Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsDepartment for Work and PensionsPersonnel TodayDisability

Disability: Access to Work grant rises by a third

by Rob Moss 20 Mar 2018
by Rob Moss 20 Mar 2018

Some disabled employees are to receive a 36% increase in Access to Work grants to assist them at work from next month.

From 1 April 2018, people can claim up to £57,200 annually to help pay for additional support in the workplace –£15,000 more than the current cap of £42,100.

Access to Work provides financial support to ensure someone’s disability or health condition doesn’t hold them back at work, and can cover workplace adaptations, assistive technology, transport and interpreters.

Increasing the amount people can receive annually will ensure that more disabled people, particularly from the deaf community, are able to benefit from the grant and achieve their career aspirations.

Work and pensions secretary Esther McVey said: “By extending this grant we’re ensuring that many more disabled people can reach their career potential, which is a key part of our commitment to getting one million more disabled people in work by 2027.”

A statement from the UK Council on Deafness said: “This will help deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language (BSL) to access the communication support so vital to enabling them to thrive and succeed in the workplace.”

The Government aims have one million more people with a disability in work by 2027. In a statement it said it would introduce the following measures:

  • discretion in exceptional cases of multiple disability, to consider award limits averaged over a longer period – for example, where a person’s ongoing need for a support worker may be below the cap but when coupled with a periodic need for say a wheelchair, would exceed the cap in that year;
  • introduction of managed personal budgets to enable greater choice and control for customers in the way grants are spent;
  • taking applications 12 weeks ahead of a job start date rather than the current six weeks to allow more time for support to be agreed and put in place;
  • continuing to invest in our digital improvements such as developing the facility to submit invoices online;
  • allowing more flexibility in how people can use Access to Work to support short periods of work experience where there is a likelihood of a paid job in the near future.

However, campaign group Inclusion London described the cap as inappropriate and discriminatory. “Any cap hits those with the highest support needs, effectively penalising deaf and disabled people with the highest support needs and impacting most on certain impairment groups.”

It said the new cap is still a fixed limit set in an entirely arbitrary way. Costs for specialised equipment and interpreters tailored to individuals’ needs can exceed this amount or vary from year to year.

“There is no financial reason for a cap given that investment in Access to Work makes a return on investment to the Treasury through taxes, without taking into account the added cost benefits of savings to the NHS or social care budgets,” it added.

Speaking at an event to drive awareness of autistic talent, Sarah Newton, minister for disabled people, health and work, said the Government wanted to encourage employers to access much-needed talent, particularly those potentially facing skills shortages post-Brexit.

“It’s important that everyone has the ability to reach their full potential. We have record levels of people in employment but still plenty of job opportunities. It’s not acceptable that there are so many talented people that with some support could be in employment,” she said.

 

Rob Moss
Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. He specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts, most recently on the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Five ways blockchain could change the face of HR
next post
Why fatherhood holds the key to solving the gender pay gap

1 comment

Avatar
Fiona Flaherty 21 Mar 2018 - 11:08 pm

Talent.
A skill few posses.

Society is so bound up with CVs littered with lists of Skills and Knowledge, Qualifications and Experience.

So why shouldn’t those with less conventional ‘entry’ qualifications just demonstrate their talent?

It’s usually organic – and something that just can’t be just learnt.

Priceless.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Four-day week: what are the legal considerations for...

28 Jun 2022

Gender pay gap ‘won’t close until 2151’

27 Jun 2022

Third of employees living ‘payday to payday’

27 Jun 2022

PwC to award inflation-busting pay increase

27 Jun 2022

Barristers walk out in protest over fees

27 Jun 2022

Roe v Wade: US employers rally to support...

27 Jun 2022

Graduate salaries rise sharply as search for talent...

27 Jun 2022

Don’t be gloomy over social mobility in the...

24 Jun 2022

Christian awarded £22k following dismissal over religious necklace

24 Jun 2022

Movers and shakers June 2022: Lloyds, Indeed, Zoom...

24 Jun 2022
  • NSPCC revamps its learning strategy with child wellbeing at its heart PROMOTED | The NSPCC’s mission is to prevent abuse and neglect...Read more
  • Diversity versus inclusion: Why the difference matters PROMOTED | It’s possible for an environment to be diverse, but not inclusive...Read more
  • Five steps for organisations across the globe to become more skills-driven PROMOTED | The shift in the world of work has been felt across the globe...Read more
  • The future of workforce development PROMOTED | Northumbria University and partners share insight...Read more
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+