Navigating the workplace can pose unique challenges for disabled people. Access to Work emerges as a beacon of hope, aiming to level the playing field. This vital program seeks to empower individuals, offering them the tools and support necessary to thrive in their chosen careers.
With this comprehensive guide, we embark on a thorough exploration of Access to Work. From understanding its core principles to navigating the application stage, this resource aims to illuminate every step for those seeking to harness the program’s benefits, ensuring that making the most of workplace opportunities is within everyone’s reach.
Please note: We do our best to keep this article updated on a regular basis, but government guidance changes regularly. You should always seek practical advice from relevant, qualified authorities throughout the process, such as the Department for Work and Pensions. If you do spot any errors, please contact us with supporting evidence and we will rectify. Thank you.
What is Access to Work?
Access to Work is a government funded employment support programme there to help you when you have a health problem or a disability that makes work hard for you. It gives you the tools and support you need to start a job, keep working, or work for yourself. This help is unique to your own individual circumstances.
Here’s what you might get:
- Someone who can help you with your job, called a Job Coach or Job Aide.
- Items of Equipment that makes your work easier.
- Money back for public transport costs, like taxi rides if buses cause you anxiety.
- Help with feelings and stress you might have about your job through a counselling service.
Who is eligible for Access to Work?
Access to Work doesn’t require a clinical diagnosis or acknowledgement of disability, though that does make getting the right support much easier. If you have a hard time with usual things you do every day because of your condition, you might get help, providing you meet the following eligibility criteria:
Standard Criteria
To get Access to Work, you need to fit into special rules. You have to:
- Need help with parts of your job or getting to your job because of your disability or health condition.
- Be 16 years old or older.
- Live in England, Scotland, or Wales.
If you’re deaf or have trouble hearing and need to talk to someone, a video relay service is there to help.
Examples of Conditions and Circumstances
If you have trouble with your feelings, like being very worried or sad about work, Access to Work can help you too. Some examples of conditions and circumstances include:
- Physical disabilities: If you have a physical impairment or disability that affects your ability to perform certain tasks or limits your mobility, Access to Work can provide support through the provision of specialized equipment or adaptations to your workspace.
- Sensory impairments: If you are deaf or hard of hearing, visually impaired, or have any other sensory impairment, Access to Work can provide communication support, such as the provision of British Sign Language interpreters or assistive technologies.
- Mental health conditions: If you have a mental health condition that affects your ability to work, Access to Work can offer support services, such as counseling or therapy through Able Futures or Maximus, to help you manage your condition in the workplace.
- Learning disabilities: If you have a learning disability that hinders your ability to perform certain tasks or understand complex information, Access to Work can provide job coaching or assistive technology to support your learning and integration in the workplace.
- Neurodivergences: If you are Autistic, have ADHD or Dyslexia, or have any other neurodivergent condition, Access to Work can offer tailored support, such as workplace assessors, adjustments, and training to help you succeed in your job.
It’s important to note that each case is unique, and Access to Work will assess your individual needs and provide support tailored to you.
Types of work permitted
You can get help from Access to Work for many kinds of jobs, from self-employment to full or part-time employment. Note, however that unpaid internships, traineeships and voluntary work don’t count. You must be working in a paid role or setting.
If you’re on a Department for Education supported internship programme or traineeship, take note. You can only apply for Access to Work support for the duration of your placement. After that you will need a new claim for your next workplace.
If you’re trying a job to see if it’s a good fit, or if you got a new job and haven’t started yet, Access to Work can help you. They even help if you have to talk to people in a job interview and you need someone to help communicate, like if you find hearing hard. So, lots of different work ways are okay for Access to Work.
Claiming Universal Credit and Access to Work
You can claim Access to Work alongside other benefits such as Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support.
Do note that you have to meet the basic criteria in order to apply, in particular that you work at least 1 hour a week or are starting a new job.
Retirement and Access to Work
Access to Work support is also available for individuals who are over retirement age and no longer required to pay National Insurance. However, in order to qualify, you will need to provide accounts for established businesses or demonstrate a business plan that meets the standards set by a bank or other financial institution.
This requirement applies not only to existing businesses but also to new ventures seeking support from Access to Work.
What Does Access to Work Cover?
Access to Work, in essence, pays for anything that goes above and beyond a reasonable adjustment. But what does that look like?
Here are some things Access to Work can pay for:
Job coaching and Job Aide support
If you find task completion overwhelming and challenging, Access to Work can pay for a Job Coach or a Job Aide. The two roles serve slightly different purposes.
Case Study: You’re an electrician with ADHD and always double booking appointments and running late.
- A Job Aide is a hands-on assistant role. They will actively help you manage your calendar and check in with you to make sure you know what’s happening that day.
