PfA Education and Employment

 Here is the link to find out more on the different types of Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG)

You will find information to help you on the following:

• Are you currently in education and planning for the future?

• Are you a young person, parent or carer looking for resources to explore your career ideas?

• Are you not in education, employment or training aged 16 to 19 or up to 25 with an EHCP?

Post 16 Options: Education and Training for young people provides information to help you think about your next steps when leaving Year 11 at school for education and training when you are 16 up to the age of 25, whether that is leaving school in year 11 or progressing onto different areas of study as you get older.

Post 16 Options: Education and Training for young people information available on the page includes:

• Pre or Re Engagement Services
• School Sixth Forms
• Sixth Form Colleges
• Further Education Colleges
• Supported Internships
• Special Post 16 Institutions
• Work Based Learning/Training Providers
• Apprenticeships
• Higher Education – information

• Moving on, Moving up Booklet – choosing a Secondary School
• Leaving School – What Next?
• Simple guide – moving from school and onto employment for things to explore and consider at each stage of education

The Support for Employment page provides information about:

• services supporting young people into employment
• services supporting ALL young people into employment including young people with SEND
• Setting up your own business
• resources/tools to support young people into employment

Provides help and advice on moving from benefits to work, work experience/volunteering, starting your own business and support available when you start working.

• NEW DWP Benefit Checker provides a quick idea of what you may be able to claim
• Benefit Calculator gives a more detailed picture of what you may be entitled to
• Understanding Universal Credit – making a new claim is another way to access the Benefit Checker

In the Transport section you will find information on:

• School and College Travel Support
• Public Transport Information and School Bus Timetable
• Independent Travel Training
• Blue Badge and Halton AccessAble Guides
• Local Travel Information

Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition

What is Access to Work?

Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:

• a grant to help pay for practical support with your work
• support with managing your mental health at work
• money to pay for communication support at job interviews

Practical support with your work

Access to Work could give you a grant to help pay for things like:

• BSL interpreters, lip speakers or note takers
• adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work
• taxi fares to work or a support worker if you cannot use public transport
• a support worker or job coach to help you in your workplace

Your workplace can include your home if you work from there some or all of the time.

It does not matter how much you earn. If you get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits you get and you will not have to pay it back.

You or your employer may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.

How to apply for Access to Work

• Check you’re eligible and then
• Apply for an Access to Work grant.

Mental health support

You can get support to manage your mental health at work, which might include:

• a tailored plan to help you get or stay in work
• one-to-one sessions with a mental health professional

How to apply for mental health support for people at work

• Check you’re eligible and then apply directly to either
• Able Futures or Maximus

Communication support for job interviews

Access to Work can help pay for communication support at a job interview if:

• you’re deaf or hard of hearing and need a BSL interpreter or lipspeaker
• you have a physical or mental health condition or learning difficulty and need communication support

Find out more and apply for communication support at a job interview.

What Access to Work will not pay for

Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes your employer must legally make to support you to do your job.

Access to Work will advise your employer if changes should be made as reasonable adjustments.

For further information please see GOV.uk under Access to Work

• Get Help from Access to Work – easy read version
• Communication Support at a Job Interview – easy read version

Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs.

This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners. Reasonable adjustments include:

• changing the recruitment process so a candidate can be considered for a job
• doing things another way, such as allowing someone with social anxiety disorder to have their own desk instead of hot-desking
• making physical changes to the workplace, like installing a ramp for a wheelchair user or an audio-visual fire alarm for a deaf person
• letting a disabled person work somewhere else, such as on the ground floor for a wheelchair user
• changing their equipment, for instance providing a special keyboard if they have arthritis
• allowing employees who become disabled to make a phased return to work, including flexible hours or part-time working
• offering employees training opportunities, recreation and refreshment facilities

Get help and advice

You can get advice on reasonable adjustments from the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) at your local Jobcentre Plus office.

You can apply for Access to Work if you need extra help.

For further information can be found on the GOV.uk website under reasonable adjustments for disabled workers