King's College London

As the government steps up its ambition to “get Britain working”, our new evaluation of Access to Work Plus (AtW+) offers timely insights into how employment support for disabled people could evolve. Our findings suggest there is a clear appetite for enhanced and tailored support for those with the most complex needs – whether by expanding the AtW+ pilot into a wider scheme or integrating it into the standard Access to Work (AtW) programme.

AtW+ is a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pilot designed to support disabled people with the most complex barriers to employment, offering more intensive help to employees (such as additional supervision, job replacement, and job coaching) and financial incentives for employers who adjust job roles to accommodate disability requirements. The pilot builds on the standard AtW scheme, which has long played a vital role in helping disabled people enter and remain in work. However, AtW has low awareness among disabled people, and for those who do try and claim it, there can be delays in assessment and delivery, and for

Our evaluation, commissioned by the DWP, was based on in-depth interviews with disabled employees, employers and DWP case managers involved in the AtW+ pilot. The aim was to understand how the AtW+ pilot worked in practice, what difference it made, and what lessons could shape future policy.

There were positive experiences and impacts

We heard many positive stories. For some people, AtW+ made the difference between being in work and not. It helped build confidence and wellbeing as well as developing workplace and social skills. In particular, support workers and job coaches, as well as provision of equipment such as software, furniture, and noise-cancelling headphones, were seen as key.

But challenges remain

Despite these successes, a number of challenges were also identified. DWP case managers felt that AtW+ was not always reaching those who faced the biggest barriers to work, partly because the eligibility criteria for the pilot were thought to be too broad. There were also challenges with implementation, as with the standard AtW programme. These included delays and uncertainty in receiving support, leading to people starting jobs later than planned or losing out on job opportunities altogether, placing significant stress and financial strain on both employees and employers. These practical challenges sometimes substantially affected interview participants’ overall view of the pilot, even when the support itself was valued.

Learning for the future

Our research offers important lessons not only for AtW+, but for the wider AtW programme and other support for disabled people. In particular, we highlight the importance of:

• Clearer communication by DWP and case managers;
• More dedicated staffing and better resourcing to reduce delays;
• Upskilling of DWP case managers in understanding complex health conditions;
• Creating a register of trained and certified support workers and job coaches.

At the Policy Institute, we are continuing this important work. In the coming months, we will publish another report focused on supporting individuals with health conditions to find and stay in work. The project – commissioned by Ageing Better – will focus on disabled workers aged 50 and over.

Read the executive summary and full report here: Evaluation of Access to Work Plus.