2015

Action How WhenAdvertise/ promote DLO and services available to people with a disability in the Department

Internal intranetE-mail as appropriate Throughout 2015

Provide reasonable accommodations to staff with a disability who request and fulfil the requirements

Liaise with staff member, line-manager as appropriate, relevant professionals and provider of service/ equipment

Throughout 2015

Record Accommodations provided

Add to the list available on Moodle for the information of other DLOs Throughout 2015

Compile and submit 3% return to D.PER

Update records from previous years to include staff with a disability who have left and new staff with a disability or any staff who have acquired a disability including a record of any new Census forms received. Liaise with any Monitoring Committee.

March 2015

Participate in the DLO Network

Attend meetings and input any experience/ informationRepresent the DLO network at relevant events during the year

15/1/2015 - DES5/3/2015 - DCYA11/6/2015 - DTTAS10/9/2015 - CSO

Promote and Participate in the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme

Identify suitable placementAdvertise via AHEADIdentify suitable candidatePay sanction, contract, Excluding OrdersMentoringManage placement, reasonable accommodations.

January 2015 – and for the duration of the placement

Promote and Participate in the JSI day Notify staff of the day, host participants 22nd April 2015

Promote “World Mental Health Day”

Notify staff of the day, provide information regarding mental health and the CSEAS service 10th October 2015

Promote “International Disability Day”

Update staff about the DLO role and the supports available in the workplace and raise awareness of disability issues. 3rd December 2015

Attend relevant NDA, AHEAD, IASE and other events regarding Disability

Attend organised/ advertised events on Disability to increase awareness Throughout 2015

Record events with a view to inclusion in the DLO annual report for 2016

Include articles by staff with disabilities, WAM/JSI participants, any events attended etc Throughout 2015

Draft up guidelines for Mentoring

Following on from joint AHEAD/DLO Network event in December 2014, draft up guidelines for mentoring – specifically for staff with a disability Throughout 2015


Employment of people with disabilities in the Public Sector (Disability Act 2005)

Public bodies are required to ensure that they meet any compliance targets prescribed under the Disability Act 2005 in respect of the recruitment and employment of persons with disabilities.

According to the National Disability Authority’s (NDA) 2014 report on compliance with the Disability Act on employment of people with disabilities in the public sector, at the end of 2014, 3.5% of staff employed in public sector bodies are people with disabilities. This is a slight increase from 3.4% in 2013. This is the fourth successive year of exceeding the 3% target.

The report found that of the 195,278 employees in the Public Sector covered by the report, the total number of employees with recorded disabilities was 6,771, an increase of 307 from the 2013 figure. This is the highest number of staff with disabilities recorded since the process of statutory monitoring began.

Government Departments

The NDA report states that Government departments account for about one in ten public sector employees. In 2014 there were 20,134 employees of whom 4.3% (874) reported a disability; this is similar to the 2013 figures. All 17 departments exceeded the 3% target for the third year in a row.

Public Bodies Staffed by Civil Servants (PBCS)

The NDA report also states that PBCS constitute about 6% of the public sector workforce. This sector includes bodies whose staff are classified as civil servants such as An Bord Pleanála, Revenue Commissioners, Central Statistics Office and National Council for Special Education.

In 2014 this sector employed 11,636 people of whom 3.6% (420) declared a disability. Comparing the 2013 figures, both the number of employees (-2,889) and number of staff declaring a disability (-67) fell. However, the overall percentage of staff with a disability rose from 3.4% to 3.6%

In total 65.1% of bodies in this sector achieved the target compared to 61.7% in 2013.

The DLO Network continues to strive to ensure that compliance targets are met and that Good Practices in respect of employees with disabilities are maintained.


