Introduction
Access to Work is a government scheme that provides support to disabled people or those with health conditions, helping them start or stay in work.
The support is tailored to individual needs and can cover costs related to:
- ICT equipment
- training
- travel
- support workers
- workplace adaptations.
This is usually considered if any adjustments identified would be too expensive to implement or if you and your manager are unsure what adjustments would be suitable.
Access to Work explained
The scheme offers various forms of support and you maybe entitled to one or more of the following:
- disability or health condition support that includes:
- funding for specialised equipment and workplace adaptations
- travel support to and from work
- funding for help from support workers, such as a British Sign Language interpreter, driver or travel buddy
- communication support at a job interview, such as deaf or hard of hearing or if you have a learning difficulty
- mental health support.
A caseworker will assess your working environment and determine what adjustments could be made and whether funding will be provided by the scheme or not. If a recommendation can be considered by making a reasonable adjustment, it is unlikely that funding will be provided by Access to Work, although it may still be a recommended action for the council to implement in your report.
For further guidance download the relevant document below:
Before you apply
Make sure you have considered any reasonable adjustments that can be made before applying for Access to Work.
How to apply
Follow the steps below to apply for Access to Work funding.
1Speak to your manager
We advise you to arrange a meeting with your manager to discuss your application and which of the options you are going to apply for. Your manager will receive a summary of recommendations once you have applied but not the full report or information about your medical conditions. You can choose whether you’d like to share the full report with them.
2Apply for Access to Work
There are different ways to apply online for Access to Work depending on the type of support you are applying for. Follow the guidance on the websites below for each application type:
- support if you have a disability or health condition (GOV.UK)
- communication support at a job interview (GOV.UK)
- mental health support provided by:
Make sure you include your manager’s name and email address and the occupational health email address in your applications.
Other ways to apply
You can also apply for Access to Work by:
- telephone
- textphone
- Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone).
These options are available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
What happens next
An Access to Work case manager will contact you and your manager to discuss what help you might need. They may need to carry out an assessment of your workplace to fully identify your requirements. This can be held via telephone, online video call or in person.
If the case manager decides on an award they’ll discuss this with you and your manager to agree and develop a tailored package of support.
You will receive a full report within three weeks of an assessment and a summary of the recommendations. Your manager and occupational health will receive the summary only.
Your manager should then action the recommendations and help put the support in place that you require. It may not always be possible to implement a specific adjustment due to operational constraints or the nature of your role but your manager will explain why and work with you to explore options that could meet your needs.