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 (p48,p51) and the section on Disability Benefits (p39).
Jobcentre Plus provides services like information on vacancies, advice for people concerned about the impact of a disability on their job, and 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 New Deal, for people who have been on Income Support/unemployment for 6 months. It is not voluntary. In Wolverhampton, the New Deal part of the jobcentre is upstairs, and there is no public lift, so you have to ring ahead for an interview downstairs if you cannot get upstairs, but there is not always a desk available.
There are 2 Jobcentre plus offices in Wolverhampton. They are:
Chapel Court, Queen Street, Wolverhampton,WV1 3AF
Telephone: (01902) 435300
Molineux House, Temple Street, Wolverhampton WV2 4AU
Telephone: (01902) 482172 Textphone: (01902) 482007
New Deal for Disabled People is a voluntary program of advice and support, which helps disabled people move into paid employment.
To use it you must be receiving disability or health related benefits.
At present you can leave the NDDP at any time without losing your benefits.
NDDP is organised through a network of ‘Job Brokers’. Each Job Broker offers different services depending on your individual needs. They will help you decide on the best route into employment. They can also offer support such as: identifying suitable jobs, helping with applications and interviews, finding you training where a training need has been identified. They also support you during your first 6 months of employment.
You can only register with one job broker at a time, so it’s worth ringing them first to find out what each has to offer you.
In Wolverhampton there are 2 Job Brokers:
Shaw Trust Telephone: 0800 085 1001
and
Work Assist atSocial Security Office, Molineux House, Temple Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AU
Telephone: 0800 389 7036
Textphone: 0800 389 7036
Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) provide specialist support to people who are recently disabled, disabled and recently returning to the job market, or those whose disability or health condition has deteriorated and who need employment advice.
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,and the Work Preparation Programme, training referrals, help with keeping your job and so on.
They also advise 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 Program
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.
WORKSTEP 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.
WORKSTEP can provide support for people with a wide range of physical, sensory, mental health and learning disabilities.
Wolverhampton City Council has a 50 place programme.
To find out whether you may be eligible for support on Wolverhampton’s WORKSTEP programme, contact your DEA, or contact Jobcentre Plus if you don’t yet have a DEA.
(01902) 554088 (Voice)
(01902) 554086 (Minicom)
(01902) 554443 (Fax)
Access to Work(AtW) is run by staff at Jobcentre Plus, it 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. For disabled people 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 AtW 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 the AtW Business Centre will 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 Access to Work Business Centre can put you in contact with an Access to Work Adviser.
West Midlands Contact: Kim Taylor, Access to Work Business Centre, Jobcentre Plus, Paradise Street, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire, ST1 1RZ
Telephone: 01782 382 148 Textphone: 01782 382 152
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. Information is provided on their website: http://www.connexions.gov.uk/
If you need advice there are number of ways to access information they provide:
Connexions Direct website at http://www.connexions-direct.com/
Speak to an adviser in confidence Telephone 080 800 13 2 19
Text 07766 4 13 2 19
Minicom 08000 968 336
Adviser Online by using the Connexions direct website
The Connexions Direct website also provides links to other websites of specific interest to disabled young people on a whole range of issues, this can be found at http://www.connexions-direct.com/index.cfm?go=disabilitySupport
Connexions Centres in Wolverhampton are as follows:
Base 25 , Castle House, Wheelers Fold, Wolverhampton WV1 1ST
Tel: (01902) 572040
Bilston Connexions Centre, 30 Church Street, Bilston WV14 0AH
Tel: (01902) 408811
Wolverhampton Connexions 118-119 Salop Street, Wolverhampton, WV3 0RX
Tel: (01902) 773040
YMCA, 25 Catisfield Crescent, Pendeford, Wolverhampton, WV8 1XG
Tel: (01902) 756839 ext. 29
Shaw Trust provides training and work opportunities for disabled people in receipt of incapacity, sickness or disability benefits
Shaw Trust can help with advice on training, benefits, job search, work placements and tasters. They also continue to support you for up to a year once you are in work.
They will look into 'top up' benefits that you may be entitled to ensure that you will be better off in work.
They offer training advice, and help you to make a personal development plan, which may include confidence building sessions, CV writing, back to work skills and job searches. They can show you how to look for vacancies, apply for jobs and help you to improve your performance at interview.
Contact: Jagdeep Soor, Whiteheads Building, 26A Snow Hill, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AF
Tel: (01902) 779110/0800 0851001
Website: www.shaw-trust.org.uk
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 people.
You will find that there is quite a lot of choice in the type of volunteering you can do – it’s not all filing and making tea!
The Wolverhampton Volunteer Bureau has a database of volunteering opportunities in and around Wolverhampton.
They will have an interview with you and go through volunteering opportunities you may be interested in, in order to match you up with something suitable.
If your volunteering doesn’t work out, they will help you find a different position that interest you.
At the moment, the volunteer bureau building is up one steep step, but if you can’t get in, they are willing to come to you.
Contact: 5 Cleveland Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 3HL
Telephone: 01902 572 323
Access 2 Business provides services to help disabled people into work or help them with setting up their own business.
They offer an individual service, and help you to meet your aims by support and by bringing in other agencies that can help.
Contact: Disability Support Centre, Temple Studios, 40 – 48 Temple Street, Wolverhampton, WV2 4AW
Telephone: (01902) 572397/8/9 Fax: 01902 712653
Typetalk: 18001 01902 572397/8/9
Email: andrea@access2business.co.uk