The Conference

Dates: 13th - 15th June 2007
Venue: Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Title: Supported Employment - Working for All?

Belfast Waterfront Hall The European Union of Supported Employment Conference occurs every two years to promote best practice and address key issues within the Supported Employment field. At the 7th EUSE conference in Barcelona in 2005, the Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment was chosen to be the hosts of the 8th Conference with the Waterfront Hall in Belfast as the venue.

Building on the success of previous conferences, NIUSE will endeavour to provide an exciting, stimulating and challenging programme for all key stakeholders of Supported Employment. The key themes of the conference is Good Practice, Leadership, Managing Change and Mainstreaming and will be delivered through a variety of formats - Presentations, Workshops and Debate. A more strategic approach will be taken to Supported Employment through promoting leadership within organisations and within the sector to plan for the future. This will also involve engagement and dialogue with key stakeholders and policy makers. The Conference will also discuss and explore the model of Supported Employment for other socially disadvantaged groups and how this can be successfully achieved.

This will be an excellent opportunity to become inspired and invigorated by Supported Employment experts and to network with other colleagues and peers from Europe and beyond.

The conference draws on strong analogies with Northern Irelands' oldest and natural phenomena, The Giant’s Causeway.  The Giant’s Causeway is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and recognized as the 7th Wonder of the Natural World.  The mighty columns of rock standing side by side have stood the test of time.

These rock formations are recognized around the World for their collective shape and strength in their numbers – symbolically we too in the Supported Employment movement across Europe stand stronger together against the prevailing barriers of resistance and have a more visible presence when we work side by side, large or small with the same shape and clarity of role and direction.

Like the Giant’s Causeway reaching out into the Atlantic we too reach out to the new Accession countries to stand beside us as we consider the future of Supported Employment for ALL marginalized citizens across EUSE:-

  • EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
  • UNIFORMITY IN VISION AND APPLICATION
  • STRENGTH IN NUMBERS AND TOGETHERNESS
  • EXACT IN OUR MODEL AND OUR COLLECTIVE DELIVERY