The Secret Deafie: Access to Work must take some responsibility for fraud cases

The Secret Deafie is a regular column about deaf experiences submitted anonymously by different contributors.

You must be thinking: ’Oh no, not another Access to Work fraud article’.

Having talked to others who went through this experience, I’ve counted more than eight fraudulent Access to Work cases which, by my calculation, has resulted in more than £10 million being lost already.

Having been an employee in a deaf-led company that was involved in a previous fraud case, and being aware of other people who have gone through a similar experience, this time I have witnessed it with my own eyes, as it was happening to someone close to me. 

I’ve witnessed the horrific experience: from the arrest to being charged to the lengthy court trial. I’ve looked through the evidence, attended legal team meetings and listened to the witnesses in court. I got a taste of how the legal system works. I’m a big fan of crime investigation type programmes but I’m telling you – it is NOTHING like you see on television.

During this time, I have felt real anger – not only with the manager who performed the fraud and took advantage of the naivety and vulnerability of their Deaf staff, but with the Access to Work team who have accepted no responsibility for their part in what has led to this. 

There is a way to make sure fraud on this scale does not happen again and that other people do not have to go through the same experience. For this to happen, Access to Work must take some responsibility for their role in a number of fraud cases and make changes.

Access to Work is there to provide the right support for disabled and deaf people to get into work and make successful careers.

Deaf people use BSL/English interpreters and the appropriate invoice has to be submitted by the interpreter on completion of their work, with necessary details, such as their registration number, address, hours worked and fee. 

However, in this recent case, a number of fraudulent invoices were submitted to Access to Work. They were fictitious. The money obtained fraudulently was being used to pay for the salaries of Deaf employees.

Once you apply for Access to Work and have your funding agreed, often the Access to Work team ask you for the names of the interpreters you want to work with you, along with a quote for their services.

There did not seem to be a process in place where Access to Work actually checked that the people Deaf people were using were actually interpreters, which meant false names and details were easily given.

How could the Access to Work team allow for the option for payments to be made directly to the Deaf person or the employer? Why is this option included when Access to Work know that historically is has been open to abuse?

There’s a simple solution – remove this option and make payment to the interpreters directly. 

Come on, something needs to be done. The Department of Work and Pensions need to ensure that Deaf users of Access to Work fully understand how the system works, that the funding is for their communication needs and not as revenue to pay for their employees’ salaries.  

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with the DWP to discuss this. A better, clearer system would reduce fraud and create a better world for the deaf community. 

The writer describes themselves as: “I am a deaf SSE/ BSL user from London. I have relied on Access to Work support since starting work to provide me with BSL/English interpreters and allow me to do the job I trained for. Access to Work is a brilliant scheme and has opened up opportunities for me. The system is under threat from fraudulent cases, but the blame doesn’t lie solely with those who commit fraud. Here’s why…”

The Secret Deafie is a regular column about deaf experiences submitted anonymously by different contributors. If you have a story you’d like to tell, just email editor@limpingchicken.com.

Read our previous Secret Deafie posts by clicking here.