Supporting someone
Helping someone find work that works for them.
For parents, partners, friends, job coaches and support workers. How you can help, why the person you support registers with us themselves, and what we can and cannot talk to you about.
How you can help
You can help a lot without doing it for them.
The person you support stays in charge throughout. Here is where you can help.
- 1
Share this site
Send them the For candidates page and let them read it in their own time. There is no rush.
- 2
Talk it through, and be there for the form
Help them think about what has helped at work or school before, and what got in the way. That is what our first conversation is about. If they would like you there, sit with them while they fill in the form. The words, and the decision to send it, should be theirs.
- 3
Come along, if asked
They can bring you to any conversation with us. You can also help them keep track of dates, emails and questions to ask.
Why they register themselves
Their details have to come from them.
Registering means trusting us with personal information: how to reach them, and anything they choose to tell us about how they work. That has to come from them, with their own agreement. So we cannot take a registration from anyone else, however well meant, and we will always deal with them directly once they are ready.
- They decide what to tell us, and what we may tell an employer
- They agree to how we use their details themselves
- They can change their answers, or ask us to delete what we hold, at any time
- You can help with every step, but the details and the decision are theirs
Talking to us
What we can talk to you about.
- How we work, and what the process looks like from start to finish.
- What a first conversation involves, and how to arrange one.
- The kinds of adjustments we ask employers to make.
- The different ways to get in touch with us.
- Anything on this site you would like explained.
Only with their agreement
What we keep between us and them.
Whether they have registered, anything they have told us, the roles and employers we have discussed, and how an application is going. If they would like you involved, they can tell us, and we will agree with them what we share with you.
Questions supporters ask
Can I register on their behalf?
No. You can help them fill in the form, but the details and the agreement have to come from them. If they would rather not use a form, they can call or email us instead, with as little as a sentence.
Can I come to conversations with them?
Yes, if they would like you there. Mention it when you or they get in touch, and we will plan the conversation around it.
Will you tell me how it is going?
Only if they agree. We will ask them what, if anything, they are happy for us to share with you.
To see what the process looks like for them, read For candidates together. For ideas on helping without taking over, read Helping someone you support find work.
When they are ready, we are here.
Share this page, or our page for candidates, with the person you support. They can register, call or email us whenever they are ready.