This section covers help you may be able to get while looking for work or starting work. You may want to refer to the section on employment and the Disability Discrimination Act>> and the section on Disability Benefits>>

You can find more help on applying for jobs and work from the one voice guide here>>

You can check out our Jobs Page for vacancies, here>>

Job Centre Plus

Jobcentre Plus provides services like information on vacancies; advice for people concerned about the impact of a disability on their job, and can help you with getting or applying for a job.
They also provide a free booklet and ‘We can help’ DVD about the disability service they provide. The booklet and DVD are available in a variety of formats and languages, including BSL.
Jobcentre Plus also runs the Pathways to Work programme for disabled people, for people who have been on Income Support/unemployment for 6 months.

There are 4 Jobcentre plus offices in Wolverhampton. They are:

Crown House, Birch Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 4JZ
Telephone: 01902 435100

Wednesfield JobcentrePlus, 49 High Street, Wednesfield, WV11 1ST
Telephone: 01902 435800

Chapel Court JobcentrePlus, Queen Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 3AF
Telephone: 01902 435300

Molineux House, Temple Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AU
Telephone: 01902 482000
Textphone: 01902 482007

 

Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs)

DEAs provide specialist support to people who are recently disabled, or those whose disability or health condition has deteriorated and who need employment advice.
They provide support to disabled people who are having difficulty in getting a job because of their disability, and also to employed people who are concerned about losing their job because of a disability.
They will do an Employment Assessment, which can help you find out how your disability or health condition affects the type of work or training you want to do.
They provide information on vacancies, job programmes like Workstep, training referrals, help with keeping your job and so on.
They also advice on the Job Introduction Scheme which pays a grant to your employer for the first few weeks in a job, helping to pay towards wages or other employment costs.

Work Preparation Programme

Your DEA can organise a place for you on the Work Preparation Programme. The Work Preparation Programme is for people intending to get a job after a long period of unemployment or sickness.
The programme usually runs for 6 -13 weeks, and helps you to decide what kind of job is suitable for you and gives you some work experience.

Pathways to Work

Pathways to Work helps disabled people who receive Incapacity Benefit (IB), Severe Disablement Allowance(SDA) or Employment Support Allowance(ESA) to move into paid employment.
Anyone on ESA will automatically be put onto Pathways to work and must attend 6 work focused interviews to assess ability to work, and work out an action plan and provide support to help you get back to work.
If you get a job through attending Pathways to Work and the job is more than 16 hours a week and lasts longer than 5 weeks,(and you earn less than £15,000 per year) then you may be entitled to Return to Work Credit, which is a tax-free payment of £40 per week. It can be payable for up to 52 weeks as long as you are in the new job for that period.

 

WORKSTEP (Supported Employment)

WORKSTEP is an Employment programme, run in Wolverhampton by the City Council, which provides job support to disabled people who face greater barriers in getting or keeping a job, but who can work effectively with the right support.
Most people who use the Workstep scheme either are unable to or not ready to work in open employment.

Wolverhampton City Council has a 45 place programme.
WORKSTEP can provide support for people with a wide range of physical, sensory, mental health and learning disabilities.

To find out whether you may be eligible for support on Wolverhampton’s WORKSTEP programme, contact the Employment Support Officer (Disability) on:
Telephone: 01902 554088
Textphone: 01902 554086
Fax: 01902 554443
Or contact your DEA, or Jobcentre Plus if you don’t yet have a DEA.

Access to Work

Access to Work is run by staff at Jobcentre Plus, and provides support to disabled people and their employers and potential employers in the form of advice or a grant to employers, if you are assessed as needing it.
For people who are starting a job, the employers grant is up to 100% of the approved costs. If the disabled employee is already at work, the grant for employers is up to 80% of the approved costs over the first £300.
Whatever the employment status of the applicant, AtW pays up to 100% of the approved costs for help with support workers and fares to work; and communicator support at interview.

The kind of support Access to Work is likely to offer a grant for includes: reading work documents to a visually impaired person, communicating for a hearing impaired person via sign language, providing specialist coaching for a person with learning difficulties or helping a person with care needs; special aids equipment to help a disabled person function in the work place; adaptation to premises or to existing equipment; help with the additional costs of travel to, or in, work for people who are unable to use public transport.

All help is for a maximum period of three years after which there will be review the support and the circumstances. Access to Work may provide help for a further period if an employee continues to be eligible for help under the rules that then apply.

Your local Jobcentre Plus office or DEA can advise you>>

Connexions

Connexions provides information to 13 to 19 year olds or for those with a disability up to 25 on a range of issues such as health, housing, education, money, relationships, your rights, and careers and finding a job.
Information is provided on their website: http://www.connexions-bc.co.uk/
Telephone 080 800 13219
Text (SMS) 07766 413219
Textphone 08000 968336
There are also links to The World of Work –Wolverhampton:
http://www.wowbc.co.uk/
A website with information on vacancies in the city.
Access 2 Business
Access2Business helps disabled people with setting up a business, training, and getting into work.
They are based at The Curve, 81 Tempest Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 1AA
Contact Katie Evans, Business Advisor:
katie@access2business.co.uk
01902 572397

Volunteering

One of the ways to help to prepare yourself for getting back into work is to do some volunteering.
Many organisations around the city, including One Voice, provide flexible volunteering opportunities for disabled people.
You will find that there is quite a lot of choice in the type of volunteering you can do.

The Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council runs our city volunteer service, Contact Wendy Walker (Volunteer Service - Co –ordinator)
Telephone: 01902 328980
Email>>