Guidance

Chapter 2: Target group and eligibility

Updated 30 October 2024

Holistic Assessment contracts

2.01. You are responsible for ensuring you read, understand and comply with your contract and this guidance, in conjunction with the Generic Guidance for DWP Providers. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/framework-generic-guidance-provider-guidance

How to refer a customer to Access to Work Holistic Assessment

2.02. Access to Work is delivered through DWP Access to Work Case Managers (Referred to as Access to Work Case Managers throughout this guidance), who can offer advice to customers and employers.

2.03. Customers can apply for Access to Work support in any of the following ways:

• online at the Access to Work section of GOV.UK
• by telephoning the Access to Work Service Centre between 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday on 0800 121 7479 (Textphone 0800 121 7579)

2.04. Customers can apply online on https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply or via the Service Centre.

2.05. Customers not applying online should contact the Service Centre themselves where possible. Therefore, if a customer appears eligible for Access to Work, providers should explain to them that they should contact the Access to Work Service Centre and provide them with the relevant contact details. The Service Centre will:

• check their eligibility
• take their application and pass it to an Access to Work Case Manager

2.06. The Access to Work Case Manager will work closely with the customer and can draw on the expertise of independent specialist assessors to identify appropriate solutions to their needs, working with the customer and their employer to propose a package of help. The Access to Work Case Manager will also inform the customer that they have a choice of how the assessment is undertaken, either Face-to-Face or Virtually and discuss with the customer which assessment type the customer thinks is most appropriate for their needs.

Referrals from DWP Access to Work Case Manager

2.07. As part of the referral, the Access to Work Case Manager will send over information on the customer to support the initial contact.

2.08. DWP will endeavour to refer Customers in equal numbers to each of the two Access to Work Holistic Assessment Providers. Referrals will be split based on the last two digits of a Customers’ National Insurance Number; Customers with a National Insurance Number ending between 00 to 49 will be referred to Supplier A and Customers with a National Insurance Number ending between 50 to 99 will be referred to Supplier B.

2.09. Provider employee referrals will be managed by the alternative Provider to maintain confidentiality. Providers should not process their own employees’ referrals to AtW HA.

2.10. In the event that a Providers employee is referred to the same Provider this will be picked up by the AtW Case Manager and a re-referral will be necessary.

2.11. Information sent as part of the referral is sensitive personal data within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), therefore handling, processing and transmission rules apply. The information will include (but may not be limited to) the following:

• full name including title
• Unique Reference Number (URN)
• National Insurance Number (NINO)
• place of assessment (full postal address)
• additional ID
• preferred contact details (email/phone/mobile)
• employment contacts
• customer availability
• disability description
• job title/description
• Access to Work Case Manager contact details
• date of referral.

2.12. You will need to work with the Access to Work Case Managers to ensure an effective referral and engagement process with the Customer.

2.13. Information will be transmitted to you via the Provider Referral and Payment (PRaP) system interface and the Access to Work Case Manager will send the Holistic Assessment Referral via e-mail.

2.14. Trusted Partners Secure Email must be used for sending and receiving referrals. All queries regarding AtW Holistic Assessment referral or follow up report should be sent to atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk

Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) referrals

2.15. MAPPA are statutory arrangements for managing sexual, violent, and certain other offenders in the community in Scotland, England and Wales.

2.16. MAPPA is not a statutory body but a mechanism through which agencies can better discharge their statutory responsibilities and protect the public in a co-ordinated manner.

2.17. MAPPA cases who have not been given Special Customer Record (SCR) status will be referred through PRaP. You will receive the referral, minus the address, postcode and contact telephone number.

Actions

• the nominated officer from Access to Work will contact your nominated officer to give contact details and any restrictions that should be in place for each MAPPA referral. They may decide to forward to you a copy of the MAPPA J form which will detail the restrictions. Risks or restrictions will be different for every MAPPA case
• the MAPPA J form and any other clerical documents for each claim must be held securely, with restricted access, following the same process as you would for SL2s
• take the same action on PRaP as for non-MAPPA cases to acknowledge and start the customer

2.18. You can set up normal electronic records on your IT systems for MAPPA customers. However, the record must only contain minimal information and should be marked that it is a MAPPA case, and that further information can be obtained from your nominated officer. Therefore, access to this record does not need to be restricted.

