Access To Work

Disabled people can now get support through Access to Work when setting up their own business if they are enrolled on the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA). The NEA provides expert coaching and financial support for jobseekers with a business idea.

The Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey, has announced some changes to the Access to Work programme. The changes, announced in a written statement, include a streamlining of the application process, an intent to make travel plans more personalised and strengthened guidance for advisors on working with employers.

Liz Sayce, the author of the specialist disability employment report, Getting in, Staying in, Getting on, has written to disability minister, Esther McVey about her “serious concerns” about the rapid fall in the number of disabled people funded by the Access to Work (AtW) scheme.

Sayce published her report on disability employment programmes in June 2011, and among her recommendations called for the number of people receiving AtW funding to double.

The Government has announced that the employer subsidy previously announced for young disabled people finding work through Work Choice is now operational. From today, employers can claim a payment of up to £2,275 when they recruit a young disabled person through Work Choice.

The subsidy will sit alongside the £1 billion Youth Contract and was extended to Work Choice following criticism that it only previously applied to young poeople finding work through the Work Programme.

Minister for Disabled People, Maria Miller said:

The Government has announced that Access to Work will be available to support young disabled people undertaking voluntary work experience under the youth contract. It has also announced a 12 month targeted marketing campaign for Access to Work to ensure better participation of under-represented groups. An additional £15million has been set aside for the Access to Work programme.

The Government has published its response to Liz Sayce's review of specialist disability employment provision. The response follows a consultation held between July and October 2011 to which 1400 individuals and organisations submitted views.

The Government response points towards a personalised approach and is likely to lead to Remploy's Employment Services leaving Government control. It is likely that 36 of Remploy's 54 factories will close by the end of the year, putting 1700 jobs at risk. The remaining 18 factories face an uncertain future.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has rescinded new rules that were making it harder for disabled people to use a key employment support scheme to find and keep work. The new rules had been highlighted by the Essex-based disabled people’s organisation ecdp in August after it was contacted by members and staff concerned by the new restrictions on Access to Work (AtW) funding.

BASE has submitted its response to the DWP consultation on the recommendations of Liz Sayce's report "Getting in, Staying in and Getting on". The review looked at proposals affecting Access to Work, Remploy provision and residential training colleges but also produced proposals to move towards using personal budgets. The closing date for responses is 17 October.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/specialist-disability-emp-prog....

Figures released by DWP show that 1440 fewer people received support through Access to Work in 2010-11 compared to the previous year.