Capturing Good Practice – National Disability Authority (NDA)

As part of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for people with disabilities 2015-2024, launched by An Taoiseach in October 2015, the NDA committed to conducting research to capture good practice across the public sector regarding the employment of people with disabilities. In 1977, a target of ensuring 3% of employees in the public sector was adopted as Government policy. In 2005 this was put on a statutory footing, with the enactment of Part 5 of the Disability Act which makes it a legal obligation for public bodies to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities, and unless there are good reasons to the contrary, to meet the prescribed target, currently 3%.The NDA has commenced research to produce a report on good practice and the ways in which employees and employers address challenges in organisations. The research will consider good practice across a range of areas from recruitment to strategic HR planning. It will also focus on the capacity of people with disabilities, recognising the wide-ranging nature of disability, for example, some people beginning employment with a disability and others acquiring it during their working life.

Research questions will be asked in relation to:

Recruitment Internships Induction Mentoring arrangements Provision of reasonable accommodations including flexible working arrangements Work tasks, job matching, development of role profiles Staff development and training Performance management Career development Management of sick leave Return to work after significant illness or accident Promoting employee health and well-being Sustainment in employment Employee development and career progression Creating a culture where people are comfortable to disclose a disability Creating a supportive collegiate culture with colleagues Social integration in the workplace Strategic HR and workforce planning


Overcoming barriers and challenges

Addressing personal challenges an employee with disabilities may face

Addressing challenging management issues related to disability, e.g. issues around mental ill-health, diminishing capacity to do the job, any interpersonal issues or challenging behaviours related to a disability

How are disagreements or interpersonal differences with colleagues managed?

Reasonable Workplace Accommodations

A key part of the DLO role in accordance with legislation, is to provide reasonable accommodations to staff with disabilities.

The purpose of providing a “reasonable accommodation” is to ensure that a member of staff with a disability is given the necessary enablers to carry out their job.

A reasonable accommodation can range from the provision of a foot rest to someone with a back problem, to the complete re-design of an office including desks, doors, IT equipment, layout etc. for someone with a more debilitating condition.

An Occupational Therapist would commonly be asked to carry out a workplace assessment and to report to the DLO on any reasonable accommodations which could be recommended to assist the individual officer concerned.

Some reasonable accommodations provided by DLOs in 2015 include:

- Software installed on a PC which can read text for someone with a visual impairment.

- Magnifier/ screen readers for staff with visual impairments

- Ergonomic IT equipment (e.g. mouse, keypad, wrist support etc.)

- Sign Language Interpreter for meetings

- Workplace assessment for staff requiring reasonable accommodation, recommendations from trained

professional such as an Occupational Therapist

- Specialised office equipment such as a chair or desk

- Re-organisation of duties

- Time to attend medical appointments

- Parking and other facilities to make offices accessible for all


Job Shadow Initiative (JSI) – 2015

Job Shadow Day is a national day of awareness to promote equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Participants explore the world of work by ‘shadowing’ someone for a day in the workplace as they go about their normal working routine.

Job Shadow Day is all about highlighting the valuable contribution of what people with disabilities can and do make at work. It also gives employers an opportunity to express their commitment to their inclusion in the workplace.

This equality initiative has been running for eight years and is designed to give people with disabilities a unique opportunity to discover employment interests and learn new skills to succeed in the workplace.

Over 750 jobseekers took part in Job Shadow Day on Wednesday, 22nd April 2015 working with mentors across 440 different workplaces including many Government Departments.

Disability advocate Martin Flanagan shadowed the Taoiseach for Job Shadow Day 2015.


Jamey McConnon with Ambrose McDiarmada of the DSP office in Dundalk

Terri O'Neill, Peigi Whelan and Patricia O'Reilly, DSP


Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) - 2015

For the past 9 years, Government Departments and Offices in the Civil Service have been supportive of and participated in the WAM (Willing Able Mentoring) programme. WAM is a paid mentored work experience programme which offers graduates with disabilities up to six months work experience and is paid at the 1st point on the EO scale. Many private sector employers also participate in the WAM programme.

The WAM programme gives practical effect to Government and Civil Service policy on improving the employment prospects for people with disabilities.

Since 2005, the Civil Service has provided 46% of all 280 WAM placements across 19 Departments. In 2015, 16 WAM Placements were provided in the Civil Service – this represents 55% of all WAM placements.