Special Customer Record (SCR) Referrals (including MAPPA cases given SCR status)

2.19. Certain customers are allocated SCR status, for cases where unrestricted access to customer data poses a demonstrable risk to the customer’s safety. These customers must not have their details held on any electronic systems. Customers who have been granted SCR status will be referred to you clerically via the SL2 process. There is no clerical equivalent of acknowledging an electronic referral for SCR cases, so this step does not apply in these instances.

2.20. In rare cases, some MAPPA customers may be given SCR status. You must ensure that you treat these cases as you would any other SCR customers. Access to a SCR must be restricted to a set period of time and on an event-by-event basis.

Actions

• DWP will complete page one (of three) of the SL2 form, forwarding the entire form to your nominated officer
• undertake initial engagement activity following receipt of SL2 form from DWP (retaining pages two and three of the SL2 form)
• complete and return page one to the DWP nominated officer
• send a photocopy of page two of the SL2 form to the Provider Payment Validation Team (PPVT)

2.21. You must ensure you have a full understanding of who these customers are and how you should deal with them. You must ensure full compliance with the SCR clerical record process.

2.22. The clerical completion and return of SL2 Forms for SCR customers should always be undertaken by your nominated officer, who must ensure that “SCR Customer” is clearly marked at the top of each form.

2.23. All information on SCR Customers, whether received from Access to Work or generated by yourselves, must be stored securely at all times.

2.24. DWP expects you to have effective processes in place to meet all the above requirement and be able to demonstrate that you have conducted the necessary actions.

Acknowledging the referral

2.25. You must acknowledge the referral in PRaP within 1 (one) working day of receiving the referral.

Actions

• access PRaP
• acknowledge referral

Consequences - Failure to acknowledge a referral will mean that you will:

• be unable to record a start date and subsequently be unable to meet KPI1
• be unable to receive an Assessment Outcome payment

Initial engagement and customer contact

2.26. Initial engagement refers to the first attempt you make to contact the customer to arrange the Holistic Assessment. The assessment with the customer refers to the meeting (either Face-to-Face or Virtual) to determine their support needs as detailed on the Holistic Assessment Referral.

Please note: All Enhanced Holistic Assessments must be completed Face-to-Face.

2.27. Following your receipt of the PRaP referral from DWP and the Holistic Assessment Referral from the Access to Work Case Manager, you must discuss the assessment with the customer and confirm whether the customer’s choice of a Face-to-Face or Virtual assessment is most appropriate.

2.28. You are expected to make at least 2 attempts during the first day to contact the customer and if unsuccessful further attempts should be made on second day. Ensure attempts to contact customer are made at different times of the day to avoid conflicting with regular scheduled commitments using a variety of media.

2.29. The assessment must be arranged within two (2) Working Days of your receipt of the referral (not including weekends or England and Wales public holidays), to meet your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the start date must be recorded in PRaP (see Chapter 5 of this guidance – The Provider Referrals and Payments System).

2.30. The Access to Work Case Manager will have obtained the customer and/or employer and any other parties contact details, this is to help you make initial contact within the timeframe indicated in your contract.

2.31. Key to scheduling the assessment with the customer is to ensure that it takes place as quickly as possible but takes into account the availability of all parties to be involved. We expect you to:

• provide a customer help-desk facility from 08.30 to 17.30 Monday to Friday
• record all Holistic Assessment Referrals and assess, prioritise and action them in an efficient, customer focussed and cost-effective manner
• engage with the Customer and book a Holistic Assessment with them, which may be Face-to-Face, via telephone call, video link or any other method permitted by your contract (unless is an Enhanced Holistic Assessment which should always be conducted Face-to-Face)
• engage with an approved assessor to requisition an appropriate Face-to-Face or Virtual Holistic Assessment
• using the Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A) taking the customer’s preference and other relevant health-related factors into consideration, agree the most effective mode of assessment
• in accordance with Annex D (MMIR Template) offer customer at least 5 appointment slots aligned with the customer availability within the timeframe specified for the assessment type

2.32. It is paramount to support customer choice, therefore a request for a Face-to-Face Standard Holistic Assessment or Virtual Standard Holistic Assessment should always be upheld wherever possible.

