Access to Work is a government scheme that can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. It can pay a grant towards practical support at work, provide mental health support, and help with communication support at job interviews. This guide explains what it covers, how to apply, and what employers can do to support it.
What Does Access to Work Cover?
The support depends on the person’s needs. Through Access to Work, a person can apply for three kinds of help.
Practical Support With Work
A grant that can help pay for things like:
- Specialist equipment and assistive software
- Support workers, such as a BSL interpreter, a job coach or a travel buddy
- The cost of travelling to work, if the person cannot use public transport
- Adaptations to a vehicle so the person can get to work
- Physical changes to the workplace
The workplace can include a person’s home if they work from there some or all of the time. The grant does not affect any other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
Mental Health Support
Support to manage mental health at work, which might include a tailored plan to help someone get or stay in work, and one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional. People apply directly to Able Futures or Maximus (only one of them), and if someone has already had mental health support through Access to Work, they cannot apply again.
Communication Support for Job Interviews
Access to Work can help pay for communication support at a job interview, for example a BSL interpreter or lipspeaker for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing, or support for someone with a physical or mental health condition or learning difficulty.
What Access to Work Does Not Pay For
Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes an employer must legally make to support someone to do their job. Access to Work will advise an employer if changes should be made as reasonable adjustments.
How to Apply
A person should first check they are eligible and then apply for an Access to Work grant. Employers should know that the person or their employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.
Rules and routes can change, so always check the latest guidance on GOV.UK.
What Employers Can Do
Employers play an important part in making sure people know about the support that is available. Here is how we promote Access to Work at Auctus Management Group:
- We share information about Access to Work with our employees, so they know what support is available.
- We include information about Access to Work in our recruitment materials and on our website, so disabled candidates know about it.
- We have made Access to Work part of our induction process for new employees, so they know the support available and how to access it.
- We display Access to Work information in our workplace, so everyone can see it.
Becoming a Disability Confident Employer
Becoming a Disability Confident employer is a good way to show your commitment to supporting disabled people at work. Auctus Management Group is accredited as a Disability Confident Leader, and we have found that this status shows our commitment to inclusion and sends a clear message that we are an Access to Work-friendly employer. You can read more about our approach in Our Commitment.