- A Job Coach, or workplace coach, provides more wholistic support. They will help you understand why your ADHD causes time management issues, and work with you to find the best ways to manage your condition at work.
This help can be put in place for different kinds of jobs, like part-time or full-time jobs, trying a job, or even if you are learning on a job like an apprentice. Though the amount of hours you work, as well as your individual needs of course, may influence how much support you get.
Specialist equipment and technology
Sometimes, you may need special tools or computers that help you work better with your disability. Access to Work can give you money for things like that. Examples include:
- Screen readers or magnifiers for individuals with visual impairments
- Speech recognition software for individuals with difficulty typing
- Ergonomic chairs and desks for individuals with physical disabilities
- Hearing aids or communication devices for individuals with hearing impairments
Travel Costs
If getting on buses or trains is too hard for you, you can claim for costs related to travel. Access to Work can pay for taxi rides to and from work. But they will ask you to get prices from 3 taxi companies first and you may need medical evidence to prove your need.
They want to make sure taking a taxi is really the best way for you. If your boss pays for your travel already, like a taxi ride, you might not get the money back from Access to Work, so it’s good to talk to your boss before you start applying.
Interpreter and translation services
If you find it hard to hear or need help talking to people at work, Access to Work can pay for a special helper like a sign language interpreter.
They help you talk with other people at your job or when you’re trying to get a job. And if you need things changed at your work to make it easier for you, sometimes they can cover those costs too.
Workplace assessments
Sometimes you might need an expert to check your workplace and suggest changes so you can work better. Access to Work funding can pay for this workplace assessment. They’ll look at what kind of help you need and how the place where you work can be made better for you.
Training and support programs
Access to work might be able to pay for workplace training for you and your colleagues around your condition and how best to support you. It can also fund training to use software allocated in the grant, such as mind-mapping software.
Communication support at a job interview
If you need help to communicate or find it hard to speak, Access to Work can pay for someone to help you at a job interview, making it great for deaf people in employment.
They can also help you figure out a plan for staying or getting into work and give you special one-on-one support to manage your mental health at your interview.
Remember, the goal of Access to Work is to make sure you get the help you need, so you can do your job just as well as anyone else.
A note for employers
If you’re the boss and have staff who need a bit of extra help because they’re disabled, it’s your job to support them. This means thinking about changes to their role or giving them special tools to do their work. Talk with your team and find out how you can make things better for them at work – After all, reasonable adjustments are a legal requirement.
But if you’ve done everything you can, that’s when Access to Work jumps in. The government programme can offer extra help. And unless you’re working for a larger corporation, any grant money given to help your staff doesn’t need to be paid back.
If you are part of a big organization, you’ll be asked to contribute a small percentage of the overall cost, a minimal amount compared to the return on investment in your employee.
For more information, check out this gov.uk publication: Access to Work for employers
What about reasonable adjustments?
Reasonable adjustments aren’t covered by Access to Work. Instead, they come under the Equality Act 2010, a statutory requirement from your employer. Examples of these include:
- Providing accessible facilities (like ramps or elevators) for employees with mobility disabilities
- Providing assistive technology or equipment for employees with visual or hearing impairments
- Adjusting work hours or schedules to accommodate employees with medical or healthcare appointments
- Offering flexible working arrangements, such as remote work or part-time hours, to employees with chronic illnesses or disabilities
- Providing additional training or support for employees who require it due to their disability
- Modifying job tasks or responsibilities, if necessary, to accommodate an employee’s limitations
Access to Work grants are there for the extra support you need that an employer might consider unreasonable. For example, the additional costs of hiring a coping strategies coach might cause financial hardship for the owner of a small coffee shop with limited resources.
For self-employed people, you might need support implementing these reasonable adjustments. That’s where a Job Aide can help, as they allow you to complete tasks such as implementing these adjustments effectively and appropriately.
The Application Process for Access to Work
To apply for Access to Work, you first have to fill out an application form. You can use the internet, call on the phone, or fill out a paper form to do this. Make sure you tell them how your condition makes working hard for you and what kind of help you need.
You’ll need to give details like where you work, the postcode, and who at work can say it’s okay for you to get Access to Work money. If you work for yourself, you also need to give them a special number called your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number. Here’s how to find your UTR number if you’ve lost it!
Once that’s completed, it’s time to wait! It might take several weeks before Access to Work contact you. In the meantime, make sure you reply to any communication you receive from DWP (often the Access to Work number comes up as DWP on smartphones).
Access to work may also ask for personal details such as your name, address, postcode of work and name of a workplace contact (if employed).
Assessments and evidence
Once Access to Work have been in touch, they’ll gather more detailed information about how your condition or circumstances affect you.