2.33. There may, however, be occasions when the customer would prefer a Virtual assessment and their needs indicate that a Face-to-Face assessment would be more effective (for example, they may need to be measured for a chair which cannot be effectively done Virtually). In these circumstances it is important to fully explain to the customer why a Face-to-Face assessment is necessary.

2.34. If you are unable to contact the Customer within two (2) working days of the original referral and the Customer has not made contact, you must inform the Access to Work Case Manager of all the dates and times you have attempted to contact the Customer and the method of contact used.

2.35. If you receive a request which you consider to be potentially outside your remit or you have received an inappropriate referral, you should contact the AtW Service Delivery Team: atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk

Types of Holistic Assessment

2.36. After you have received the Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A) from DWP, the Assessor must discuss the type of assessment with the customer and confirm whether the customer’s choice of a Face-to-Face or Virtual assessment is most appropriate, unless an Enhanced Holistic Assessment is required as the Enhanced Holistic Assessment must always be conducted Face-to-Face.

2.37. There are 3 types of Holistic Assessment:

• Face-to-Face Standard Holistic Assessment
• Virtual Standard Holistic Assessment
• Enhanced Holistic Assessment

2.38. The Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) is required for customers who have the greatest barriers to work and require greater in-depth conversations with employers, when applicable, due to their complex needs and support requirements.

2.39. The Enhanced Holistic Assessment provides an opportunity, in addition to the existing aspects of the Standard Holistic Assessment, for the Assessor to review and discuss how the employee’s job role and/or work environment has been adapted. The Enhanced Holistic Assessment will involve, when applicable, mandatory conversations with Employers and a review of the whole work environment. This differs to a standard AtW Holistic Assessment which only assesses the individual’s workstation area.

Types of Enhanced Holistic Assessment

AtW Transitional Employer Support Grant (TESG)

2.40. The AtW Transitional Employer Support Grant (TESG) has been available to each employee who was in a Work Choice Protected Place on 31st March 2019 and continued in employment within a Supported Business. There is no difference to the assessment approach which should be conducted as detailed above. All TESG assessments must be conducted Face-to-Face.

2.41. On 30 September 2024, the AtW TESG closed to all new applications. Following the closure of the AtW TESG there should be no referrals for this type received. Should you receive this type of assessment, please work with the AtW Delivery single point of contact to identify the correct assessment type, updating PRaP as appropriate.

2.42. Existing TESG recipients are undergoing assessment and will be considered for Access to Work Plus support, starting from 13th November 2023.

2.43. Each TESG recipient will undergo an Enhanced Holistic Assessment that must be conducted Face-to-Face to fully determine their support needs in the workplace, ensuring a smooth transition from TESG to Access to Work or Access to Work Plus where appropriate.

2.44. A new PRaP opportunity has been created for recipients of TESG who need an Access to Work Plus referral. For more information, please refer to Chapter 5 The Provider Referrals and Payment System (PRaP).

2.45. As with all Holistic Assessments, if you believe that the AtW Mental Health Support Service may be appropriate, you should highlight this within your Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report so the Access to Work Case Manager can take appropriate action.

