Transparency data

DWP 2025 to 2026 voluntary reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing

Published 24 September 2026

The Voluntary Reporting Framework was launched by the government to encourage businesses to report how many of their staff have a disability or health condition, and also to report on the health and wellbeing of staff. The framework was created in partnership with employers and charities. The Civil Service as a whole currently reports against the framework in full – this report provides progress in DWP for April 2025 to March 2026 in accordance with the guidance for voluntary reporting.

Introduction from DWP’s wellbeing champion Helga Swidenbank, Director of Accessibility, Disability and Disputes  

Our role in supporting people to find work and supporting our most vulnerable customers remains critical. We understand the importance of ensuring our colleagues feel safe, well and included at work. This enables them to support  the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) diverse range of customers. DWP is committed to creating an inclusive working environment whether colleagues work in the workplace, remotely or through a mixture of both. 

Through DWP’s wellbeing and inclusion strategies and frameworks, we continue to foster a safe, healthy and collaborative environment. We encourage colleagues to take a proactive and preventative approach to their wellbeing and to adopt healthy behaviours. This helps colleagues to thrive in the workplace. This commitment not only makes DWP a great place to work but also enhances our business delivery and service to our customers.

1. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and practices 

Within DWP, we are committed to creating a workplace where every colleague feels engaged and supported to perform at their best. We also uphold our legal and ethical responsibilities in relation to equality and inclusion, whilst also embodying the core values of DWP. 

The DWP Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Steering Group oversees and evaluates progress on inclusive practices across the department. This helps ensure accountability and transparency. The group has identified 3 main evidence-based priorities: reducing disparities in the employee engagement index between staff with Long-Term Limiting Conditions (LTLC) and those without, reducing Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination (BHD), and increasing ethnic minority representation in senior grades.  

A separate Disability Steering Group is dedicated to implementing and tracking actions outlined in the DWP Disability Action Plan. As of March 2026, 24.9% of employees at DWP identified as having a disability, showing an increase from 24.3% in March 2025. Within the Senior Civil Service, 18% declared a disability. 

2. Recruitment initiatives  

Applicant declarations and recruitment outcomes 

In 2025 to 2026, 9.6% of all applicants to DWP recruitment campaigns declared a disability. A further 85.5% said they did not have a disability. 

At the sift stage, disabled applicants had a higher success rate than non-disabled applicants. The success rate refers to the percentage of applicants that passed each stage of the recruitment process than non-disabled candidates with 14.2% of disabled applicants passing the sift stage compared to 10.7% of non-disabled applicants. Of those who passed the sift stage, disabled candidates were more likely than non-disabled candidates to progress successfully through interview when using the conditional success rate of 33.7% and 29.1% respectively (conditional success rate refers to the percentage of applicants who passed a stage, out of only those who had already passed the previous stage).

Disability Confident Leader commitment 

DWP is a Disability Confident Leader and promotes this status throughout its recruitment activity. The Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) is highlighted in job advertisements, candidate packs and on the DWP careers hub. This helps make candidates aware of DWP’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for people with disabilities both in the workplace and throughout the recruitment process.   

Disability Confident Scheme progression 

We monitor the effectiveness of the DCS in our recruitment by tracking applicant progression and outcomes across recruitment campaigns. 

From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, disabled applicants who used the DCS were more likely to progress to interview than those who did not. In standard recruitment which mainly covers corporate and specialist roles, this was reflected in a higher proportion progressing to interview among disabled applicants using the scheme than among those who did not, with rates of 10% and 3% respectively. This contributed to 686 appointments among applicants who applied through the DCS. 

In bulk recruitment campaigns which mainly cover large-scale operational recruitment, disabled applicants who applied through the DCS were more likely to progress to interview than disabled applicants who did not use the scheme. Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, 32.5% of DCS applicants progressed to interview compared with 14.6% of non-DCS applicants. This resulted in 164 appointments among applicants who applied through the DCS, out of 181 total appointments.

Reasonable adjustments for applicants 

In 2025 to 2026, we reviewed and strengthened guidance on reasonable adjustments to support applicants from application to their first day at DWP. The aim was to bring key information together in clear and accessible formats. Information for applicants is available on DWP’s Careers Hub. This includes clear guidance on reasonable adjustments and how DWP supports applicants who need them. 

Diverse recruitment panels 

DWP actively promotes diverse recruitment panels. Our recruitment guidance states that selection panels should include a diverse mix of panel members, for example across gender, age, race, and disability. The approach brings different perspectives and experiences to the decision-making process. It supports fair and inclusive recruitment. 