Participant’s Experience

“The program is brilliant and it only becomes apparent how brilliant when you move on; for the first job I got after the

Department, I was snapped up straight away and whilst it took longer to get the second job the experience that I gained

in the Department was a major selling point”.

Participant’s Experience – Department of Justice, Garda Siochana.

“My experience of the WAM programme was an extremely positive one. It is no exaggeration to say that it helped me

back on my feet after a difficult period in my life. I had been out of work for over two years on account of my disability

and it really helped to get me back into the workplace and back into the routine of working. My confidence in my own

knowledge, skills and in my ability to perform in the workplace had drained away while I was out of work but the 6-

month WAM work placement really helped to start restore my confidence. The WAM programme was also fantastic

because of the support that I got from the WAM staff, my supervisor and also my mentor. If I encountered any difficulty

they were, without exception, patient, flexible and sympathetic and they were extremely accommodating. They provided

the personal and professional support that helped me settle back into a normal work routine. I would highly recommend

the WAM work placement to anybody who has a disability and needs to start building their CV and their career”.


AHEAD – WAM Mentoring Event 2015

Pictured at the AHEAD's WAM Mentoring Event on Wednesday 2nd December 2015 in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle from the Disability Liaison Officers Network were [From Left to Right] Marcella Luz - Department of Children & Youth Affairs, Leona De Khors - Department of Education and Skills, Stephen O'Rourke - Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Noeline Higgins - Department of Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D., - Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Paul Daly - The Legal Aid Board, Nuala Casey - Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine, Deirdre Dalton - State Examinations Commission, Eddie Joyce - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.


AHEAD – WAM Mentor Awards 2015

Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection &

Mary Malone, Disability Liaison Officer & Mentor in the Central Statistics Office

Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection &

Bernie McGee, Mentor in Department of Social Protection.


AHEAD – WAM Leader Awards 2015

Department of Social Protection staff receiving their WAM Leader Awards from AHEAD. (Pictured L-R) Máire Bríd O’Dea, Pat Delaney, Mary Quirke (AHEAD) with Noeline Higgins (DLO), Ann Heelan (AHEAD) and Eamonn McGuinness.

Pictured at the 2015 AHEAD event were WAM Leaders in the Civil Service from An Garda Síochána (Dublin), Department of Agriculture (Kildare & Wexford), Department of Children and Youth Affairs, Department of Justice & Equality, Department of Social Protection (Limerick, Store St. & Amiens St. in Dublin), Higher Education Authority, Office of Revenue Commissioners (Kilkenny, Meath, Waterford & Wexford), Public Appointments Service.


Well-being Month

by Paul Daly, Disability Liaison Officer in the Legal Aid Board

The Legal Aid Board hosted a Wellbeing Month for staff during November 2015. This was an

ambitious project because the Board is quite geographically dispersed, having 33 Law Centres, 21

Family Mediation offices, a head office in Cahirciveen and a Research & Information Unit in Dublin.

The drivers of the Wellbeing Month were the Board’s Learning and Development Unit (LDU) who

came up with the idea and made it happen. When launching the initiative, LDU made reference to

the proposed Health and Wellbeing (Workplace Wellbeing) Bill, which the then Minister for Health,

Leo Varadkar, brought to Cabinet and whose intention is to require public service employers to

“develop a ‘healthy workplace’ policy to promote the physical, mental and social wellbeing of

employees”. (See http://health.gov.ie/blog/press-release/varadkar-announces-new-healthy-

workplace-initiative-to-get-staff-more-active/)

There were themes for each of the four weeks:

The theme of Week 1 was Active Living which encouraged people, for example, to walk at

lunchtime for 30 minutes, take the stairs rather than the lift, participate in Pilates, yoga or aerobic

classes, or cycle or walk part of the way to work.

Week 2’s focus was Healthy Living which promoted eating more vegetables and fruit, drinking

more water, herbal and green teas, bringing healthy snacks to work, becoming aware of healthy

office computing and attending classes to manage weight.


http://health.gov.ie/blog/press-release/varadkar-announces-new-healthy-workplace-initiative-to-get-staff-more-active/

http://health.gov.ie/blog/press-release/varadkar-announces-new-healthy-workplace-initiative-to-get-staff-more-active/

Week 3 was about Minding your mental health which looked at stress, supporting positive mental

health, mindfulness meditation, and resilience.

