ACCESS TO WORK · EXISTING AWARDS
An award in place. Support that fits your working day.
Ready to use your Access to Work award, or looking for a different provider? We can help you find a support worker for the help it covers. Start with what you want to get done and how you would like to work with someone.
What would useful support look like?
Your award describes the funded support. Your working day tells us where it’s needed: a busy week to plan, a meeting to prepare for or emails that are hard to finish.
Perhaps you’re ready to use an award for the first time. Perhaps the support you have isn’t working as you’d hoped. We support neurodivergent people, including those who think they may be neurodivergent, and don’t ask for a diagnosis to start an enquiry. We can begin with what’s happening now and what you’d like to be different. Funded tasks and hours still need to fit your award.
Working alongside you
Your support worker or assistant can help turn priorities into a plan and work through tasks with you. You might prepare meeting notes together or break a large piece of work into steps. We’ll need to keep the tasks and hours within the support your award approves.
Examples to discuss
- Use a planning session to turn the week’s priorities into practical steps
- Work alongside someone on a task you keep putting off
- Prepare for a meeting within your agreed support time
- Review outstanding actions before the next session
- Agree how your approved hours can fit around your working pattern
Award-funded support helps you carry out your role. The agreed tasks must fit your award; general business administration is available through our separate business administration service.
From an award to an agreed arrangement
Here’s how we go from a first conversation to arranging support. You don’t need all the answers before you contact us.
1. Start with your work and what you need
Choose “Existing award” on the enquiry form and give a short description of the help you’re looking for. Say whether you’re finding a first provider or considering a change.
2. Put the award and your needs together
We’ll need to understand the type of support, hours, rate and dates in your award, plus any conditions or support you’ve already used. Keep that information to hand. We’ll agree how to share relevant documents when they’re needed.
3. Discuss the worker and how you'll work together
How do you like to plan and communicate? When would help be useful? We’ll talk about the worker and availability with those preferences in mind. If you’re changing provider, check how to end your current arrangement before agreeing a handover.
4. Agree the details before starting
Before your worker starts, we’ll need to agree the tasks, hours, charges, payment process and start date. Make sure you know who prepares timesheets and claims, what you’ll approve and who to contact when something changes.
Useful to have to hand
You don’t need to upload these with your first enquiry. Keep them available for a later discussion.
- The type of support your award approves
- The hours and hourly rate shown in the award
- The start and end dates
- Any conditions and support already used
- Notes about your role, priorities and preferred way of working
Not sure about a detail?
Tell us what you know and which detail you’re unsure about. Check the award information for the hours and funding available rather than estimating them.
We provide the worker; the Department for Work and Pensions decides the award. Changes to funding or approved support need to go through that service.
When the award doesn't cover everything
If you want extra help outside your award, you can ask about paying privately. We’ll set out the extra tasks and charges separately so you know which costs are yours.
What if your work or support needs have changed?
New duties, different hours or a change in the help you need can affect your support. We can talk through what still fits your award. If it’s nearing its end, we can help with the renewal too. Funding changes still go through the government service.
What if you're still waiting for a decision?
We also help with applications and may be able to help if support has been refused. If you’re weighing up how to pay, see the options for individuals and self-employed people.
Tell us what you want support to make easier
A short description of your work and confirmation that you hold an award are enough to start the enquiry. Choose the reply preference that works for you.
We’ll talk through the next steps and the information needed to arrange support.