Royal National Institute of Blind People Visibly Better Employer status 

We renewed our Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Visibly Better Employer (VBE) status in December 2025, building on our 2022 certification. This reflects our continued commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion for blind and partially sighted colleagues and candidates. 

Since our last assessment, we have improved accessibility throughout the recruitment process. Civil Service Jobs has moved to partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance. It supports 400% zoom and assistive technologies including Job Access With Speech (JAWS), NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA) and VoiceOver. Success Profiles are available in accessible HTML. We have also improved our recruitment materials. This includes an accessible expression of interest form and updated candidate packs that are compatible with screen readers and magnification tools. 

We also promote RNIB learning and share resources with recruitment and line managers. Feedback from our Blind and Visually Impaired Network (BVIN) informs improvements.  

We continue to provide workplace adjustments and assistive technology for colleagues. We have also completed a review of our guidance. The review aimed to simplify guidance, improve communication and support colleagues in their roles. 

Inclusive attraction and candidate engagement 

During 2025 to 2026, we continued our partnership with Vercida, a diversity-focused job board, to reach and attract candidates from underrepresented groups. This partnership has supported increased engagement with our employer brand, including growth in job applications. We have also published regular blogs and other content to showcase inclusive recruitment practices.  

The impact of this work was recognised at the Vercida Employer Excellence Awards 2026, where we were shortlisted in 7 categories and won 2 awards: Neurodiversity Champion and Inclusive Communication Champion. This highlights the strength of our inclusive attraction strategies and candidate engagement. 

Accessible recruitment communications 

As part of our inclusive recruitment branding, we have added British Sign Language (BSL) to our recruitment videos across DWP. This makes recruitment information more accessible and inclusive. It helps disabled candidates engage with information about opportunities in DWP and understand the support available throughout the recruitment process.

3. Workplace adjustments  

DWP encourages colleagues with a disability or health condition to complete the Civil Service Workplace Adjustment Passport. The passport aims to make it easier for colleagues with a disability or health condition and those undergoing gender reassignment, to move between jobs within civil service.  

We have a programme of activity to help line managers and employees understand the requirement to consider workplace adjustments and the process for putting them in place. We continually review our processes to improve the delivery of workplace adjustments and support colleagues that require them. 

Workplace adjustments can be recorded digitally on a voluntarily basis. The ability to record Workplace Adjustment Passports will be available by the end of 2026. 

4. Apprenticeships and internship programmes  

DWP offers a wide range of apprenticeship programmes and in line with government skills policy and funding, we are shifting our focus towards supporting more young people not in education, employment and training to access opportunities within the department. We enhanced our pastoral care provision and continuing to provide places on our school leaver social mobility apprenticeships programme with 15 starts in financial year 2024 to 2025 and 9 in 2025 to 2026, with 20.8% positive declarations for disability.  

T Level apprenticeships increased from 12 starts in 2024 to 2025 to 71 in 2025 to 2026, with the intention to expand it further across DWP in 2026 to 2027 to support inclusion and social mobility. DWP works closely with colleges to ensure that we offer all students a productive industry placement regardless of disability and are actively working with colleges in 6 of the 10 most deprived local authority districts in England. 

In financial year 2024 to 2025, we had 954 apprenticeship starts, of which 22.5% made a positive declaration for disability. In financial year 2025 to 2026 we had 888 learners start an apprenticeship. We ended the year with 1750 learners on programme of which 26.1% declared a disability.  

We encourage DWP customers who are unemployed and face barriers into the workplace to consider joining DWP via our social mobility apprenticeship schemes and many of these apprentices will have faced barriers to work due to long-term health conditions or disabilities.   

The DWP 2030 Apprenticeships, Growth and Skills Strategy will ensure holistic support for apprentices. We work closely with our apprenticeship training providers to ensure that all learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported to complete their programme. 

In 2025, DWP rose to sixth position in the Top 100 Employers with a learner review score of 8.3 out of 10 on ‘Rate My Apprenticeship’ making us the highest-ranked government department for the fifth consecutive year. 

In 2025 the Summer Diversity Internship programme supported 18 interns through the programme, and the Ambitious about Autism programme supported 17 interns.  

We continue to collaborate with the Cabinet Office to employ autistic candidates via the Going Forward into Employment scheme.

5. Talent and development programs  

In 2026, DWP completed the third year of our ‘Leaders Like You’ talent programme which was open to disabled colleagues at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades. The continuous evaluation of this programme has led to the evolution of a new approach to talent management in the department focused on a fully inclusive offering, based on the principles of Leaders Like You, for everybody in the delegated grades. In doing so the vision of developing a strong and diverse talent pipeline remains. The commitment to Beyond Boundaries, a 12-month cross government programme, remains, offering some disabled colleagues at Administrative Officer (AO) and Executive Officer (EO) grade the chance to build skills and networks that will support their career journeys. 