The emphasis in Week 4 was Social Wellbeing whose aim was to encourage greater connection

between people, for example, through staff having lunch together, engaging with the local

community or organising a charity coffee morning.

LDU asked each office to nominate one Wellbeing Champion to liaise with them in facilitating events

locally and there was a very fruitful engagement both between the Champions and with LDU in

organising events. One office based in Smithfield organised a historic walk to mark the centenary of

the 1916 Rising and another office in the city centre organised a historic walk around the Liberties

and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

In addition, in a break with tradition, the Board’s annual conference which usually focuses on family

law issues, had as its theme this year, Mental Resilience as a Tool for Change and this was

hosted in the third week of the month to tie in with the theme of minding your mental health. This

was a great success and was attended by 170 staff. It featured presentations by the following

people: organisational psychologist, Dr Jill Walker; motivational speaker, Gerry Duffy; Board

Chairperson, Muriel Walls; Mediator, Julie McAuliffe; Executive Coach, Andrew McLaughlin;

Mindfulness Teacher, Dominic Cogan; and Occupational Health Nurse, Mary Maguire.

The Wellbeing theme was not a once off event. Following regional meetings it was decided to set up

a number of committees to oversee change within the organisation and this included a Staff

Development and Wellbeing Group which is composed of staff in different roles, regions and

grades. It was decided that the Wellbeing Champions should remain in place, LDU should continue

to operate as a hub for the Wellbeing Champions and that the Board should celebrate national

workplace wellbeing day on 16 April 2016 and annually.


World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising

awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilising efforts in support of mental

health. It is supported by the World Health Organisation and many organisations in Ireland. Many

DLOs marked the day by making available information on mental health, giving links to the Mental

Health Ireland website at http://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/ and to the Civil Service Employee

Assistance Service presentation on Positive Mental Health at

http://cseas.per.gov.ie/files/2014/10/03-10-2014-PDF-version-Positive-Mental-Health-handouts-on-

website.pdf.

Let’s talk about Mental Health

By Dr. Kara McGann, IBEC

Mental health has been defined as "a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her

abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to

make a contribution to his or her community" (WHO, 2001). Annually mental ill-health is costing

individuals, organisations and society dearly with direct costs estimated at €3 billion or 2% of GNP.

These costs include loss of potential labour supply, absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced

productivity and decreased retention to name but a few.

Whether we talk about mental health or not, we know that at this time in our organisations 1 in 5 of

us is experiencing a mental health difficulty such as anxiety or depression (OECD, 2011). Just as

we all have physical health, we have varying degrees of mental health which can fluctuate at

different points in time. Mental health difficulties can occur in any individual regardless of gender,

age, job or social background and there is no method of predicting which individuals will experience

problems to the extent that it interferes with their work. Mental ill-health is not a barrier to effective

working, in fact work is often part of people’s wellness strategy and their recovery. In the workplace

some people may be managing a mental health difficulty well while others may need some support

to continue to fully contribute and fulfil their potential and that can vary over time.

One of the biggest obstacles to managing our mental health, supporting others experiencing a

mental health difficulty and providing an organisational culture that is responsive to the needs of its

people, is fear – fear of disclosure, fear of stigma, fear of being treated differently and fear of

making things worse. Research commissioned by Seechange, the national stigma reduction


http://cseas.per.gov.ie/files/2014/10/03-10-2014-PDF-version-Positive-Mental-Health-handouts-on-website.pdf

http://cseas.per.gov.ie/files/2014/10/03-10-2014-PDF-version-Positive-Mental-Health-handouts-on-website.pdf

http://www.mentalhealthireland.ie/

partnership, found that 57% of people surveyed believed that disclosing that they had a mental

health difficulty would lead to negative job or career prospects while 47% believed it would affect

relationships with colleagues. These are worrying statistics given that 2 in 3 strongly agree those

with mental health problems should have the same rights as others, however, only 46% agree that

includes job rights. Such beliefs can lead to an absence of action which delays people getting the

timely support they need which is a significant problem as early intervention has the best outcome

for recovery.

