Recommendation 15

HM Government Acknowledged

Marketing campaign DWP is committed to improving awareness of Access to Work. We have delivered a paid communication campaign to increase awareness of Access to Work and increase take- up of grants. The proactive communication campaign included a combination of social media activity and active press engagement activities to highlight positive case studies, which has resulted in articles in mainstream papers. The campaign was a targeted one to determine which were the best channels to raise awareness of AtW and has concluded with an internal evaluation of the materials and channels used to help inform our future approach. With regard to further promotion of the Access to Work programme we are focusing on out of work underrepresented groups such as those with Mental Health conditions, Learning Disabilities, and young people. Access to Work statistics Since September 2017, Access to Work has published a new series of experimental Access to Work statistics and has withdrawn the previously published Access to Work official statistics. The new series focuses on a specific part of the Access to Work customer journey: the approval of Access to Work provision. This is the first stage in the customer journey for which comprehensive and reliable data is available. These statistics will not be comparable with previously published Access to Work official statistics because they have been calculated differently. These statistics have been developed using guidelines set out by the UK Statistics Authority and are new official statistics undergoing development. They have therefore been designated as experimental statistics. We continue to publish these statistics annually and to develop them with reference to user feedback. We will explore the feasibility of expanding the scope of the statistics to cover other parts of the Access to Work customer journey as we have since this new series of statistics went live to include Access to Work payments. As these are designated experimental statistics, we will continue to develop them and as part of this will consider the appropriate publication frequency. Redesign of Access to Work application Access to Work is undertaking a digital transformation of the customer journey including the application process. As part of this digital transformation, DWP Digital Teams will conduct research and engage with key users and stakeholders across Access to Work as per the Government Digital Service Standard. We have already begun doing so as part of our current projects, including by: Disability employment gap: Government response 15 • Interviewing disabled people with a range of accessibility needs, to review current processes and services in detail. • Engaging with members of regional Access to Work forums, to gain their insight into the current process and record their suggestions for improvement. • Observing Access to Work case managers, to identify issues after applications have been submitted and ‘pain points’ in the current decision-making and evidence gathering processes. As projects and new products develop, we will continually engage with the same groups to test our work, improving the service continuously. In May 2021, the customer journey for customers receiving confirmation of being granted an award was improved. We removed the need to sign a document and return this to Access to Work prior to putting support in place and claiming reimbursement of the grant. This means that once a disabled person has had their application approved, support can be put in place and costs can be reimbursed. Later this year Access to Work is expecting to trial an online payment claims journey. This payment claims journey is currently in development with disabled people, employers, disabled people’s organisations and charities with a view to further improving the existing paper-based journey. The trial will aim to cover all Access to Work support, for example Specialist Aids and Equipment, Travel to Work and Communication Support. Frequency of Access to Work review Access to Work recognises that the frequency of reviews may be disruptive to some customers. However, reviews are an important part of the customer journey in ensuring the support is meeting their needs and where it is not adjustments can be made. DWP recognises that there is room to do more and early next year we will be exploring with Access to Work customers, employers, and stakeholders (including disabled people’s organisations and charities) to gain an understanding of the challenges 3 yearly reviews pose and the options disabled people may want to see instead.