A charity committed to helping disabled people to start their own businesses has received a record amount of financial support from The National Lottery Reaching Communities fund.

The grant – more than £100,000 – will be used by SAMEE (Support and Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship) to fund the UK’s first-of-its-kind two-year programme.

It will provide intensive support to 12 young adults with complex needs to fulfil their potential and successfully start sustainable self-employment.

According to the 2019-20 Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF), employment rates for people with learning disabilities has plummeted to 5.6 per cent across England and far worse in the South West with only 5.4 per cent.

The recent job losses caused by the impact of Covid-19 have meant even tougher competition in the employment market.

Wayne Ingram, SAMEE Co-founder said: “Over 40 per cent of unemployed people with a learning disability and/or autism live in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole presenting a real need we can tackle.

“We’re members of the British Association for Supported Employment who have confirmed that no specialist self-employment supported programme of this kind exists in the UK.

“We’re thrilled to get the funding to make this truly innovative scheme happen.”

It has taken the charity five years of hard work to gain the funding, putting into place all the building blocks of accreditation, skills and staffing.

SAMEE is a Disability Confident Leader level 3 awarded charity – the highest level achievable and the only charity in Dorset with this status.

To prove the viability of such a scheme, the charity has been running a successful Supported Self-Employment Programme pilot since last November.

One participant, who suffers from ADHT and autism, joined this pilot and is a self-employment success story.

From being long term unemployed and severely depressed, within just three months of receiving the right support, he had the confidence and skills to launch his own gardening business.

Sam Everard, SAMEE CEO, said: “Ultimately, the intensive support from our shortened six-month Supported Self-Employment Programme pilot has enabled this young man to transform his outlook on life from one of despair and depression to a new life path of joy and pride in becoming a differently abled young adult who is now independent and self-employed.

“With our support, imagine the impact we could make to the lives of 12 more  vulnerable young adults with our full two-year programme!”

Team SAMEE (left to right) Ricci Colla, Sianell White, Sam Everard and Wayne Ingram.

In the first 12 months of this new programme, expert practical self-employment support and guidance from qualified and experienced advisors will be given to teach valuable self-employment skills such as personal budgeting, communication, advertising and marketing.

It will also embed and reinforce essential life skills that are transferable to the world of work including presentation, leadership, listening, design and negotiation skills.

In the second year of the programme, the budding entrepreneurs will have access to peer mentoring, with volunteer business mentors from the local community,  who will draw upon their own relevant experience to ensure each participant’s self-employment venture remains sustainable.

The programme, which launches in September, is open to 12 young adults with learning disabilities and/or autism who live in the BH1-BH31 postcode areas.

SAMEE would love to hear from anyone eligible who may be interested in taking part.

The charity is also looking for business mentors who are able to spare a few hours a week to work alongside these young adults in the second year of their route to paid self-employment.

Training in working with SEND (Special, Educational Needs and Disability) will be given to all mentors.

Sam said: “We’d welcome support from anyone with business skills they can share with these young people wanting to work for themselves and who deserve, just like all of us, to have the chance to improve their own opportunities in life.”

• samee.co.uk