Starting or renewing your Access to Work application – Some handy tips!

Starting or renewing your Access to Work application – Some handy tips!

Starting or renewing your Access to Work application – Some handy tips!

Many business owners with neurodiverse conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, or dyspraxia would benefit from the Access to Work scheme.

Unfortunately, as we know from working with many such business owners, the process of applying can be exactly the sort of task they struggle with. So, let’s take a quick look at what to expect and how to deal with some of the hurdles you may encounter.

 

What is Access to Work? – A quick recap

The Access to Work scheme is a government funded programme aimed at supporting people with disabilities or long-term health conditions. The scheme is designed to ensure that disability or health conditions, including physical disabilities, mental health challenges, or neurodiverse conditions such as autism or dyslexia, do not prevent someone from securing or retaining employment. That includes self-employment and running a business.

Let me tell you from the start that this scheme is a brilliant way to help release the potential of neurodiverse entrepreneurs. We work with business owners who often face challenges because of their condition, and we have worked with many of them to apply or renew their application. It’s worth the time and effort to apply. The help they receive is worth much more than the funds provided. It allows them to bring us in so we can take away some of the day to day business requirements that many neurodiverse people find a challenge.

I cannot praise the help this scheme provides and the difference it makes to neurodiverse businesses people enough. With it they can concentrate on what they do best, creative efforts, getting on with things they are good at, and building a successful business.

There is more about how people use the Access to Work scheme on our website.

 

Sounds great, so where is the problem?

Well, there isn’t a problem as such and, as we said earlier, the scheme is fantastic. The difficulty comes in the process of applying for or renewing a claim. This is a government process and, sorry, that means a fair amount of red tape. Applying for the Access to Work scheme means dealing with pages and pages of a government form and the intricacies of the .gov website. That can be frustrating for anyone. Ironically it is doubly frustrating if you are trying to do it with one of the neurodiverse conditions that the fund is there to support. 

We can break it down to a few steps:

Step one: Do You Qualify and Assessing your Needs.

Before applying, think carefully about the type of support you need that would help you in your role. For neurodiverse individuals, this might include:

There is also a button at the bottom of the page so you can book an exploratory call with us to see if we can help you with the application and onwards with support. Don’t let the red tape get to you in advance, call us and let’s see what we can do.

 

Step 2: Gather the Required Information

When applying, you’ll need some information. Getting it ready in advance is a good idea. You will need:

Again, we will talk about this with you in the discovery call. To be honest, this is the area that most applicants find most difficult. There is a lot to think about and for many neurodiverse applicants, needing to consider how your condition could affect your working life is quite a challenge. See our tips for how to make a start so we can work through things in your discovery call.

 

Step 3: Submit Your Application

You can apply for the Access to Work grant online through the UK government website. Alternatively, you can apply via phone by calling the Access to Work helpline.

After submission, a case manager from the DWP will review your application. You may be contacted to provide further details about your needs and your workplace environment but this is often not needed.

 

Step 4: Workplace Assessment

Once your application is accepted, an assessor will work with you to identify/confirm appropriate adjustments. This might involve a visit to your workplace but often it is a remote consultation. This is not a grilling or an investigation they will just want to help you ensure that the identified barriers at work are being addressed in the right way.

 

Step 5: Implementation

After the assessment, the DWP will issue a report outlining the recommended adjustments and the funding available. Once the funds are agreed there is some regular paperwork to complete and they will be paid monthly. DWP then occasionally want to just check in with you to see how things are doing.

 

Some ‘real world’ hints and tips on applying for the Access to Work Scheme.

1 - Be specific about your needs. The DWP will want to know the challenges you face and how the adjustments you want make or support you want to use will help. For example, if your dyslexia makes scheduling a problem for you, then be specific about needing someone to run your diary.

2 - Be practical in your approach. You know what affect your neurodiversity has on your working day. In some ways you are the ultimate expert because it is you it affects. The assessor may not be an expert, in fact they may not be overly familiar with your condition. So, be clear about what practical issues you face to make sure the assessor will have context.

3 - Think about these when answering the questions:

These are the kinds of things to put into context for tip number two. So, you could say something along the lines of… ‘My ADHD makes me disorganised and forgetful. For example, I will often forget to do my weekly bookkeeping, arrange a meeting or sometimes forget to invoice. I need someone to help manage my diary to ensure I follow up on client meetings and have effective credit control’

4 - Warning the system times out and doesn’t save progress. There is not much more likely to make you angry, frustrated, and ready to give up on an online application than going for a break only to come back and find you need to start again. We suggest you write your application on a word document first and then copy and paste it in, that way nothing is lost

5 - Expect a long wait: Sorry, it takes months for the application to process. So, you need to be patient.

 

There are a few more useful tips we can pass on, but some depend on your circumstances and every business is unique, so again, book a discovery call to see if we can help.

The Access to Work grant can be a life changing for neurodiverse businesspeople. Our clients tell us that it often frees them from the tasks that stop them from achieving the success they deserve. Remember, the grant is there to ensure you can fully contribute your talents to your workplace.

 

NOTES: This article is informed by our experience with neurodiverse business owners and the application process for Access to Work. We encourage you to fully explore charity and support groups as well as speaking to us. The important thing is to get the support you need for your business.

The Access to Work scheme will also help you with traditional employment but we are a business that works to support neurodiverse businesspeople with administrative support, therefore we are not really appropriate to help with those circumstances.

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