My Experience of Access to Work as an Individual and a Business by Elizabeth Wright
This has taken some time for me to get the confidence to write this article but after a rollercoaster of a year dealing with Access to Work as a business I want to be able to share my experiences to anyone who is considering applying for Access to Work as a claimant but also to any business who sees an opportunity of supplying services and getting paid under Access to Work.
Individual Experience as an Access to Work Claimant.
I finally got the courage to apply for Access to Work in July 2022 – it took me months of deciding as to whether it was the right thing to do. The fear came from applying for money from the Government and also an inner personal battle that depression was a real thing for me and that I didn’t want to be labelled with an illness – in reality I was, and I needed the support to help run my business in those times when I was hit with those periods when I was struggling.
When I was in in my 20’s I suffered from repressive depressive disorder which culminated in a period off work as I had to hide away unable to cope with my feelings and the pressures of everyday life. Whilst I had tried anti depressants the feelings this invoked made me feel worse and so I took a route of therapy to get over my depression – it took a long time and with the support of my future husband who helped me build my confidence that I could do the things I wanted. Nowadays with the pressure of running a business I still have those episodes that may last for a week which in turns influences the day to day running of the business.
I applied for Access to Work for a support worker to help me through these times. The process took 5 months to even get the application processed but once it started it was a fairly quick process. It was scary as the process asked questions about my business and my illness which opened old inadequacies about myself. I was awarded 12 hours a week which enabled me to get a PA to manage my inbox and calendar and be the first point of contact for staff and clients as I struggle with email inbox phobia (yes, a real thing!). I recruited Carol Chapman in this role, and it has changed my life and enabled me to build my business which is what Access to Work is all about so then I am giving back to the UK economy.
As a business owner whether a director of a company or self-employed, I encourage you if you have a disability to apply for Access to Work which could get you software and equipment, job aide and coaching support to support you in your business to help it grow.
Experience as a Business helping people with their Access to Work Awards
Admin and More started helping people with Access to Work claims in December 2020 after signing up a client in the second lockdown. Through that client we were asked to support their clients with all the paperwork at that time needed to successfully claim funds from the awards to pay for the services our client supplied. During this first year we got to know about how Access to Work works and what potentially can be awarded. During 2022 our business really grew as we took on more Access to Work clients delivering admin support to support them in their business.
In the summer of 2022, we launched our Access to Work application support services to help people with the application process. Feedback from clients with neurodiverse disabilities meant that some were unable to cope with the intricacies of the application process and the paperwork needed as part of that process and so since we launched the service, we have helped over 250 people apply for Access to Work all of which have been awarded some type of support.
Whilst you can apply for the grant free of charge through the Government website, Admin and More do charge a fee for the application process because we now have a team of three supporting individuals through their applications all, of which are paid a salary to do so – At Admin and More we make no profit from the processing of applications, the fees collected covers the cost of our staff time to deliver the service to clients. Where Admin and More does benefit is if the applicant chooses Admin and More to deliver their support worker service at the end of their application from their award.
However, since October 2023 the whole process of Access to Work has proved a rollercoaster especially in the awards of support workers. The rollercoaster started in November 2023 with the slowing down of the processing of payment of claims for a period which hit our cashflow and by the end of December 2023 we were owed £90,000 from claims which was incredibly stressful managing cashflow on a day to basis. Thankfully for us the process started speeding up in January 2024 with payments now generally paid within 3 weeks (online claims – paper claims are now taking around 6 weeks).
We know other businesses who service Access to Work users still have payments outstanding of up to £250,000 for services delivered which is crippling small businesses as they must find the cash to pay their staff – businesses like Admin and More are taking on staff to help facilitate the process of Access to Work and then wait months for payments. Given that there is a code for payments to small businesses with less than 50 employees that payments should be made within 30 days it is sad that the DWP cannot honour this. When the process works it works well and in a timely way especially with the online claims system now which means you can track payments more effectively.
But the biggest shake up we have seen is in the award of Job Aides and Support Workers – award values have been cut for both Coaching and the hourly rates paid to support workers. Some of our applicants are only being awarded £11.44 (minimum wage) with the reasoning that it is an average salary for an admin assistant on Indeed.com. Applicants have been in tears as they have been told by DWP that they need to employ someone to assist them rather than use a freelancer and so the thought of dealing with HMRC for PAYE is putting applicants under even more stress.
Being somewhat of a cynic I can see the benefit to DWP as more people are signed up as employees under the PAYE system for the UK government to collect more tax and to get money back for the awards that they claim rather than waiting for the self-assessment process of once a year for Freelancers.
The additional work of reconsideration claims that the DWP are now taking 6 – 8 weeks to process on top of the 20 weeks (in April 2024) it is taking to process applications shows that the system is not working right – Like all government services this is another service that is under resourced and is having huge effect on the claimants who are waiting.
Applicants we have helped through the process say once awarded it has a huge effect on their working lives just like I have seen the benefits. I know I am contributing to the UK economy because of the benefit of the award.
So, at Admin and More we adapt our services so we can offer the services that fit in with the grant awarded. The services we provide have changed and it’s not just admin support we provide but accountability support alongside traditional admin support services.
If you are thinking of applying for Access to Work and would like Admin and More to support, you then in the first instance book in for a consultation check – we like to meet anyone we put through the process before we get you sign up to ensure you are eligible for Access to Work and before you pay for our support.
Once we know you are eligible the cost of the complete package means we support you right from the initial application right through to reconsideration process and until you have an award. We are constantly reviewing the changes at Access to Work to ensure we can deliver the right service for you and to ensuring you are getting what you are entitled to. See our packages for more information.
Access to Work is an amazing programme and is lifechanging to the people who benefit from it. We do encourage anyone with a disability and who is working to apply for it just be prepared for a long process to get it awarded.
