Access to Work
Access to Work is a Government-funded programme provided through Jobcentre Plus. The scheme provides advice and practical support for disabled people and their employers. As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, Jobcentre Plus pays a grant, through Access to Work, towards any extra employment costs that directly result from a person's impairment.
How does the Access to Work Scheme work?
New recruits should apply as soon as they receive a job offer.
If you planning to recruit a disabled person or one of your staff acquires an impairment, you should contact your local Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) through your nearest Jobcentre Plus office.
Details of the nearest Jobcentre Plus offices to you are available on http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
The DEA will put you in touch with an Access to Work Scheme Adviser who will discuss the particular circumstances with you. If, as might sometimes happen, the Access to Work Scheme Adviser insists that the employee concerned should make the initial application for Access to Work support, then please contact HR for advice in relation to such matters.
For a new starter, the Access to Work grant is up to 100% of the approved costs. For existing staff, the grant is usually up to 80% of the approved costs above a threshold figure of the first £300. The 100% grant will also apply for a disabled person up to six weeks after they start their new job.
What type of help can be provided through Access to Work?
Access to Work can help in many different ways. For example, it can pay for:
- Communicator support at job interviews, which will meet the full cost of hiring an interpreter to remove barriers to communication.
- A support worker to assist a disabled person in overall access to the working environment. This might include someone to help with reading for a visually impaired person, communicating for a hearing impaired person via a sign language interpreter, providing specialist coaching for a person with learning difficulties or helping a person with cerebral palsy with their care needs.
- Special aids and equipment to help a disabled person function in the workplace, such as ergonomic seating and office/workplace equipment and adaptive IT technologies.
- Adaptations to premises or to existing equipment.
- Help with the additional costs of travel to work for people who have difficulties accessing public transport.
- Costs for adaptations to motor vehicles to allow a disabled person to drive in connection with their work.
How are a disabled person's particular needs assessed?
The Access to Work adviser will normally speak to you and your employee to plan for the most effective solution. In many cases this can be done over the telephone. However, a visit to the workplace will be arranged if necessary and where there is a need for further specialist or technical advice, the adviser will organise this.
For example, if you are planning to recruit a disabled person with a significant physical impairment who hasn't worked before, they might not know exactly what specialist equipment or adaptations they need so that they can give of their best in the job. The Access to Work Adviser will be able to organise the services of a technical consultant to undertake a vocational assessment in the workplace that will identify what equipment or adaptations are required.
Once these solutions have been identified, an agreement will be made in writing specifying what costs will be met by the Access to Work Scheme. The employer is then responsible for the ordering and supply of the 'solutions' and the costs incurred are then claimed back from Jobcentre Plus as per the individual's agreement.
All help provided via Access to Work is for a maximum of three years after which they will review the support and the individual's circumstances. The scheme may provide help for a further period if the employee continues to be eligible under current rules.
It is very important to remember that Access to Work is only available when additional costs are incurred because of a disability. It cannot be used to provide support that would usually be provided by the employer or that which is required under legislation for all other employees