Access To Work Working Group

Chair: Jennifer Smith

NEC Liaison: David Wolfenden

Author:Wendy Davidson
Official ASLI email : accesstowork@asli.org.uk
Date of report: 15/05/08
Current membership of your Group:
Wendy Davidson, Dawn Barker, Donna Rubin, Jennifer Smith, Jules Dickinson, Kathie HareCockburn, Kyra Pollitt, (Ian Hodgetts as QA liaison)

Summary of recent events:
11/03/08 Wendy met Katherine Phipps, Director of Communication Services & Development at RNID. We discussed the possibility of joining Katherine at one of JobCentre+’s ATW national policy meetings. Katherine will ask if this is possible.

We are currently drafting an information sheet hopefully to be held on ASLI’s website regarding the use of interpreters in ATW settings. It is aimed at consumers and should be a valuable resource to impress upon consumers the benefits of using registered interpreters. It clarifies the difference between a CSW and Interpreter, what if means to be registered, what ATW is and signposts the reader to further information.

We have also been approached by 2 deaf people having difficulties with their ATW provision. One in particular experienced difficulties persuading ATW of the need for a qualified interpreter, rather than a CSW. A CSW agency was providing, in his view, an unprofessional service in his ATW setting. We were able to refer him to the Agency Steering Group and Katherine Phipps, who offered to raise it at the next ATW national policy meeting.

Meetings planned in the next 3 months:

No working group meetings to be held, all our work takes place over email. We will contact JobCentre+ to arrange to meet a member of their national policy team if possible.

Current/Future Tasks:

Finalise information sheet for consumers regarding the use of in ATW settings and pass to QA team for suggestions. (end June 08)
Contact Job Centre Plus to arrange a relationship building meeting and to offer input to their National Policy Meetings. (end June 08)
Continue to respond to members’ ATW issues.
Continue to respond to Deaf users’ issues when applicable.

Working Group : Access To Work
Wendy Davidson (Chair)
Clare Seal (leaving but will try to replace with someone from Devon & Cornwall region)
Jules Dickinson
Kathie Hare Cockburn

Contact email: accesstowork@asli.org.uk

The ATW working party has been involved in a number of different issues over the past year or so, with some positive influences being exerted in this at times rather difficult arena.
Job Centre Plus Review
As you will have noticed on the ASLI website, we were pleased to receive recommended standards for the employment of BSL/ English Interpreters in workplace settings from Access to Work. However, it has been noticed that in reality, these guidelines are not adhered to and in many cases, people with BSL NVQ level 3 and without interpreter training are being used in preference to registered, trained interpreters. In light of this, In September of last year, the Access to Work working party approached Job Centre Plus with this concern. Whilst their response seemed slightly contradictory to their originally recommended standards, we were pleased to be invited to input on an upcoming review of their contracting strategy for support workers (including interpreters). Specifically, the focus of the review will be on the use of contracts for the assessment process.
The Senior Operations Manager responsible for the review has promised to contact us nearer the time (possibly Spring 08) for our potential input. However, we are currently following this up via email communications in order to maintain our profile.
DWP Consultation
The working group has been involved in the current DWP consultation process over specialist services for disabled people, and has been instrumental in securing some public consultation meetings to allow Deaf people to feedback their concerns. There is a public consultation meeting for Deaf and hard of hearing people in Birmingham on 26th February 2008. Please contact admin@base-uk.org to book a place. Please note that places are limited.

The closing date for responses to the consultation is the 10th March 2008. Please see: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/des-consultation.asp
for further information and for your opportunity to be involved in the consultation.
Alternatively you can email the ASLI ATW working group with your feedback and we will collate it into the national ASLI response.
Appeal to ASLI Members
If members have concerns or information regarding ATW we would be grateful if you could forward this to the chair of the group, Wendy Davidson. The RNID are in discussion with Access to Work and have agreed that ASLI can feed in information via their contact.

There have been a number of changes to the ASLI ATW working party over the past year, and we are currently looking for new members to join the group. You do not have to contribute a great deal of time; as much or as little as you wish. If you are interested in ATW issues and would like to have the chance to influence national policy and be part of changing ATW culture, please email Wendy Davidson at accesstowork@asli.org.uk with your details.

Meetings planned in the next 3 months:
None but I will suggest to meet up at the conference if possible.

Dates for the ASLI Calendar:
DWP public consultation meeting for Deaf and hard of hearing people in Birmingham on 26th February 2008.
10th March 2008 - closing date for responses to the DWP public consultation.

Update from the Working Group July 2007

In December 2006, as a result of discussions with the Chief Officers Group, Access to Work set the following recommended standards for the employment of BSL/ English Interpreters in workplace settings. These standards are in line with ASLI requirements for levels of qualification needed to work in this domain. Members should note that a minimum of JTI is recommended. ASLI also contributed to discussions around these requirements. The establishment of the standards indicates the positive benefits of a number of organisations working towards agreed resolutions. It is worth noting that without the involvement of ASLI the agreed standards would not have been distributed to such a wide audience.

The chart below outlines the recommended minimum level of interpreter for different types of assignment.