2.46. You should mark the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) as TESG by selecting ‘yes’ in the box at the top of the form. The following will also need to be completed:

• assessment of needs - where individual support needs include:
  • job aide in excess of 20% and up to a maximum of 50% of the disabled person’s weekly contracted hours, and/or
  • job coach on an ongoing basis, and/or
  • extra supervision needed to enable them to deliver the job, and/or
  • support that is not directly related to workplace activities (e.g., personal finances or handling difficult personal matters) but necessary to sustain employment
• Employer Section – this should include:
  • details of employer
  • Health and Safety requirements, and
  • steps the employer is taking to accommodate the individual by tailoring the job to accommodate the employee’s disability, for example, adapting processes, machinery, the pace of work expected or the extent of the job role (job shaping), and/or
• where the employer has made adjustments to the workplace to enable the disabled employee, beyond what is considered a reasonable adjustment, for example, implementing accessible signage, adapting office organisation/layout or equipment, this should be recorded in the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C)
• progression planning - you should detail steps being taken to support progression into mainstream employment if appropriate

Access to Work Plus Proof of Concept

Background

2.47. Access to Work is testing a new offer that:

• encourages employers to think about their job roles and helps to un-lock employment opportunities for disabled people who have the greatest barriers to employment and need more support than standard Access to Work; and/or
• Provides support for employers who go further and make adjustments in the workplace and adapt job roles to accommodate disabilities

Phase 1 of the AtW Plus Proof of Concept was live between 16th May 2022 - 31st December 2022.

Phase 2 will commence on 5th June 2023 and enable 100 disabled people to access this new offer.

2.48. The Access to Work Plus pilot closed on 22 March 2024. Any assessment requests after this date will be for existing Access to Work Plus pilot applicants or participants. When considering the type of assessment, from 22 March 2024, the enhanced face to face assessment for Access to Work Plus will no longer be available. Please do not consider this as part of your assessment determinations.

2.49. The Access to Work Plus pilot is undergoing evaluation at this time. From 1st October 2024, Supported Businesses who were part of the Transitional Employer Support Grant as of 30th September 2024, will be able to apply for Access to Work Plus.

2.50. These Supported Businesses will be identified by the Access to Work delivery teams and will refer the customer for an Access to Work Plus Enhanced Face to Face assessment.

2.51. Further information on the future of the Access to Work Plus pilot for all other individuals, will be available at the earliest opportunity following receipt of the evaluation report.

Referral

2.52. All AtW Plus customers will be referred to you on the Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A). The form will be marked as AtW Plus by selecting ‘yes’ in the box at the top of the form.

2.53. Where the Access to Work Case Manager has indicated that it is an AtW Plus referral you must conduct a Face-to-Face Enhanced Holistic assessment with the customer.

Assessment

2.54. You will also need to collect additional information for AtW Plus customers on the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) and clearly mark as AtW Plus on the form. The following will also need to be completed:

• Assessment of needs - where individual support needs are identified as:

  • job aide in excess of 20% and up to a maximum of 50% of the disabled person’s weekly contracted hours, and/or
  • job coach on an ongoing basis, and/or
  • extra supervision needed to enable them to deliver the job, and/or
  • support that is not directly related to workplace activities (e.g., personal finances or handling difficult personal matters) but necessary to sustain employment

• Employer Section – this should include:

  • details of employer
  • Health and Safety requirements and
  • steps the employer is taking to accommodate the individual by tailoring the job to accommodate the employee’s disability, for example, adapting processes, machinery, the pace of work expected or the extent of the job role (job shaping), and/or
  • for self-employed freelancers and contractors, details of how the person tendering the contract has shaped and adapted that contract to enable the person with a disability to take up the role.
• where the employer has made adjustments to the workplace to enable the disabled employee, beyond what is considered a reasonable adjustment, for example, implementing accessible signage, adapting office organisation/layout or equipment, this should be recorded in the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C); and
• progression Planning - you should detail steps being taken to support progression into mainstream employment if appropriate

2.55. The Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) has been updated to gather and present the information.

2.56. In discussion with the employer, you will need to determine if the support delivered to the employee on a one-to-one basis or whether this is on a shared support basis. A one-to-one basis is where the person providing the support is employed only to support that employee and no one else for the rest of the time they are in work. Shared support is where the person providing the support delivers support to the employee some of the time and will provide support to other employees as part of their normal day to day role.

2.57. This distinction should be recorded on the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) detailing how the support is delivered, including whether the person is specifically employed to provide support, or it is an extension of an existing employees role within the employers business e.g. line manager providing supervision.

