Employment Advice and Information for Young People with SEND

It can be difficult to choose what you want to do when you leave school. It is important you understand your rights and what you are entitled to. There is a lot of specialist advice you can access to help you reach your goals.

Specialist Advice

It is illegal to discriminate against someone with a disability. This means you cannot be treated differently because you are disabled or have a health condition. You should be given equal opportunities to those around you. You are also entitled to any reasonable adjustments that will help you to carry out your role. However, it is important to note that many people with SEND still face challenges in the workplace.

There are many organisations that can support you in finding a job and developing a career. These include:

• The Job Help campaign - A programme run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). They provide information about finding employment for people with SEND. To find out more, visit the Job Help campaign website [External Link].

• Disability Rights UK - They provide a wide range of information on careers and the steps you need to take to get there. They also have a helpline that you can contact for advice. For more information, visit the Disability Rights UK careers page [External Link].

• Amazing Apprenticeships - They are passionate about widening access to opportunity through apprenticeships. They have a SEND Advisory Network which is a collaboration or more than 100 careers professionals from throughout England. To find out more, visit the Amazing Apprenticeships website [External Link].

These organisations can give you advice and practical support to help you to:

• Explore your options.

• Understand your legal rights at work.

• Find out about funding and specialist support like Access to Work. You can find out more about Access to Work further down this page.

• Get advice that meets your specific needs.

• Access professionals like mentors, advocates and specialist advisers.

• Find Disability Confident employers near you.

• Search for job opportunities and get help with the recruitment process.

• ask for reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

National Minimum Wage

The national minimum wage is the lowest amount that you must be paid per hour. It is illegal to be paid less than this, but your employer can choose to pay you more. If you are doing an apprenticeship the minimum wage will be different. You can learn more about this by visiting the GOV.UK minimum wage pages [External Link].

You must be 16 or older to be entitled to a minimum wage. The amount you receive also depends on your age. To find out more about the current rates, visit the GOV.UK website [External Link].

Setting up your own business

It is possible to be self-employed. This means that you do not work for someone else. One way you can do this is to run your own business, and there are many benefits of this. If this is something that you are interested in doing, there is a lot of support that can help you. These include:

• Young Enterprise - A national charity that works to promote the skills needed to build a career. This includes building on skills that would help you to run your own business. They also run a range of programmes that you can get involved in. To find out more, visit the Young Enterprise London Page [External Link].

• Mutually Inclusive - Offers specialist advice to help you understand self-employment. They also have a range of guides to provide you with information on key areas that you need to run your own business. To explore these resources, visit the Mutually Inclusive Self-Employment page [External Link].

While running your own business can have lots of positives, it is not always easy to do. There is a lot to consider when deciding if this is something you want to do. Self-employed people do not have the same rights as someone working for a company. For example, you are not entitled to the national minimum wage if you work for yourself. It is important you research your options to help you make your decision. For more information about setting up and running your own business, visit the GOV.uk working for yourself pages [External Link]. You can also learn more by visiting the Money Advice Service Self-Employment page [External Link].

Reasonable Adjustments

Your employer must put things in place that allow you to do your job. They also must provide you with the same opportunities as everyone else that works there. These are known as reasonable adjustments. These can include:

• Changing the layout of an area to make it accessible.

• Providing you with equipment you need to do your job. This includes adapting current equipment.

• Providing you with flexible working arrangements. This could mean working from home sometimes or different hours.

For more examples of these, visit the ACAS reasonable adjustments page [External Link].

Access to Work

Access to Work is a scheme that can provide you with support to both get into and stay in work. The support you can receive depends on your individual needs.

One of the things Access to Work can provide is a grant. This means they will give you money to help support you at work. Here are some examples of what you can spend that funding on:

• Special equipment.

• Adaptations to the workplace.

• A support worker.

• A job coach.

• Travel Training.

The Access to Work grant cannot be used for things that class as reasonable adjustments. This is because it is your employer’s responsibility to provide these for you.

For more information, visit the Access to Work website [External Link]. There are also British Sign Language and Easy Read formats on the website that you can access.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience that can help you in finding employment. It is also a good way to get involved with the community. You do not get paid for volunteering. Volunteer Centre Sutton can help you find opportunities to volunteer in a wide range of places. To find out more, visit the Volunteer Centre Sutton website [External Link].