Access to Work
As a company, we have supported thousands of autistic students through University and many of these continue to receive support upon graduation and when entering employment. We are perfectly placed to understand the needs of autistic people and have vast reaching experience of communicating these needs to employers to ensure that they are able to utilise the unique skills and insights of their autistic employees.
As a company we employ a diverse workforce and actively seek to employ neurodiverse individuals, resulting in a team that is comprised of over 50% neurodiverse staff. This means that we are perfectly placed to offer all forms of access to work support, training and consultation regarding employing autistic staff.
What we offer:
Workplace Coaching
Workplace coaching is an entirely inclusive new programme that has been created by and for neurodiverse employees. This takes the form of 10 sessions that are designed to help you to:
- Understand your own role as a neurodiverse employee within a company
- Succeed and thrive in your work environment
- Understand your neurodiversity and feel comfortable and supported by your employer, including identifying and implementing reasonable adjustments
- Develop a personal toolkit of strategies based on neurodiversity and coaching theory to support you in your role and to mitigate any stressors
Workplace Assessment
Everybody is more productive when they are comfortable within their work environment and with the people around them; autistic people are no different. A workplace assessment helps you to identify barriers in the environment that could hinder autistic/ADHD staff and adjustments that can be made to help your employees reach their full potential, as well as giving you supportive management techniques and effective ways to communicate.
Training to support wider teams
All the support that we provide is designed to both support individuals in understanding their autistic strengths and where reasonable adjustments can help them to reach their full potential in employment.
How to Apply for Access to Work
You can apply for Access to Work online or by phone but first you must check if you are eligible for support which you can do here by calling 0800 121 7479 or by clicking here: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/eligibility
You will need to be able to provide these details during your application:
- your contact details
- your workplace address and postcode
- the name of a workplace contact who can confirm you work there (they will not be contacted without your permission)
- the email address or work phone number of your workplace contact
- your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number (if you’re self-employed)
- information about how your condition affects your work and what support you think you need
In order to submit your application, you will need to be able to answer the following questions:
- Are you a civil servant?
- What are your conditions or disabilities?
- Do you want some help to get to work?
- Does your condition make it harder for you to do your job?
- Are you employed, self-employed or a director of a limited company?
- Where do you work?
- How long have you been in your current job or role?
- Provide a workplace contact
- Provide your contact details and date of birth
- What type of Access to Work are you applying for?
- Who do you want to be contacted about your condition, award or application?
What happens next?
After you apply for Access to Work you will be contacted to discuss your application. At which point you can request a specific company to support you.
The person who contacts you may ask:
- For more information about your work and condition
- for permission to speak to your employer
- to arrange for an assessor to call you or view your workplace by video call or in person – this is to find out what changes might help you
You will then receive a letter with a decision and explanation. It will tell you how much your grant will be and what it should pay for.
For more information, contact Access to Work on their helpline:
Telephone 0800 121 7479
Textphone 0800 121 7579