ACCESS TO WORK
Access to Work is a publicly funded employment grant scheme which aims to support disabled people start or stay in work.
It can provide practical and financial support for people who have a disability or any physical or mental health conditions, including (but not limited to) neurodiversities such as: ADHD, autism, and dyslexia.
An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to enable employees to start or stay in work, or to support you if you are self-employed. For further information, see each of the relevant links below.
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1 . Access to Work for Employees
Access to Work grants can help cover the cost of practical support if you have a disability, health, or mental health condition.
They can support you in:
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Starting work
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Staying in work
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Becoming self-employed
The program is designed to provide the necessary support to ensure your condition does not hold you back at work, and give you the equal employment opportunities you deserve.
Step by Step Guide for Access to Work Support
We understand that for neurodiverse individuals, unfamiliar processes can be overwhelming, and might even deter us from seeking help. For FREE 1:1 support with your application, we welcome you to arrange a 30-minute call with one of our NeurodiverseLIFE colleagues, today.
To book your call, please use the Contact Form below (select 'Access to Work' from the Enquiry options available).
What happens when I start?
Your first session will be an introduction to NeurodiverseLIFE, and support you will receive from us. This includes putting any anxieties to rest, answering your questions, assessing your needs, and creating your own personalised plan. This document outlines who you are, where you are in life, the key difficulties you experience, and the areas you'd like to address first.
Following this, we create a Pathways document which maps out your sessions. This is created with you in the driving seat, allowing you to choose what we address and in what order—guided by us, to ensure the best outcomes for you.
You will often hear us say neurodiversity is like maths—in that many different topics make up the whole subject. By this we mean you can't get better at maths by simply repeating the same lessons and patterns; you must work on all its topics to become proficient. Similarly, one does not get better at being neurodiverse by merely living through the same struggles and issues without support and education in the many areas within it.
Because our professional coaches are experts in many fields of neurodiversity, we offer a huge variety of sessions, support, educational talks, and personal development workshops, allowing you to “pick 'n' mix” those which suit your needs best.
2. Access to Work for Employers
Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support grant scheme which aims to support disabled people.
It can provide practical and financial support for people who have a disability or who have a physical or mental health condition—including neurodiversities such as:
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ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, etc.
An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to enable your employee to start or stay in work.
How can Access to Work help you and your neurodiverse employees?
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) do not offer Access to Work support directly. Instead, they provide a grant to reimburse for the agreed cost of the support provided by NeurodiverseLIFE.
For FREE 1:1 support applying for Access to Work for your employee, we welcome you to arrange a 30-minute call with one of our NeurodiverseLIFE colleagues, today.
To book your call, please use the Contact Form below (select 'Access to Work' from the Enquiry options available).
What additional support is available?
Additionally, NeurodiverseLIFE can assist your employee in developing their own unique support plan, which will outline the types of assistance they would benefit from receiving.
Examples of such support can include (but are not limited to):
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Flexible working patterns, to accommodate changes in mood and impact of medication
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Providing a mentor to give additional support at work
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Arranging additional time to complete certain tasks
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Providing additional training
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Regular meetings between you and your employee to talk about their concerns
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A phased return to work, such as reduced hours or less days
3. Access to Work for the Self-Employed
For Access to Work purposes, self-employment means:
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operating a business either on your own or in a partnership
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working for an employer on a self-employed basis
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operating a franchised business on a self-employed basis
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possessing a Unique Tax Reference (UTR) number
If you are a company director, you can apply to get Access to Work support. However, you must be able to prove your company is registered with Companies House in Cardiff.
How to apply for Access to Work as someone who is self-employed?
To apply for Access to Work support for self-employment you will need to have one of the following:
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Accounts for an established business, or
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A business plan (of a standard acceptable to a bank or other financial institution)
Access to Work cannot pay for the costs of setting up a business or cover costs while the business is being formed, they can only support once the business is set up and registered. Self employed support can include, but is not limited to:
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items of equipment
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support for fact-finding
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disability impact training
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accountability coaching
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disability computer software
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attending courses and seminars
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Neurodiversity or mental health coaching
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virtual assistant services
What you will receive?
There is no set financial amount awarded for Access to Work grants. How much you get will depend on your specific case, and the grant will only cover any support needed to allow you to be able to stay in work or remain self-employed.
The award can pay for things like:
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changes to the equipment currently used
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fares to work if you're unable to use public transport
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disability awareness training for your colleagues
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disability impact training
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Virtual Assistant Services
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someone to help you at a job interview
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the addition of specialist equipment
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a support worker or job coach to help in your workplace
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the cost of moving your equipment to a new location
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Neurodiversity coaching
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Accountability coaching
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support if you have a mental health condition and are absent from work or finding it difficult to work
What happens when I start?
Your first session will be an introduction to NeurodiverseLIFE, and support you will receive from us. This includes putting any anxieties to rest, answering your questions, assessing your needs, and creating your own personalised plan. This document outlines who you are, where you are in life, the key difficulties you experience, and the areas you'd like to address first.
Following this, we create a Pathways document which maps out your sessions. This is created with you in the driving seat, allowing you to choose what we address and in what order—guided by us, to ensure the best outcomes for you.
You will often hear us say neurodiversity is like maths—in that many different topics make up the whole subject. By this we mean you can't get better at maths by simply repeating the same lessons and patterns; you must work on all its topics to become proficient. Similarly, one does not get better at being neurodiverse by merely living through the same struggles and issues without support and education in the many areas within it.
Because our professional coaches are experts in many fields of neurodiversity, we offer a huge variety of sessions, support, educational talks, and personal development workshops, allowing you to “pick 'n' mix” those which suit your needs best.