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Jobcentres

Jobcentre Plus is responsible for the national network of Jobcentres. These give skilled advice at every stage of your search for a job and make sure you know which benefits or allowances you're entitled to claim. They can also support you if you're concerned about the impact of your disability on your existing job.

Your local Jobcentre can help and advise you regardless of your situation - even if you don't have any work experience or if you haven't worked for a long time.

Disability Employment Advisers

You and your Jobcentre Plus adviser may decide that further specialist advice and help would be a good idea. They can then arrange for you to have an interview with a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA).

They will find out about your abilities and the sort of job that would suit you, then draw up a plan of action with you to help you get a job or go on a training course.

• Disability Employment Advisers

Advisers for people receiving incapacity benefits

Most Jobcentres have a specialist adviser who can support you if you are claiming incapacity benefits or refer you to further specialist help.

Pathways to Work

If you are claiming incapacity benefits for the first time, or are claiming again after a break in receiving benefit, you will automatically be considered for Pathways to Work as a condition of getting benefit.

By incapacity benefits we mean:

• Incapacity Benefit
• Income Support on the grounds of incapacity
• Income Support while you are appealing against a decision that you are not incapable of work
• Severe Disablement Allowance

From 27 October 2008, this support will also be available to anyone receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Pathways to Work encourages people who are claiming incapacity benefits to consider starting or returning to work. The service offers individual support and access to a wider range of help.

We may ask you to come to an interview with a personal adviser who will:

• discuss work opportunities with you
• help you identify suitable goals for work - with consideration to your health condition
• explain the support that may be available to help you move into work

As well as help from us, you may get extra support from one of our partner organisations who work with us to help people to get work. We call these organisations ‘providers’.

You may be entitled to extra money when you start or stay in work. To find out more about the support we can provide to find work, or the financial help you may be entitled to when you are working, contact your local Jobcentre.

• Find your local Jobcentre Plus office Opens new window

Work schemes and programmes

If you have a disability that affects the kind of work you can do, you may be eligible to join some of the many programmes open to people who have been unemployed for some time.

• Work schemes and programmes

Working and receiving disability and incapacity benefits

Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance is a benefit that can be paid whether you are in or out of work or training, providing you have a level of care or mobility needs which meets the entitlement conditions. If you receive Disability Living Allowance and are about to start or return to work, your Disability Living Allowance will remain the same as long as your care and/or your mobility needs have not changed.

However, if you are starting or returning to work or training because your care and/or mobility needs have changed and you have not already reported this change to the Department for Work and Pensions, then you must report it so that your benefit award can be reviewed and, if necessary, a new decision made. This could result in either an increase or a decrease in the amount of Disability Living Allowance you are entitled to.

• Disability Living Allowance - your circumstances

Incapacity Benefit - 'Permitted Work'

If you receive Incapacity Benefit you may be able to do some types of work - within limits. This is called Permitted Work. But if you get Incapacity Benefit and a wage, this could affect income-related benefits you receive, like Income Support, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

• 'Permitted Work' - working while claiming Incapacity Benefit

Personal learning and careers advice from nextstep

If you're looking for personal learning and careers advice, contact an adviser and arrange to talk face-to-face. Whether you want to change jobs or learn something new and broaden your skills, you can talk in confidence to an adviser, and plan your next move.

• Face-to-face careers advice with nextstep