Access to Work
What is Access to Work?
Access to Work (ATW) is a scheme run by
Jobcentre Plus. The scheme provides advice and practical support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from a disability.
How does it do this?
As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, ATW pays a grant through Jobcentre Plus towards any extra employment costs that result from a disability.
Am I eligible for help through Access to Work?
If you have a disability and are in a job, about to start in a job, or are self- employed, ATW could also be for you. It applies to any paid job, part-time or full-time, permanent or temporary.
If your disability or health condition affects the type of work you do, and it is likely to last for 12 months or longer, contact your regional ATW business centre to check your eligibility for the scheme.
Unemployed or employed disabled people needing help with a communicator at a job interview can also get help through ATW.
What type of help is provided through Access to Work?
Access to Work can help you in a number of ways. For example, it can help pay for:
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Adaptations to premises and equipment
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Special aids and equipment
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Support workers
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Travel to work and travel in work
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Awareness training for your colleagues
How will my needs be assessed?
The ATW Adviser will normally phone or visit you at your place of work. They will also need to discuss the application with your employer to enable them to arrive at the most effective provision.
Sometimes specialist or technical advice may be needed. The ATW Adviser will arrange for a specialist provider, such as the RNIB, to complete an assessment and recommend appropriate support. A written and confidential report will be sent to the ATW Adviser, who will use the information to help them to decide on the level of support that can be approved.
Before the assessment you should think about your job, what tasks you are required to do and how your disability impacts upon them. This should ensure that you can a full input into the process of assessing your needs at work.
How long will it take to get the help needed?
The ATW Business Centre aims to arrange the help needed in the shortest possible time. The length of time taken for the process varies dependent on individual circumstance. However, if there is any delay the ATW Adviser should explore temporary alternatives, for example a support worker.
Who will buy the help needed?
Once the assessment process has been completed the ATW Adviser will discuss your needs with you and your employer and will agree what help can be provided through Access to Work. The ATW Adviser may ask your employer to obtain quotes in order to arrive at the approved cost.
It is the employers or self-employed person's responsibility to purchase and provide the support required and then to reclaim the cost from ATW.
Please note that your employer should not purchase any items until ATW has notified you both that they have approved the agreed support.
How much is the Access to Work grant?
The contribution by Access to Work varies depending on the individual circumstances of the applicant. The following gives some idea of what areas of support, and by how much they will cover their costs:
Access to Work pays up to 100 per cent of the approved cost for:
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Unemployed people about to start a new job
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People changing jobs with a new employer
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Self-employed people
Whatever the employment status of the applicant, Access to Work pays up to 100 per cent of the additional costs for help with:
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Travel to work (above the normal costs)
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Communicator support at interviews
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Support Workers
For people working for an employer who have been in the job for 6 weeks or more, ATW pays a proportion of the costs of support. Your employer will be asked to pay the first £300 of the approved cost and then 20 per cent of the total up to £10,000. Costs over £10,000 are 100 per cent funded by ATW. There are no fixed limits to ATW funding.
If you are changing jobs but staying with the same employer you should contact your regional ATW Centre to discuss whether your employer has to pay a contribution or not.
How to apply for Access to Work?
You should contact your ATW contact centre directly. Details of the application process and contact details for all ATW contacts are at the end of this factsheet.
What will the ATW Adviser need to know?
There are actions that you can take to help the ATW Adviser to deal with the application quickly. Do not wait until you have started your new job before asking for help. The sooner ATW knows about the request for support the more time they will have to get help ready for when you start.
The ATW Adviser will need some detailed information and it will help if you can ask your employer for the following details:
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A job description for the new job
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Your expected start date
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Contact details for your line manager
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Contact details for your employer's Information Technology specialist
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Contact details about who will authorise the purchase and cost sharing
Making a claim
Starting the process
Contact your ATW directly, where you will be offered advice and guidance from an Access to Work Adviser.
You will be sent an initial 2 page form asking you to complete some basic details about your job and contact details for you and your employer. If you already know what you need in terms of support it is possible for ATW to approve costs at this stage. However, we would not recommend this approach as there may be options you may not know about that can be explored during an assessment.
Assessment
An assessor will come out to your workplace in order to work out exactly what you require to access your work. You and your employer can do this with external help - this can be an ATW Officer, an external contractor or an RNIB Employment or Technology Officer.
You can get the most out of any assessment by thinking about all the aspects of your job beforehand. Try to identify all the areas where your disability affects your work. The can be hard if you are starting a new job, but if your needs change you can always go back to ATW to ask for further help.
Report
This needs to be sent to ATW outlining the results of the assessment. The assessor can produce a formal document, or you can supply a letter containing the necessary information (i.e. what you require, who manufacturers it and how much it costs).
Agreeing support and costs
The ATW Adviser will present a final figure of necessary costs to your employer and then the split of costs between the two agencies will be consulted. (Maximum coverage of costs by ATW is up to 100 per cent).
Authority to purchase
ATW will provide written permission to your employer, which will include their final agreed contribution.
Purchasing
Your employer is free to purchase the equipment as soon as permission has been granted. They can then apply for reimbursement of the ATW's agreed contribution with supplied documentation. Either yourself or your employer may be asked by ATW for an additional voluntary contribution to the cost of equipment. This is voluntary, and your entitlement to support will not be changed should you choose not to pay it.
Travel to work and travel in work costs are rarely funded up front, and the cost of employing a support worker not always funded by employers. In most cases you will be required to finance the costs of transport and support workers and then claim this money back from ATW.
Set up, installation and training
The costs of these elements will have been outlined in your report, and your employer can apply for reimbursement of ATW contribution to these through supplied documentation.
Ownership, repairs and insurance
The equipment that you use is the responsibility of and is owned by your employer. Agreements will be made between all involved parties, if you wish to purchase the equipment or move it to your next place of employment.
Does it really work?
There are many blind and partially sighted people working in a range of jobs throughout the UK, some of which may not have been as easy or even possible to do without the support available through the Access to Work scheme.
Contact details
In order to make an Access to Work claim you should contact your nearest
Access to Work contact centre, details of which are listed at Directgov.