Access to Work
Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability.
The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:
a grant to help pay for practical support with your work
support with managing your mental health at work
money to pay for communication support at job interviews
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg), British Sign Language (BSL) and Easy Read format.
Practical support with your work
Access to Work could give you a grant to help pay for things like:
specialist equipment and assistive software
support workers, like a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy
costs of travelling to work, if you cannot use public transport
adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work
physical changes to your workplace
Your workplace can include your home if you work from there some or all of the time.
It does not matter how much you earn. If you get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits you get and you will not have to pay it back.
You or your employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.
How to apply
Check you’re eligible and then apply for an Access to Work grant.
Mental health support
You can get support to manage your mental health at work, which might include:
a tailored plan to help you get or stay in work
one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional
How to apply
Check you’re eligible and then apply directly to either Able Futures or Maximus.
Communication support for job interviews
Access to Work can help pay for communication support at a job interview if:
you’re deaf or hard of hearing and need a BSL interpreter or lipspeaker
you have a physical or mental health condition or learning difficulty and need communication support
Find out more and apply for communication support at a job interview.
What Access to Work will not pay for
Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes your employer must legally make to support you to do your job.
Access to Work will advise your employer if changes should be made as reasonable adjustments.
Disability Confident Employers
What is Disability Confident and how can it help me?
When a business proudly displays the Disability Confident logo, it signifies a commitment to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace. But it's more than just a symbol; it's a pledge to:
inclusive and accessible recruitment
communicating vacancies
offering an interview to disabled people (who meet the minimum requirements of the role)
providing reasonable adjustments
supporting existing employees with a disability
The Impact: Challenging Attitudes and Removing Barriers
The Disability Confident initiative extends beyond individual businesses. It plays a pivotal role in reshaping societal attitudes towards disability by:
Challenging Attitudes: Employers registered as Disability Confident actively challenge stereotypes and negative perceptions surrounding disability. This creates a more inclusive culture that values the unique contributions of every individual.
Increasing Understanding: By participating in the Disability Confident program, employers contribute to increasing awareness and understanding of disabilities. This education is a catalyst for breaking down barriers and fostering empathy in the workplace.
Removing Barriers: The initiative focuses on eliminating barriers that individuals with disabilities face, whether in the hiring process or within the workplace. This commitment ensures that everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, has the opportunity to realise their full potential.
Look for the Disability Confident Logo
For job seekers, spotting the Disability Confident logo during the job hunt is a game-changer. It indicates that the employer is dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace. To streamline the search, the Find a Job website (www.findajob.dwp.gov.uk) allows individuals to identify vacancies with Disability Confident employers.
To see a comprehensive list of businesses committed to Disability Confident, visit this link. This valuable resource empowers job seekers with disabilities to align their career aspirations with companies that prioritise diversity, inclusion, and the unlocking of every individual's potential.
Further Support
Career Connect
Career Connect is an information, advice and guidance service. For young people with an EHCP, the service is offered up to aged 25. Career Connect Personal Advisers can help you find and apply for jobs, training, education, voluntary work or leisure activities.
Tel: 0151 556 2620
Email: adviser@careerconnect.org.uk
Best Bites (Wirral Evolutions)
Best Bites is one of the vocational services within Wirral Evolutions that provides training for adults with both physical and learning disabilities, adults on the autistic spectrum and people with mental health issues. Providing a person-centred service, that offers people the opportunity to train in a real working environment in the centre of local communities on the Wirral
Tel: 0151 637 2030
Email: referrals@wirralevolutions.org
Community Action Wirral
Search for local volunteering opportunities in the community.
Tel: 0151 353 9700
Email: info@communityactionwirral.org.uk
Department for Work and Pensions DWP
DWP aims to 'promote opportunity and independence for all' through 'providing work for those who can and support for those who cannot.' Your local job centre (Birkenhead or Upton) also has 'Disability Employment Advisors' who have access to additional funding and schemes for those with additional needs.
Tel: 0800 169 0190
Do it
Website with a search engine to help you find volunteering opportunities - can be filtered by areas of interest and location to help you find local opportunities.
Even Break
Jobs board for disabled candidates - search for job opportunities with Disability Confident employers.
Tel: 0845 658 5717
Email: info@evenbreak.co.uk
Merseyside Community Training MCT
The Youth Employment Hub is accessible to all young people aged 16-24 for employment and training support with a vision of then progressing onto a positive destaination. The Hub embraces a collaborative approach by working with a host of partner organisations and key stakeholders to ensure that members have access to the best possible provision to support their individual needs.
Tel: 0151 294 4460
Email: info@mymct.co.uk
Steps to Work @ Strawberry Fields
The Steps to Work programme is a 12-18 month programme which reaches out to people with learning difficulties, autism or other barriers to employment. Alongside this is 'Steps to Volunteer' for those who want to take the next step in their volunteering journey and receive a formal qualification, and Recycles - an hands on programme based at the Recycles Project in Liverpool City Centre.
Tel: 0151 252 6130
Supported Internships
A Supported Internship offers young people aged 16-24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan the opportunity to gain practical work-based learning experience, providing a smooth transition from education to paid employment and further study. Students on the internships spend 3 days a week in employment and 1 day a week at college developing employability skills.
Tel: 0151 551 7777
Wirral Council Learning, Skills & Employment Service
Please get in touch for the latest information on support available for Wirral young people who are not in education, training or employment.
Tel: 0151 666 5243
Email: zoehough@wirral.gov.uk