Access to Work (ATW)
ATW Explained
ATW stands for Access to Work, a grant offering practical assistance to individuals with disabilities, health concerns, or mental health conditions. Its goal is to help people enter the workforce, stay employed, transition to self-employment, or launch a business. The support is tailored to your needs, ensuring necessary accommodations are in place for you to excel in your role.
Eligibility:
Access to ATW grants is open to individuals over 16 whose employer is based in England, Scotland, or Wales. Northern Ireland has its own system.
You should be either gearing up to begin a job, participating in a work trial, or presently working for an employer or yourself. Regrettably, grants do not apply to voluntary work.
Your disability or health condition must affect your daily work performance or incur work-related expenses, like specialised computer tools/equipment or transportation expenses due to the inability to use public transport.
not be claiming Incapacity Benefit or Employment Support Allowance once they are in work
How much will the grant be for?
Access to Work will consider paying grants of up to 100% for:
self-employed people
people who have been working for less than 6 weeks when they first apply for Access to Work
The Mental Health Support Service
support workers
additional travel to work and travel in work costs
communication support at interviews
The level of grant will depend on:
whether the person is employed or self-employed
how long they have been in their job
the type of help required
The amount of an Access to Work grant is not fixed and is tailored to your specific needs. The level of support is determined by your circumstances, with annual grant limits in place. For instance, for grants issued between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, the cap was £66,000
What support can you receive?
The grant can cover expenses such as:
A support worker or job coach for workplace assistance
Support services for mental health conditions affecting work attendance or performance
Equipment adaptations
Specialized equipment
Transportation costs to work if public transport is not viable
Disability awareness training for colleagues
A communicator for job interviews
Equipment relocation costs when changing job locations
If you want to apply for an award, there’s two ways forward, Option 1, you can either do this yourself through self-application - we have put together a little procedure chart below explaining the different stages (see below) or you can seek support from an individual or organisation that has experience in completing ATW applications - If you decide you would like someone to assist you through your application - the team here would be pleased to help - click the contact us button below to get in touch!