To demystify the area of mental health and provide practical advice, IBEC have developed “Mental

Health and Wellbeing: A Line Manager’s Guide” in collaboration with Seechange. It covers areas

such as:

talking about mental health;

promoting a culture of wellbeing;

recognising the signs and early intervention;

disclosure;

supporting colleagues back into the workplace following absence.

Many organisations are engaged in good practices around wellbeing with various approaches being

taken. Some of the common ones include:

Having a mental health policy which lays out the steps for disclosing and supporting

someone who has disclosed that they are experiencing a difficulty;

Hosting awareness talks with various specialists or provides e.g. Seechange, Aware, SOS;

Focusing on wellbeing holistically including nutrition and healthy eating, exercise,

mindfulness, yoga and pilates;

Bringing attention to Employee Assistance Programmes or other support structures that may

be of assistance to employees if they are experiencing a difficulty.


International Day of Persons with Disabilities

International Day of Persons with Disabilities is a United Nations sanctioned day to celebrate the

achievements, contribution and experiences of people with disability. It is a worldwide celebration

that occurs on 3 December each year and 2015 marked the 34th anniversary of its inception. The

purpose of the day is to promote an understanding of disability issues and to mobilise support for

the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. Disability Liaison Officers mark this day

every year by making information available to colleagues on disability and on the role of the DLO.

The theme of the day in 2015 was “Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities”


Appendix 1

Disability Liaison Officer Network Committee 2015

Chairperson

Eileen O’Connor of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport served as Chairperson of the DLO Network in 2015.

Secretary

Paul Daly, Legal Aid Board

Treasurer

Christine Reid, PRAI

The DLO Network members wish to acknowledge with thanks the contribution to the network throughout the year by Eileen, Paul and Christine.


Members

Adrienne McGill An Garda Síochána, Civilian Directorate

Miriam Kelly-Minogue Áras an Úachtaráin

Mary Malone Central Statistics Office

Lauri Walsh The Courts Service

Carmel Keane Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Nuala Casey Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Marcella Luz Dept. of Children & Youth Affairs

Helen Condon Dept. of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources

Jackie Windsor Dept. of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Karen Brophy Dept. of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

John Thornton Dept. of Defence

Leona De Khors Dept. of Education & Skills

Ann Slevin Dept. of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Ann Timlin Dept. of the Environment, Community & Local Govt.

Karen Higgins Dept. of the Environment, Community & Local Govt.

Marianne Walsh Dept. of Finance

Derek Barry Dept. of Finance

Mary McSharry Dept. of Finance


Brendan Watters Dept. of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Miriam Dixon Dept. of Health

Barbara Donnan Dept. of Justice & Equality

Adrian Breen Dept. of Public Expenditure and Reform

Noeline Higgins Dept. of Social Protection

Jackie Coogan Dept. of An Taoiseach

Eileen O’Connor Dept. of Transport, Tourism & Sport

Suzanne Mills Houses of the Oireachtas

Paul Daly Legal Aid Board

Áine Armstrong National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

Siobhán Kearney National Council for Special Education

Michael De Lappe National Council for Special Education

Vincent Breen Office of Public Works

Collette Maguire Office of the Attorney General

Wesley Graham Office of the Chief State Solicitor

Gearoid Browne Office of the Chief State Solicitor

John Maher Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General

Yvonne Corrigan Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

Janet Buckley Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions


Raymond Butler Office of the Ombudsman

Isobel McDonnell Office of the Revenue Commissioners

Frank Honan Ombudsman for Children’s Office

Pauline Stafford Ordnance Survey Ireland

Linda Wade Probation Service

Christine Reid Property Registration Authority

Sinead Devlin Public Appointments Service

Deirdre Dalton State Examinations Commission

Paula Shearan State Laboratory

Pat Fannin State Laboratory

Geoff Farrell Valuation Office


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