Access to work

The Access to Work programme is a government funding scheme run by Jobcentre Plus. It provides financial assistance towards the extra costs of employing someone with a disability. It is available to unemployed, employed and self-employed people and can apply to any job, full-time or part-time, permanent or temporary. The only exception is individuals that work for a Ministerial government department, who have been excluded from the scheme since 1 October 2006.

Access to Work is intended to provide assistance towards covering the costs of adjustments which otherwise would not be reasonable. Employers still have a duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, which came into force from October 2010.

Employment Status

Access to Work defines four types of employment status:

• Unemployed,
• Self-employed,
• People employed for less than six weeks and
• People employed for more than six weeks.