Self-Employment for Access to Work Plus Proof of Concept

2.58. For Access to Work Plus, self-employed people fall into 2 distinct categories:

• Freelancers and Contractors, and
• Business Owners.

2.59. For Access to Work Plus, Freelancers and Contractors are able to receive both the Personal and Employer elements of AtW Plus, with the employer element being payable where the contract they are undertaking has been shaped to their disability or health condition.

2.60. For people who are Business Owners, they are only able to receive the Personal elements of Access to Work Plus where support needs demonstrate these requirements.

2.61. AtW Plus elements that Case Managers can award include:

Enhanced Personal Elements:

• AtW Plus - Job Coach,
• AtW Plus - Job Replacement and/or
• AtW Plus - Supervision

Employer Elements:

• AtW Plus - Employer Adaptations and/or
• AtW Plus - Employer Job Shaping

Please note: Customers can get AtW Plus for either one of the personal or the employer elements they do not need to satisfy both.

Supported Internships (SI) for Wales Only

2.62. Supported Internships are a structured, work-based study programme for 16-24-year-olds with Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND), who have a Statement of Special Educational Need (SSEN) or Individual Development Plan (IDP).

2.63. The core aim of a supported internship study programme is a substantial work placement, facilitated by the support of an expert job coach.

2.64. Supported interns are enrolled and supported by a learning provider, for example, a school or college, but spend most of their learning time - typically around 70% - in a workplace.

2.65. Access to Work offers support to Supported Interns working in a workplace environment which also accommodates hybrid working arrangements. All referrals marked as Supported Internship should have a Face-to-Face assessment.

2.66. The holistic assessment should capture the workplace adjustments already in place and make recommendations to overcome those barriers within the workplace or hybrid working environment.

2.67. For any adjustments or adaptations, the Access to Work customer requires in relation to the educational part of the Supported Internship, the provider should signpost the individual to their learning provider for assistance.

2.68. A high-level overview of the three Holistic Assessment types is provided below:

Virtual Standard Holistic Assessment

The Customer provides their own representative who will assist where required during the Holistic Assessment e.g., to take workstation measurements.

Employer conversation is voluntary.

The Customer can clearly articulate the impact their disability or health condition has on their ability to carry out their job role.

Face-to-Face Standard Holistic Assessment

The Assessor visits the Workplace to examine the workstation and is required to take measurements, anthropometrics and environment dimensions e.g., wheelchairs, powered chair, scooters, ergonomic seating/specialist chairs and desk or workstation requirements.

Employer conversation is voluntary.

The Customer has multiple and/or complex Workplace needs and is not able to articulate the impacts of their disability or health condition.

To be considered in circumstances where the working environment is perceived to be ‘non uniform’ such as Agricultural / Farming, Fishery or Coastal and Outdoor or Physical Tasking.

To be considered for assessments involving hearing conditions / impairment / deaf in circumstances where a Customer is not able to access captioning on video calls and/or technology or human support not available.

Enhanced Holistic Assessment

The Assessor visits the Workplace to understand and review the Customer’s workstation and the whole working environment.

Employer conversation when applicable is mandatory to enable the Assessor to ascertain reasonable adjustments already in place and consider job shaping or additional job task support to the Customer.

The Customer has multiple and complex Workplace needs and the Assessor requires additional time to undertake the assessment.

For all Supported Internships where the Customer requires additional advice where a Statement of Special Educational Needs is not issued.

For all new and review applications to the Transitional Employer Support Grant (TESG).

For all applications to Access to Work Plus.

Please note: DWP reserves the right to include additional groups of Customers for whom an Enhanced Holistic Assessment is required.

Undertaking a Holistic Assessment

2.69. The Holistic Assessment must describe barriers and give solutions for each one. It must include details of why current equipment/solutions are not meeting the needs of the customer.

2.70. When completing the Standard Holistic Assessment Report (Annex B) or the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C), Employer Section - the assessment must detail the capacity and knowledge of the organisation to highlight any areas of awareness or training to be addressed. It must address the compatibility of solutions with employers IT.