Sometimes, you might need someone to check what help you need at your job. This can be done by talking on the phone, a video call, or meeting at your workplace. If it’s hard to meet in person, you might be able to use a video call with sign language.
If you’re starting a new job you may also need a job offer letter to prove employment, for example.
Access to Work creates a special package just for you, giving you the exact help you need, which can be more than the usual things given to people to make work easier. You can keep using any existing help you have at work.
Next Steps
Once you’ve filled the forms in and had your assessment, Access to Work will send out an award letter confirming what you’re entitled to claim for.
Anything you get to help from Access to Work is a grant, so you do not have to pay it back, though payments and reimbursements can be confusing. We talk more about that below.
Access to Work and self-employment
If you’re self-employed and find certain parts of your work tough because of a health issue or disability, Access to Work offers extra support. It’s important to remember this money isn’t for starting your business. It’s for challenges related to your work after your business has started, as a result of your disability.
When you fill out your application, you’ll need your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number. If you’re new to self-employment, this is your identifier with HMRC (a bit like a National Insurance number but for work!).
The help you get from Access to Work will match what you need because of how your health condition or disability affects your work. This means the support is really based on you and your work situation.
Being self-employed and eligible for support
To be able to get support from Access to Work when you’re self-employed, you need to be a sole trader or in a partnership, or operating a franchised business, and not registered with Companies House.
If you’re the director of a company or a company owner, you should treat your claim not as someone self-employed, but as your current professional entity.
Business plans and viability assessments
If you’re self-employed and you want to apply for Access to Work, you need to show them that your business makes sense. And to do that, you need a strong business plan.
Remember, though, Access to Work isn’t about helping you set up the whole business. They don’t cover business start-up costs such as standard items, nor do they cover costs relating to operating your business such as business insurance.
If you’re a company director, you’ll need to show that your company is all above board and registered with Companies House in Cardiff. And for everyone, it’s really important that your business has potential.
Don’t worry too much if you aren’t making money just yet, especially if that’s down to your condition or personal circumstances. That’s why you’re here, after all! Access to Work is there for the extra support you need, and they just want to make sure you have a viable business model.
Post-Acceptance: Claiming and Processing Payments
Once you get the thumbs-up from Access to Work and are ready to get your support, you might need to ask for the money that was agreed upon in your award letter.
What puts most people off ever using their awarded grant is an inability to pay up-front for equipment and support. But what many claimants don’t know is that some providers offer pro-forma invoicing for equipment, or payment in arrears for Job Aide support! In some cases, this means you don’t have to spend a penny out of your own pocket, since payments are reimbursed to the provider or support worker.
If you receive funding for a support worker, many know how to claim for costs of equipment and support from Access to Work, so they can help you with the process.
If you’re still scratching your head over how payment works, the Access to Work helpline is always a call away. Though it’s best to call at quieter times later in the day. They’re very friendly and will do their best to help.
Renewing Your Access to Work Claim
Renewing Your Access to Work support is a big deal to make sure you still get the help you need. When it gets close to the time your current support is coming to an end, Access to Work will give you a heads-up. They’ll reach out to you about 12 weeks before, so you have plenty of time to sort things out.
Now, if you’ve got extra cool stuff at your job, like special equipment, there’s something important you need to know! The place where you work is in charge of keeping that equipment in good shape. They have to look after it, make sure it’s got insurance, and when it’s not needed anymore, they have to deal with getting rid of it.
If you want to keep getting support, you have to say so. You need to reapply in the allocated time frame to renew your Access to Work help if you want it to keep going past the date it’s supposed to end.
How to Renew Your Access to Work Claim
Okay, so it’s time to renew your Access to Work claim. Remember, they’ll ping you 12 weeks before your support is all used up to tell you how to get it rolling again. To stay on the safe side with your support, you’ll need to put your hand up and apply to renew your help from Access to Work.
This isn’t just a one-and-done deal. You’ll have to do this each time your support period is up, so you can keep getting the help you need. It’s like confirming, “Yes, please! I still need that extra support to keep rocking at my job.”
If there’s anything new happening with you, like a change in the kind of work you do or how you’re feeling, make sure to tell them when you call the Access to Work helpline. They’re ready to listen and help update your details.
So, don’t let that support slip away! Get on the renewal train and make sure your Access to Work help sticks with you.
Find a Job Aide or Workplace Coach Today
Access to Work is a fantastic scheme, but it’s not without its problems. The process for many can seem overwhelming and off-putting, and whilst the gov.uk website is very accessible, it doesn’t always have the information you need (it took us over a year to realise pro-forma payments were a thing!).
So don’t let that put you off. Having been through the system, we’re here to help make finding the right support smoother. The role of JobAide.co.uk is to make finding a support worker as seamless as possible, so contact us today to see if we can help!