The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published provider guidance covering Access to Work holistic assessments, setting out how assessments should be carried out under contracts that took effect on or after 5 June 2023. The document is aimed at the providers who deliver these assessments and, indirectly, at the disabled people and employers who rely on the Access to Work scheme.
If you take part in Access to Work or deliver assessments for it, this guidance is the reference point DWP now expects providers to follow. It sits on GOV.UK and is published directly by the department rather than a third party.
What is the Access to Work holistic assessments guidance?
The guidance is DWP’s provider guidance for Access to Work holistic assessments. In plain terms, it is the instruction document that assessment providers use when working with people applying for or receiving support through the scheme. It applies specifically to contracts that became effective on or after 5 June 2023, so the effective date is the key marker for which contracts it governs.
DWP has not, in the published summary, spelled out every clause of the guidance in this brief listing. The core fact is straightforward: the department has issued official guidance that providers are expected to work to under the more recent contracts.
Calculate Your 2026 COLA Increase →Who does this affect?
The guidance is relevant to two main groups:
- Access to Work participants: disabled people and people with a health condition who apply for support to start or stay in work.
- Providers: the organisations contracted by DWP to carry out holistic assessments under agreements effective on or after 5 June 2023.
Because a holistic assessment looks at a person’s needs in the round rather than piece by piece, the way providers apply this guidance can shape the support a participant is eventually offered.
What is a holistic assessment?
A holistic assessment, as the name suggests, considers a person’s overall situation at work rather than a single item in isolation. For Access to Work, that generally means looking at the full picture of someone’s role, their health condition or disability, and the barriers they face, so that recommended support fits the whole job rather than one narrow task. The DWP guidance is designed to bring consistency to how providers reach those conclusions.
Where can I read the official DWP guidance?
The guidance is published on GOV.UK. You can read it directly from DWP at the following page:
- Official guidance: Access to Work holistic assessments provider guidance for contracts effective on or after 5 June 2023
Because this is the primary source, providers and participants who want the precise wording, any updates, or the full set of requirements should rely on that page rather than a summary. DWP updates its published guidance from time to time, so checking the GOV.UK page is the surest way to see the current version.
Why does the 5 June 2023 date matter?
The effective date matters because it defines the scope of the guidance. This document applies to contracts effective on or after 5 June 2023. In practice, that means providers working under those more recent contracts should be following this version, while older arrangements may sit under different terms. If you are unsure which applies to your contract, the DWP page is the point of reference.
What should participants and providers do next?
For participants, the practical takeaway is that Access to Work assessments are carried out to a published standard, and the guidance behind them is public. If you are going through an assessment, you can read the same guidance your provider works to.
For providers, the action is clear:
- Read the current guidance: use the GOV.UK link above to confirm the requirements for contracts effective on or after 5 June 2023.
- Check for updates: DWP can revise published guidance, so review the page rather than relying on an earlier copy.
The excerpt DWP has published with this guidance is brief, so it does not spell out step-by-step assessment procedures in the listing itself. For that level of detail, the full document on GOV.UK is the authoritative source.