6. Digital and physical accessibility  

DWP ensures digital environments, as well as physical environments, are inclusive and accessible. We have accessibility standard leads throughout our corporate functions.   

The DWP digital document accessibility policy was published in July 2024 and sets out the responsibilities and standards of digital documents. This policy explains in detail how to comply with the Equality Act (2010), the Public Sector Equality Duty (2011) and the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations (2018 to 2022).  

DWP has developed and published 3 new e-learning courses for all civil servants accessible through Civil Service Learning for creating accessible Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents. 

DWP has developed and published an updated suite of design guidance documents to improve usability, clarity, and consistency. The DWP design guides are instrumental in ensuring our buildings meet regulatory standards for inclusion and accessibility, while also aiming to deliver high-quality, inclusive environments. We continuously strive to create workspaces that provide the optimal environment for all users, and the new design guide suite reinforces this as a core principle in delivering better, more inclusive workplaces. 

7. Communications and awareness  

DWP collaborates with both its internal and external communications teams and engages with members of the Disability Network (THRIVE) to deliver comprehensive communications throughout the year. These communications are linked to key events such as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. 

Our Disability Champion works closely with disability networks to provide visible leadership in communication campaigns and engages with senior civil service colleagues to identify challenges and promote learning. 

DWP has a dedicated neurodiversity senior sponsor and collaborates with our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to offer a regular series of neurodiversity webinars aimed at managers and staff. 

8. Resources and support  

DWP provides a range of resources to support individuals in understanding and managing their disabilities and health conditions. These resources are available via online guidance, the EAP, the Disability Hub, the THRIVE Disability Network intranet and SharePoint pages, the Workplace Adjustment Hub, the Customer Accessibility Experience Hub, and the Accessibility Standards learning portal. 

DWP works closely with colleague networks, including the THRIVE Disability Network. These networks play a key role in raising awareness, improving understanding, and sharing insight from colleagues across the department to help identify challenges and barriers. 

9. Employee Assistance Programme

Our EAP service offers a range of psychological support including structured telephone support and face-to-face counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement de-sensitisation reprogramming (EMDR). 

We have delivered high impact wellbeing programmes, reaching more than 18,000 DWP colleagues in 2025. This has been achieved through delivering popular workshops and virtual wellbeing webinars and smaller more interactive events – 98.5% would recommend the session to a colleague. Larger events are also recorded and added to our DWP TV channel.  

Our wellness contracts are delivering excellent outcomes, and high levels of user satisfaction, approximately 96%.  

10. Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA)   

MHFAs are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and to provide help signposting colleagues to support services. DWP is committed to a ratio of 1:50 and currently has a 1600 strong MHFA community. All colleagues are trained by MHFA England qualified trainers to ensure consistency of support offered. DWP run a rolling recruitment programme and offer refresher training to colleagues every 3 years.

11. Wellbeing support  

All colleagues have access to the department’s ‘My Wellbeing’ button which enables easier access and a more streamlined user journey to our DWP wellbeing support offer from everyone’s desktop, helping colleagues navigate to sources of help, support and information much quicker than before.  

Our active wellbeing network of around 1,000 wellbeing advocates has been instrumental in embedding consistent wellbeing measures and communications across DWP’s 800 plus sites. Our volunteers are responsible for implementing DWP’s wellbeing activity locally and sign-posting colleagues into our vast range of wellbeing services and support available.   

We have embedded mental health learning into DWP’s Leadership Essentials Programme. We have reviewed and refreshed our Mental Health for Customer Contact Roles learning, following engagement with internal and external expertise. Around 94,445 colleagues have completed this so far (March 2026). 

In the 2025 People Survey, DWP staff were slightly less positive (down 1 percentage point) about how satisfied they were with their lives, and to what extend they thought things in their lives were worthwhile at 64% and 69% respectively. 

Colleague satisfaction with the wellbeing and health support provided to them also fell by 3 percentage points to 68%, however DWP is 8 percentage points higher than the civil service average of 60%. 

12. Conclusion

Our overall objective is to promote and improve employee health outcomes by taking a proactive and preventative approach to good mental and physical health and wellbeing, and by doing this positively we contribute to the nation’s health goals. We are committed to and invest in our workforce to ensure we continue to be able to fulfil our mission to improve people’s quality of life now and in the future, and to live by DWPs standards. We want DWP to be a wholly inclusive organisation and one which is representative of the customers and communities we serve.