Active inclusion of young people with disabilities or health problems: National report - Denmark
Eurofound has completed a review of existing incapacity benefits aimed at young people of working age in the EU Member States, including data on the take-up of benefits. What is worrying is a relatively new trend indicating a significant increase in their take up among young people - in the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland.
The research shows that the reason for the increase has been predominantly various mental health problems. Research also indicates that debt is a much stronger risk factor for mental disorder than low income.
Additionally, current employment patterns with long hours and more intense work are not conducive for people with health problems. There is also an issue of special education as it seems that in many countries people with health problems move directly from special education into incapacity schemes. To identify effective strategies to tackle this trend, there is clear need to understand the reasons.
This is the focus of Eurofound research over the next two years which is paying particular attention to activation measures in health, social and employment services. The research is also looking at the role of incapacity benefits agencies, education systems, employers and trade unions.
Phase I of the study was carried out in six Member States: Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Phase II research has been completed in five further countries: France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Slovakia. The overview report will be published end 2012.
National Report Denmark:
Denmark is a welfare society. The current aspiration of Danish disability policy is equal treatment for all, regardless of physical or mental capacity. This objective is the result of an evolutionary process, the effect of which is that people with disabilities are increasingly integrated into society and into the open labour market. In Denmark, labour market policy is targeted at integration and retention. Based on the principle of compensation, society offers people with disabilities a range of services in order to limit the consequences of impairment as much as possible and also to provide disabled people, as far possible, with equal opportunities on the open labour market. The social system therefore offers a combination of income protection and employment activation.