Appointment	JTI	TI	MRSLI

Team Meeting	X
Training Sessions (Desk based)	X
Training Sessions (Technical)		X
Staff meeting (appraisal)		X
Staff meeting - Disciplinary			X
Conference – known subject		X
Conference – unknown subject or technical			X
Legal meeting( tribunals, court etc)			X

ATW acknowledge that as a general guide, two interpreters are usually required to co-work:

· when the assignment is of two hours or more.

· when there will be no, or limited, opportunities for breaks.

· for training sessions

An exception may be practical training when short periods of instruction are interspersed with solo practical activities, thereby affording the interpreter frequent breaks.

Access to Work would welcome information if it is known or suspected that the interpreter (or the agency supplying the interpreter) does not meet the standards. They ask that we bring this to their attention so that they can investigate further.

This is good news for many Deaf people who will now have the right to request the appropriately qualified interpreter to meet their requirements in the workplace setting. The agreement of the minimum standard interpreter of JTI should enable Deaf people to challenge the provision of support that falls below this level. The potential downside is that interpreters may be faced with the uncomfortable task of reporting anyone that does not meet the required standard. This should be dealt with as sensitively as possible but from the perspective that ensuring a rise in standards can only empower Deaf colleagues and improve their working lives.

If anyone (Interpreters or Deaf consumers) wishes to raise these issues with ATW, please bring this to the attention of Pat Mangan at patricia.mangan@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Update May 2007

Two updates on developments with ATW

1. COG

1. The information below is as a result of liaison between the Chief Officers Group (consisting of Chief Executives of Deaf organisations in the UK) and ATW regarding interpreter issues. This should be being applied to all ATW offices across the UK in the next four months or so.

2. ATW asked for written guidance regarding qualification levels, appropriate work & the issue of co-working. They were sent the document at the end of this report (Appendix One) which aimed to give them as much information as briefly as possible. As far as we understand, ATW have now adopted this document at a national level. This includes the part that refers to the use of two interpreters. If you are working with someone who is having difficulties with ATW about this issue please refer them to this part of the document.

3. ATW have now appointed a national manager, Pat Mangan based at Sheffield. Previously each ATW regional manager could interpret the guidelines as they saw fit, with no one person overseeing it. The national manager’s job is to bring each region under her guidance over the next few months as it is a graded takeover. Within 6 months there should be much more consistency between the regions. They are also establishing an ATW review party at national level to look further into this whole area, how people are assessed, allocated, etc. This in itself should lead to further developments but is bound to be a slower process.

4. Deaf people are encouraged to go back to their regional office if they are having specific difficulties and request a review .They have a right to do this at any time. If they have trouble getting a review then they should refer it to national office to get the ball rolling.

5. The 25p per mile mileage rate is still unresolved as this is the standard DWP rate & unless DWP agrees to change it ATW section is powerless.

2. UK Council on Deafness Bulletin February 2007

Access to Work

Following on from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness meeting
with Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People on 19 December 2006,
JobcentrePlus have issued clarification on a number of issues of concern to deaf people:

"Access to Work provides help for disabled people to enable them to stay in, or take up, a job. It can provide a grant towards extra travel costs, special equipment, adaptations to premises or support workers. The programme helped over 30,000 disabled people last year.

Access to Work is delivered through Business Centres across England,
Scotland and Wales. Recently we have been trying to improve consistency, to ensure customers receive similar levels of support, wherever they live.

This has resulted in several questions from customers and representative organisations. Here we answer some of their most frequent questions:

Has Access to Work changed its policy on providing British Sign Language interpreters?

No, our policy has not changed. We have recently re-issued guidance to try and improve consistency in how the programme is delivered in our Business Centres.

Will Access to Work fund more than one interpreter?

Access to Work will provide the minimum support necessary to allow someone to do their job. For a short and simple meeting we can fund one interpreter. If the meeting is likely to be long or complex, a variety of options may be considered, including using new technology, allowing the interpreter to take more rest breaks or using a second interpreter. Access to Work will look at each case individually and agree a solution with the customer and their employer.

Why has the mileage rate for interpreters been reduced?

Our policy has always been to use the Department for Work and Pensions standard mileage rate for programmes - currently 25p per mile. During our drive to achieve consistency we discovered that not all Business Centres were using this rate. We have asked them to do so, to ensure that all interpreters are dealt with consistently and fairly.

Has Access to Work support been withdrawn from public sector employees?

The report ‘Improving the life chances of disabled people’ recommended that people working for government ministerial departments should have their support funded by their employer, rather than Access to Work. This will allow us to use any savings to help more people. We will, however, continue to offer advice to those people affected and, if necessary, will arrange and fund third-party assessment to identify possible solutions. Public Sector employees will not be left without support.

This change, which came into effect from October 2006, only affects
Ministerial departments. It does not affect the agencies under them."

For further information about Access to Work issues contact:
Jane Iliffe
Products Division
Level 3 West
Rockingham House
Sheffield
S1 4ER
Email:

mailto:jane.iliffe@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
jane.iliffe@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

To contact the chair of this Working Group please email AccessToWorkWorkingGroup@asli.org.uk