Here's your accessible guide to Access to Work

Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult is kind of like finding out you're a wizard. Except there's no Hogwarts, and you're just left to figure out the rest by yourself.

After struggle to surf the post-diagnosis emotional rollercoaster, I was skipping meals to afford therapy sessions each week so I didn't impulsively quit my job. When I found out that the government could pay for ADHD Coaching I couldn't believe it.

However, I can confirm: Access to Work is a Government grant that CAN PAY FOR SUPPORT. It's been referred to as the 'best kept secret' of the Department for Work and Pensions because less than 1% of eligible people use it! In a world of painful, ridiculously expensive medical support and career struggles in having a disability, this is like the rainbow after the storm.

You don't need a diagnosis or medical certificate to apply - just a disability or health condition that makes it hard for you to do your job or get to work.

What's the catch? Well...

• ATW assessments don't typically involve the employer making adjustments in relation to a particular procedure or environmental change. They're more likely to focus on providing the individual with support as this is who applies - the employer must confirm they work there and has limited involvement.

• a person must be in a paid job or about to start a job (including self-employment) - so it's not so much access 'to' work as 'stay in' work

• waiting lists for applications are currently 5-6 months. However, if you're in work, your employer has a legal duty to implement and fund adjustments for you as soon as they can (regardless of ATW).

• the processes involved can be very bureaucratic - but help is available - as below!

Although I typically think things that sound too good to be true rarely are, this is genuine. The support exists. The painful bumps to reality are the bureaucratic processes and lack of clear information, but hopefully it's set out below in an accessible way...

How do I apply?

The person seeking the support must apply via phone or online (here).

The application has questions on:

• your conditions or disabilities (but no certificate is required)

• details about your job, including length of time & if employed, your employers' contact details to confirm your employment. This means it's a good idea to tell them before you apply - though you don't need their permission and you shouldn't be treated negatively about it.

• whether you have problems travelling into work e.g with ADHD I really struggle with sensory issues and anxiety on public transport - and time!

• how your condition makes it harder for you to do your job e.g ADHD causes me to struggle with panic attacks under stress, administrative tasks that take up my entire day, anxiety from rejection sensitive dysphoria and regulating my emotions, making impulsive decisions, distractions, diary management, and organisation.

• any current coping strategies: e.g when I applied I had therapy and tried to work from home, and tried probably every organisational-app invented - but using them consistently was the challenge!

• whether you know what you need to get help with this: e.g I knew I needed administrative support and ADHD Coaching, to help me learn the executive functioning skills and routines necessary to reduce the challenges I experienced because of my ADHD.

It's ok not to know the answers to any of these though, because the next stage usually involves an assessment. However, if you have a ‘good level of knowledge about what support you need’, then your application can be dealt with faster.

What happens next?

A few months later (approximately 5-6!), an Access to Work adviser will contact you. If you're self-employed, they may request a copy of your most recent tax return, or a business plan to proceed.

The adviser may agree with the support you've requested or more commonly, refer you for an independent assessment. This might take place in person or remotely. The assessor will ask you about your job and your health condition, possibly discussing options for support that you might not have previously considered. I had a brilliant assessor who told me about earplugs that can help with sensory issues, for example.

The benefit of doing this is that it doesn't feel as terrifying as being referred to Occupational Health, because they're separate from your employer. However, your employer isn't necessarily involved in the process very much, which means they shouldn't rely on this process to make adjustments for you. They have a duty to consider how your condition impacts you at work and what could help, such as having flexible working hours or providing you with administrative support.

The assessor then reports their recommendations for support back to the Access to Work adviser. This entire process can take around a month, in my experience. The Adviser may then discuss this with you, and ask you to find different quotes for services such as coaching or support workers (if they haven't done so already). They will then go for the lowest cost option, but you can use the grant on your preferred provider. (Plug for ADHD Works here providing coaching and training!)

You'll then be posted the decision letter, which you have to sign in agreement and return to Access to Work. If you're employed, they can liaise directly with your employer, who can pay for your support usually upfront and then claim this back. There are different situations regarding how much an employer may be asked to contribute to costs, but for support workers and coaches, 100% of the costs are funded, regardless of the size of employer.

If you're self-employed, you will probably have to pay for it and then claim it back from Access to Work using monthly claim forms.

These can be excruciatingly painful and require invoices with specifically set out details, but there is administrative support available for this from providers such as Admin and More.

How long does this last for?

The support lasts for however long you need it. Coaching is typically provided for in packages, such as 6 months, for example. I have a certain number of hours of support from a virtual assistant (that I literally couldn't function without) for 1 year, but I can reapply next year. When your allocated support runs out, you can apply for it to be renewed, which is what I did with coaching.

You can also reapply if your work circumstances change, such as when I became self-employed.

What happens if I don't agree with the decision?

Firstly, your adviser may discuss their reasoning with you, which gives you an opportunity to put forward your views. My Adviser wanted to give me software instead of coaching due to cost, I explained that because of my ADHD it would be pointless to do this, as the undoubtedly great software would gather both virtual and literal dust as I would never use it without having the habits in place to do so. The object permanence is real - I need a real person holding me accountable!

After the decision is made, you can request a reconsideration from Access to Work within 4 weeks. I'd suggest explaining why you disagree, potentially focusing on whether the correct processes were followed (as in the caseworker guidance here), why the support may not be tailored to your specific needs, and how giving you what you need will help you to stay in work longer term. They may then overturn this.

As a coach, I often provide people with tailored quotes and proposals so they can demonstrate the cost-effectiveness to Access to Work (e.g providing text support in-between sessions, talking to their employer for them and a tailoring-off plan), and show that a coach has truly identified their needs. Receiving the wrong support is just going to be a waste of money for everyone.

Is this what my employer should use to make reasonable adjustments?

No. An employer is required to make reasonable adjustments to remove any substantial disadvantages a disabled employee is experiencing at work . These are essentially changes which are considered 'reasonable', given their size, resources, and other factors.

Some examples of reasonable adjustments that could be made by an employer to support someone with ADHD, for example, include having flexible working hours / locations, administrative support, coaching, providing written instructions for work, providing extra 1:1 support from managers, or having earlier deadlines set up for projects.

There may be cross-over with what Access to Work could provide, but essentially, this is additional - not instead of.