Guidance

Access to Work Plus referrals

How to refer someone you are supporting for Access to Work Plus if they have high in-work support needs.

From:
Department for Work and Pensions
Published
11 July 2023
Last updated
4 September 2023 — See all updates

This guidance was withdrawn on

The Access to Work Plus trial has ended.

We are not accepting new referrals. You, or the person you support, can still apply for an Access to Work grant.

This guide is for employers or people supporting someone with high in-work support needs.

What Access to Work Plus is

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is testing a way of providing support for people with high in-work support needs through the Access to Work grant scheme. This is called Access to Work Plus.

Any Access to Work Plus award will be included as part of the main Access to Work grant. It is not a separate application.

It can provide funding for things like:

  • adjustments to buildings or workplaces
  • changes to job roles

The person you employ or are supporting could qualify for Access to Work Plus if they:

  • have high in-work support needs
  • need more support than Access to Work has paid for in the past

Access to Work Plus will not affect eligibility for other Access to Work support.

How to apply for Access to Work Plus

If you are supporting someone you think may qualify, you can use the referral form to let DWP know you want their application to be considered for Access to Work Plus.

If the person you are supporting has an appointee, you must let them know before you send an Access to Work Plus referral.

The Access to Work Plus application process is:

  1. The person you are supporting needs to apply for Access to Work using the main application.

  2. Once the application has been sent, you can complete the Access to Work Plus referral form on this page.

  3. An Access to Work Case Manager will consider your referral as part of the application.

  4. The Case Manager will organise a workplace assessment and will get in touch with the contacts listed on the main Access to Work application.

  5. If eligible, the person you are supporting will get a single grant award that includes any Access to Work Plus funding.

You can read more about what happens after an Access to Work application has been sent.

Referral form

Make sure the person you are supporting has applied for Access to Work before you send the referral form.

You will need to give:

  • the name of the person you are referring
  • the date they applied for Access to Work and their application reference – these will be in their application confirmation messages (optional)
  • their job title and workplace
  • details of your relationship to the person you are referring
  • your name and contact details

The Access to Work Plus trial has ended.

We are not accepting new referrals. You, or the person you support, can still apply for an Access to Work grant.

If you need to contact Access to Work

You can contact Access to Work for free on:

Updates to this page

Published 11 July 2023
Last updated 4 September 2023 + show all updates

  1. Amended the section on 'How to apply for Access to Work Plus': added a call to action on what to do if the person you are supporting has an appointee, and also changed the wording on point 4 from "The Case Manager will organise any relevant workplace assessments" to "The Case Manager will organise a workplace assessment".

  2. First published.

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