2.71. The customers’ expectations should be managed throughout the Holistic Assessment process to minimise the possibility that they may reject their final report. The content of the report should not come as a surprise to the customer, nor should they be expecting support over and above what is recommended.

2.72. A suitably qualified assessor will:

• comply with all relevant health and safety regulations
• comply with legislations relating to safeguarding and protecting vulnerable groups
• contact the Customer and Employer (unless otherwise indicated on the Holistic Assessment Referral) within two (2) Working Days of receiving a Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A) to arrange a date and time for the Assessment
• meet with the customer Face-to-Face or Virtually (telephone/video link)
• undertake the specified Holistic Assessment exploring all relevant factors of the individual’s disability. The assessor must make the customer aware that the resulting Holistic Assessment Report comprises recommendations for consideration, not guaranteed outcomes
• make recommendations to address work related barriers specifically related to the customer’s disability. A Support Worker can be recommended but all other potential options must be explored first and the report should clearly indicate the other options that were considered and the reasons why they were deemed unsuitable. The report should clearly indicate tasks that potentially require a Support Worker and the average amount of time the customer spends on this task per month
• produce a written Standard Holistic Assessment Report (Annex B) or Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C) in the specified format and to the specified standard and return it, electronically encrypted, within the timeframe specified in your contract, to the e-mail address as specified within the initial referral ensuring the Holistic Assessment Report meets the standards specified in Chapter 4 (Standards)

• produce a Holistic Assessment Report that must be received by the Authority within:

  • eight (8) Working Days of receipt of the Virtual Standard Holistic Assessment Referral;
    
  • ten (10) Working Days of receipt of the Face-to-Face Standard Holistic Assessment Referral;
  • twelve (12) Working days of receipt of the Enhanced Holistic Assessment.

Customer referred as Face-to-Face Standard AtW Assessment but identified as AtW Plus during assessment

2.73. There may be occasions where you receive a Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A) to conduct a Face-to-Face assessment for an AtW customer. During your assessment you may identify that the customer would benefit from an AtW Plus assessment.

2.74. On these rare occasions you should conduct an AtW Plus assessment using the Enhanced Holistic Assessment Report (Annex C).

2.75. In these cases, you should annotate the front page of Annex C with the reason why you have made this decision and provide supporting evidence to inform the Access to Work Case Manager.

Customer referred as Virtual AtW Standard Assessment but identified as AtW Plus during assessment

2.76. There may be occasions where you receive a Holistic Assessment Referral (Annex A) to conduct a Virtual Assessment for an AtW customer. During your assessment you may identify that this customer would benefit from an AtW Plus Face-to-Face assessment. In these circumstances, the customer will not be assessed as AtW Plus.

2.77. You should continue with the Virtual assessment and assess the customers in work support needs including supervision, ongoing job coaching or job replacement in excess of standard AtW and make your recommendation within the assessment report as per business as usual.

Hybrid Working

2.78. There may be instances when the customer has more than one regular place of work. This could include split-site offices and/or working from home.

2.79. It is important to capture requirements for the job role for all places of work in one Holistic Assessment to enable the customer to work in all of their regular working locations.

2.80. If there are particular needs relating to one site which will require further investigation, (post initial Face-to-Face/Virtual assessment) you should consider whether this can be undertaken Virtually wherever possible, with subsequent/additional visits to premises to be kept to a minimum to make best use of your time and resources.

2.81. You should be flexible when a customer has more than one regular place of work e.g., hybrid working or split-site offices. Wherever possible, the Holistic Assessment Report should capture requirements for the job role for all places of work.

2.82. If a subsequent or additional visit to premises is necessary to enable full completion of the Holistic Assessment Report across all sites, the Access to Work Case Manager will provide instructions on what action to take. This may include DWP providing you with another Referral for the alternative Workplace, with the second Assessment paid at the relevant rate.

2.83. The Access to Work Case Manager may also identify that a Hybrid Assessment is required. In these circumstances they will contact you to discuss appropriate action.

