Publication
Get work supports if you have a disability
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
If you have a disability and want to start work, return to work or continue in work, there are a range of supports available to you.
For employers there are:
Intreo (the Irish Public Employment Services) is a single point of contact for all employment services.
Your local Intreo Centre can provide you with support and advice on:
Intreo also provides:
The EmployAbility Services are provided by companies working on behalf of Intreo. They provide a specialist employment service for people with disabilities. Your Intreo Employment Personal Advisor can refer you to the service if you both agree you would benefit from the supports these companies offer - which includes job coaching support and in-employment support. EmployAbility Services also provide a recruitment and job matching service for employers.
Contact your local Intreo Centre or Branch Office for more details.
The WorkAbility: Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme funds local, regional and national projects who provide progressive pathways into employment (including self-employment) through education, training, skills development, and in-work supports for people with disabilities based on their needs, their abilities and their potential.
The programme aims to ensure that people with disabilities are fully supported to find and maintain employment and organisations which employ programme participants are supported to ensure that their employment is successful.
The Department of Social Protection funds the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) programme and the ‘Get Ahead’ programme for third-level students and graduates with disabilities.
WAM is a work placement programme that helps graduates with disabilities get employment. Find out more about the WAM programme here.
If you are on a disability payment and have been getting a disability-based payment between six and twelve months, Intreo will send you a letter to invite you to a phone call with a specially trained Employment Personal Advisor. During the phone call the Employment Personal Advisor will offer you guidance and support to help you achieve your work ambitions.
Taking part is your decision. It is completely voluntary.
Whatever you decide will not affect your social welfare payment or medical card or travel card.
If you engage with us, we will focus on your needs to identify your employment preferences and skill gaps.
The way that this proactive support works, including who is to be contacted, and the letters sent to customers, was developed in consultation with disability stakeholders.
Early Engagement began in July 2022 by sending letters to 18–22 year olds getting Disability Allowance. This was followed by the 22–25 year olds getting Disability Allowance and then all age groups.
The Community Employment Programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed (or otherwise disadvantaged) to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs based within local communities.
Participants can take up other part-time work during their CE placement.
The work is community-based.
The training provided through CE is delivered within a Quality Assurance framework. See details of recognised courses on www.qqi.ie that can be achieved and that lead to major awards on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Expenditure towards training on the CE programme is funded through the National Training Fund (NTF) administered by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
When a person’s CE placement ends, the person is encouraged to seek a job elsewhere using the skills, experience and training gained while participating on the CE scheme.
The duration of a CE placement is for 12 months with some exceptions.
The Tús (community work placement initiative) is a community work placement scheme providing short-term working opportunities for unemployed people. The work opportunities are to benefit the community and are provided by community and voluntary organisations in both urban and rural areas.
The Tús initiative is managed by Implementing Bodies (IB’s) formerly known as Local Development Companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta for the Department of Social Protection, which has overall responsibility for the scheme. Participants work 19 ½ hours a week and the placement lasts 12 months.
All the work carried out by participants on the Tús is community-based.
The types of projects eligible for the scheme may include:
The Rural Social Scheme provides a supplementary income for low-income farmers and fishermen or women who are unable to earn an adequate living.
To qualify for the scheme, you must be getting a social welfare payment. In return, people participating in the scheme provide services that benefit rural communities.
You work 19.5 hours per week. These hours are based on a farmer or fisher-friendly schedule. This ensures that participation on the scheme does not affect your farming or fishing activities.
If you get a place on the scheme, you are offered a contract from your start date up to the following 31 March. You may be considered for a further term following the initial contract, if you continue to meet all the criteria for the scheme.
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a 6-month, 30 hour per week voluntary work and training experience programme. The programme is for jobseekers that are currently getting a qualifying social welfare payment and who have been unemployed for between 4 months (if under 30 years of age) and 6 months (if over 30 years of age).
The minimum weekly rate of your personal rate is €335. You may also get an extra amount for your adult dependant called an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA). An adult dependant is usually your spouse or civil partner.
If you would like to re-train and gain experience in another type of employment, this programme can help you build new skills and gain work experience. You cannot take a placement where you already have built up experience in the role.
You can work part-time while you are on the programme, provided the part-time work does not impact your placement. The part-time work cannot be with the WPEP host.
If you have a disability and you are starting or returning to employment, you may be able to keep all or part of your existing payments.
If you are getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension, you can keep your full payment while earning up to €165 per week from employment or self-employment.
If you earn over €165 a week from work, half of your earnings between €165 and €375 are not included in the Disability Allowance or Blind Pension means test.
Any earnings from work over €375 per week are assessed as income on a euro (€1) for euro (€1) basis, that is your Disability Allowance or the Blind Pension will be reduced by a €1 for every €1 earned from employment above €375 per week.
If you are getting Invalidity Pension or you have been getting Illness Benefit for six months or more, and you want to take up work, you can apply for Partial Capacity Benefit. This scheme means that you may be able to continue to receive some additional income while working.
Please note you cannot start work until you have received written permission to do so from the department, following consideration of your Partial Capacity Benefit application.
The rate of payment you will receive, in addition to your own earnings, is based on your current Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit payment and a medical assessment. There is no risk to your benefits in undertaking this assessment. The scheme is voluntary and designed to give you an income boost in work.
The scheme has been designed so there are no limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours you can work.
Under this scheme, you can go back to your original payment if you need to, provided you continue to satisfy your underlying claim conditions.
To find out more, get in touch with the Partial Capacity Benefit team.
Keeping your Medical Card when working
If you are returning to full-time or part-time work, you may be able to keep your medical card. Visit the HSE website for more details.
Keeping your Free Travel Pass when working
You can use the Benefit of Work Estimator if you are getting disability or illness payments. This shows how income from employment may affect your social welfare payment.
Work and Access is a set of supports to help people with a disability get a job or stay in work. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.
To get this funding you must be employed, starting a job or have a job offer letter, a job start date or a letter confirming a job interview in Ireland. Employment may be in the private sector, community, not-for-profit or voluntary sector or self-employment.
A grant of up to €1,000 is available through the Training Support Grant where an Employment Personal Advisor identifies a skills gap that prevents you from getting a job. This grant is available through both Intreo Centres and Employability contractors.
JobsPlus is an employer incentive which encourages and rewards employers who employ eligible jobseekers. Employers who employ people in receipt of the Disability Allowance or Blind Pension can avail of two grants under this scheme; the value of the grants are €7,500 and €10,000.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to employ people with a disability who may have a restriction which results in a loss of productivity for the employer. The work offered must be for a minimum of 15 hours per week and the subsidy is available up to 39 hours per week.
The Employment and Youth Engagement Charter is a government initiative to help those who are at risk of not easily moving into employment. It is one of the commitments included in government’s national employment strategy under Pathways to Work 2021 - 2025 . The Employment and Youth Engagement Charter provides a framework to collaborate with employers to support and inspire young jobseekers and other priority groups to build their knowledge, skills and experience to enhance their employability. The Employment and Youth Engagement Charter has been developed with the help of employers, voluntary agencies and young people and is a practical document that is representative of both the needs of employers and employees.
Finding a job or moving to a new job with little or no experience can be difficult. This is especially so for young jobseekers and other priority groups. Getting that first step on the job ladder is very important as it breaks the cycle of ‘no experience, no job; no job, no experience’. Work is important for financial independence, building networks, developing skills and mental wellbeing. Learning new skills while in work and participating in training is also very important, as the world of work continues to change with new and emerging technologies.
You can find out more information by contacting your local Intreo Centre or the Designated Disability Case Officer in your area.
A full list of Designated Disability Employment Personal Advisors is available here.