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// Pathways to Work

Pathways to Work

If you are claiming incapacity benefits for the first time, or are claiming again after a break in receiving benefit, you will automatically be considered for Pathways to Work as a condition of getting benefit. Incapacity benefits mean:

Employment and Support Allowance;
Incapacity Benefit;
Income Support on the grounds of incapacity;
Income Support while you are appealing against a decision that you are not incapable of work;
Severe Disablement Allowance.

Pathways to Work can help people who are claiming incapacity benefits to start or return to paid work. The service offers individual support and access to a wide range of help.

Pathways to Work is a programme run by Jobcentre Plus to help people who are claiming Employment and Support Allowance or incapacity benefits to get work.

You will be expected to take steps to find work or prepare for work unless you have a health condition or disability that severely affects your ability to do so.

As well as help from Jobcentre Plus, you may get extra support from one of its partner organisations from the private and voluntary sectors. Those organisations are called ‘providers’.

You may be entitled to extra money when you start or stay in work.

When you make a claim for Employment and Support Allowance or incapacity benefits, you will automatically be considered for Pathways to Work. Only people aged between 18 and the age when you are eligible to receive Pension Credit will automatically be considered. This applies if you are claiming for the first time, or are claiming again after a break in receiving benefit. Incapacity benefits include:

Incapacity Benefit;
Income Support on the grounds of incapacity;
Income Support while you are appealing against a decision that you are not incapable of work;
Severe Disablement Allowance.

Even if you are not automatically considered, you can still apply for help from Pathways to Work if you are entitled to certain benefits because of your health condition or a disability.

Work-focused interviews: You will usually be invited to a series of up to six Work Focused Interviews. Your needs will be assessed and the approach taken will be based on this assessment. This helps you receive a more personalised service. If you receive Employment Support Allowance the second Work Focused Interview will not normally be conducted until the outcome of your Work Capability Assessment is known. Your interviews will be with a personal adviser who will:

help you to remain focused on your ability to work;
help you develop a personal action plan to help you get the job you want

discuss work opportunities with you;

explain the support that may be available to address key health and non-health related obstacles – for example, managing debt;
tell you about any financial benefits you may be entitled to once you start work

work out how much better off financially you would be in work;

Attending and taking part in the interviews is a condition for receiving the full amount of benefit.

The Condition Management Programme

This can help you better understand and manage your condition or disability. It uses the principles and approach of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The programme does not replicate current NHS treatment.

Health professionals deliver the programme and tailor it to meet your needs.

In the Jobcentre Plus-led version of Pathways to Work, the Condition Management Programme is run for Jobcentre Plus by the NHS and the Department of Health.

Provider-led Pathways to Work has a similar Condition Management Programme. It is either delivered by the provider or by another specialist.

Access to Work

Access to Work can help you if your health or disability affects the way you do your job. It gives you and your employer advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of your needs.

Access to Work might pay towards the equipment you need at work, adapting premises to meet your needs, or a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to work if you cannot use public transport.

If you need a communicator at job interviews, Access to Work may be available, too.

You may be able to get Access to Work if you are:

in a paid job;
unemployed and about to start a job;
unemployed and about to start a Work Trial;
self-employed;
and your disability or health condition stops you from being able to do parts of your job.

Your disability or health condition may not have a big effect on what you do each day, but may have a long-term effect on how well you can do your job.

How to contact Access to Work: If you feel that the type of work you do is affected by a disability or health condition that is likely to last for 12 months or more, contact your regional Access to Work contact centre to check whether you can get help. Alternatively, ask the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) at your local Jobcentre about Access to Work.

Getting help – the process: If you are likely to be eligible for Access to Work, you will be sent an application form to fill in and send back. When the completed form has arrived back, an Access to Work adviser will contact you. The adviser will usually speak to you and your employer to reach a decision about the best support for you. In most cases, this can be done over the telephone, but a visit can be arranged if necessary.

Sometimes specialist advice may be needed, which the Access to Work adviser will help to arrange. For example, your adviser may arrange for a specialist organisation to complete an assessment and recommend appropriate support. In this case, a confidential written report will be sent to the Access to Work adviser, who will use this information to help them decide on the right level of support.

Your employer’s responsibilities: Once your adviser has decided on the package of support they feel is appropriate, they will seek formal approval of their recommendations from Jobcentre Plus. You and your employer will then receive a letter informing you of the approved level of support and the grant available. It is the responsibility of your employer - or you, if you are self-employed - to arrange the agreed support and buy the necessary equipment. Your employer can then claim repayment of the approved costs from Access to Work.

Your Access to Work Grant: The amount of help which you may receive from Access to Work will vary depending on how long you have been employed, what support you need and whether you are self-employed. Access to Work can pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs if you are:

unemployed and starting a new job;
self-employed;
working for an employer and have been in the job for less than six weeks.

Whatever your employment status, Access to Work will also pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs of help with:

support workers;
fares to work;
communicator support at interview.

Access to Work pays a proportion of the costs of support if all of the following apply to you:

you’re working for an employer;
you’ve been in the job for six weeks or more;
you need special equipment or adaptations to premises.