Exceptional circumstances

2.84. You may be asked to provide evidence on how the sole supplier equipment/services could better overcome the customer’s disability and difficulties they are facing at work. If so, please send all details of the situation to the AtW Service Delivery Team at atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk

2.85. If you are experiencing difficulty obtaining commitment from specialist suppliers to undertake an assessment and provide a quotation, and this is clearly delaying Access to Work support from being provided, you should inform your Access to Work Case Manager.

2.86. You should include details of the problem you are experiencing that cannot be resolved via the existing Access to Work supplier processes and fully explain:

• why the specialist will not attend to undertake the assessment
• what negative effects this will have on the customer
• your suggested alternative approach

2.87. You should use UK based suppliers wherever possible. Requests to use an overseas supplier will be reviewed and considered on an individual basis by the AtW Service Delivery Team atwprovider.contractcorrespondence@dwp.gov.uk

2.88. All overseas quotations should be fully transparent on costings. They should clearly detail currency conversion and shipping rates to show Value for Money. They should also detail how to access after sales support (if no UK based call centre) how to resolve issues and how to arrange repairs to ensure the recommendation is fit for purpose and will provide an ongoing remedial solution for the customer.

Cancellation of a Holistic Assessment

Cancellation by the customer

2.89. If a customer cancels an appointment but still requires an assessment, it is important that you contact the customer immediately and rebook, as delays could impact the achievement of the target specified in your contract.

2.90. If you contacted the Customer and made an appointment to undertake an assessment, and the Customer then cancels the appointment and/or does not want the assessment to take place at all, you should notify the Access to Work Case Manager.

2.91. The Access to Work Case Manager must be informed of the reasons for the Customer cancellation and any rescheduling attempts you have made, also recorded on the MMIR Template (Annex D) using the Cancellations Log tab. This includes if:

• the Customer is not available in the timeframe specified in your contract from the original referral; or
• the Customer is not sure when they will be available.

Please note: You should claim an end line in PRaP in both circumstances (see Chapter 5 for more information).

Cancellation by the Provider

2.92. If you need to postpone a scheduled appointment or if, rarely, are unable to carry out the Holistic Assessment, you should contact the Access to Work Case Manager for advice, giving the reasons for cancelling the appointment, duly recorded on the MMIR Template (Annex D) using the Cancellations Log tab.

2.93. It is not acceptable to reject referrals due to lack of assessor availability.

Validity Period of Holistic Assessment Report

2.94. Recommendations from the Holistic Assessment Report are expected to be implemented by employers at the earliest opportunity to enable the employee to integrate into their working environment as quickly as possible.

2.95. If longer than 12 weeks elapse and the recommendations haven’t been implemented, a new referral will need to be made and a new Needs Assessment will need to be completed to ensure the recommendations are as up to date as possible.

2.96. A second referral for a Holistic Assessment may be made in exceptional circumstances within 12 weeks of the initial assessment, if a customer’s situation has changed considerably and the change(s) would impact the outcome of the recommendations on the initial Holistic Assessment Report.

2.97. If new information about the customer’s situation was not captured during the initial Holistic Assessment, or it would not have been reasonable to expect you to have captured this at the time, a new referral can be made.

2.98. Decisions relating to secondary referrals will be made by the Access to Work Case Manager and you should liaise with the Access to Work Case Manager in every instance where a secondary referral is under consideration or has been made, to ensure the correct procedure is followed for each customer.

2.99. You will receive the secondary referral via PRaP and you should complete any PRaP action in the usual way. This will ensure that you receive the appropriate payment for the assessments undertaken and that achievement of your KPI’s is not adversely impacted.

Additional Needs

2.100. You should, wherever possible, comply with (and provide at your own cost) any reasonable requests to accommodate customers who have additional needs.

2.101. Additional needs include, but are not limited to, any reasonable requests made by Customers to accommodate additional needs at no extra cost to DWP. Additional needs include but are not limited to, an Assessor of the same gender as the Customer, an interpreter, or a signer capable of British Sign Language.