oa Sociale werkvoorziening: drie scenario’s voor de toekomst

Abstract title

The establishment of social employment (SE) and the employment of disabled people in the Netherlands has been the subject of debate for several decades. There are calls for more participation of people with disabilities into the regular labour market. The fundamental question in this debate is whether a far-reaching integration of people with disabilities into the mainstream labour market is possible and desirable and to what extent sheltered workshops will function in the future.This article analyses on the basis of a literature review, document analysis and interviews with 20 field experts, how social employment can be organized. To streamline the variety of these perception, we present three scenarios for the future: 1) a scenario where sheltered workshops act as intermediaries between employers, communities and employees, 2) a scenario where the social services have a central role in an integrated approach to different regulations and 3) a scenario, following the American model, where the employment of disabled people is left entirely to the market. The use of the system’s theory supports the provision of an overview in the differences and similarities between the three scenarios.