The precise level of cost sharing is determined as follows:

employers with 1 to 9 employees will not be expected to share costs;
employers with 10 to 49 employees will pay the first £300 and 20% of costs up to £10,000;
employers with 50 to 249 employees will pay the first £500 and 20% of costs up to £10,000;
large employers with 250 or more employees will pay the first £1,000 and 20% of costs up to £10,000.

After between one and three years, Access to Work will review your circumstances and the support you’re receiving.

New Deal for Disabled People

New Deal for Disabled People is a programme of advice and practical support, which helps people move from disability and health-related benefits into paid employment.

The programme is delivered through a network of ‘Job Brokers’ from a range of organisations. Each Job Broker offers different services, which can be tailored to your individual needs.

Your Job Broker will talk with you about your situation and the sort of work you want. They will help you decide on the best route into employment for you and work with you to achieve your goals.

New Deal for Disabled People is not available everywhere. It is available in the following areas:

Ayrshire, Dumfries, Galloway and Inverclyde;
Cumbria;
Derbyshire;
Dorset and Somerset;
Essex;
Glasgow;
Greater Manchester Central;
Greater Mersey;
Highlands, Islands, Clyde Coast and Grampian;
Lanarkshire;
Lancashire;
Liverpool and Wirral;
Northumbria;
South Tyne and Wear;
South Wales Valleys;
South West Wales;
South Yorkshire;
Staffordshire;
Tees Valley.

In all other areas of Britain, similar help and advice is provided by Pathways to Work providers.

You can join the programme if you receive one or more of the following benefits:

Employment and Support Allowance;
Incapacity Benefit;
Severe Disablement Allowance;
Income Support including a disability premium;
Income Support because your Incapacity Benefit has been stopped and you are appealing against the decision;
National Insurance credits because of incapacity;
Disability Living Allowance, provided that you do not get Jobseeker’s Allowance and are not in paid work for 16 hours or more a week;
Housing Benefit with a disability premium, provided that you do not get Jobseeker’s Allowance and are not in paid work for 16 hours or more a week;
Council Tax Benefit, provided that you do not get Jobseeker’s Allowance and are not in paid work for 16 hours or more a week;
War Pension with an Unemployability Supplement;
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit with an Unemployability Supplement

a benefit equivalent to Incapacity Benefit from an European Union (EU) member country.

New Deal for Disabled People Job Brokers can offer you a wide range of support, including:

helping you to look at your skills and abilities and identify suitable job opportunities;
advice about writing CVs;
helping you through the process of applying for jobs, including help with filling in application forms;
help with preparing for interviews;
identifying any training needs you may have and then working with local training providers to get the training you need;
information about local job vacancies;
supporting you during your first six months in work.

They also work closely with local employers to help make sure things go well for you at work. They can arrange extra support in the workplace – like special equipment, for example - if you need it.

Some Job Brokers may be able to help you with travel costs to interviews or even pay for some of your costs while you are looking for work. They will also advise you about help like the travel-to-interview scheme.

You can only register with one Job Broker at a time so you may want to talk to each one in your area about what they can offer before you choose one.

When you have chosen a Job Broker, ask to register with them. They will ask you for brief information about yourself and will arrange an appointment with you to begin helping you to find a job.

WORKSTEP

The WORKSTEP employment programme provides support to disabled people facing complex barriers to getting and keeping a job. It also offers practical assistance to employers.

You may benefit from WORKSTEP if you have a disability and wish to have a job where you can:

develop and improve your job skills;
have the opportunity to develop and progress through training and support;
have the right kind of support and encouragement when you need it.

Contact your Jobcentre and ask to be put in touch with a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA). Your Disability Employment Adviser will tell you whether you’re eligible for the programme and help you decide whether it is right for you.

WORKSTEP can provide support to you and your employer:

in almost any type of job;
that will be tailored to your individual needs.

WORKSTEP gives you the opportunity to work in a variety of different jobs through a wide range of organisations from small high street shops to national companies. You will get the same wage as non-disabled colleagues doing the same or similar work

If you’re starting a new job, the WORKSTEP provider will introduce you to your manager and colleagues at work and keep in touch to make sure everything is going smoothly.

You will be able to agree a development plan with your WORKSTEP provider and your employer which makes sure you get the necessary training and support to learn to do your job, and develop in it.

Work Preparation Programme

If you are thinking about returning to work after a long period of sickness or unemployment, the Work Preparation programme offered by Jobcentre Plus may provide the support you need.

Work Preparation is a flexible, individually-tailored programme that can help you prepare for the return to work.

Work Preparation can help you to:

identify the type of work most suitable for you;
gain work experience in a work environment;
learn new skills or update old ones;
build your confidence.

The programme does not last for a specific length of time. Most people who take part use it for between six and thirteen weeks. Programmes are normally available locally, either at the premises of a programme provider or a local workplace. Sometimes Work Preparation can be held at a residential centre.

At the end of a programme, the provider will complete a final report and give a copy to you and to your Disability Employment Adviser (DEA). You will then have an appointment with your DEA so that you can discuss the report. The two of you will agree an action plan for the future, which may include looking for work, training or further education.

Contact your Jobcentre to make an appointment with the DEA. They will be able to discuss whether the Work Preparation programme is likely to give you the help you are looking for.