Issue 89 | 4 June 2007
The Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) handed down its first federal minimum wage decision in October 2006, which included a determination about wage setting arrangements for employees with disability working in business services. This decision effectively continued the existing industrial framework established by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission’s (AIRC) 2005 decision, which reflected the substantial agreement of industry stakeholders.
The key features of the AFPC’s 2006 decision as they apply to business services include:
What to do if you are not currently using an approved wage assessment tool?
If you are not using one of the 22 approved wage assessment tools, as set out in the AFPC’s 2006 decision, you can either:
Application process to have your wage assessment tool included
The AFPC has established a process for business services that would like to apply to have their wage assessment tool approved. Consistent with past practice, candidate wage tools will be independently assessed against the criteria described in the Guide to Good Practice Wage Determination. FaCSIA will play a role in facilitating this process by coordinating and funding this assessment process.
To participate in this process:
For more information visit the FaCSIA website www.facsia.gov.au to view the Analysis of Wage Assessment Tools used by Business Services – Final Report. This document will provide further insight about the requirements of the wage tool assessment process.
If you have any questions please contact Bree McWilliam on (07) 3005 6147 or by email bree.mcwilliam@facsia.gov.au
[ top ]
JAS-ANZ is set to commence a review of Procedure 18, the guidelines for certification bodies conducting quality assurance audits of disability employment organisations. A Technical Committee is currently being convened with membership including FaCSIA, DEWR, ACE, NDS, auditors, consumer technical experts, people with disability, the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service, and a RABQSA Personnel Certification Scheme Training provider, E-Qual. The review will take several months and stakeholders will be advised of the release of the new procedure when finalised later this year. If you have feedback you would like taken into account in the review, please contact your relevant industry representative.
[ top ]
The evaluation of the Quality Strategy recommended the review, combination and update of the Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement handbooks. ARTD Pty Ltd has been contracted to undertake the consultation and drafting of the new Quality Improvement Handbook, and will be consulting with industry representatives and service providers as part of their brief. The new handbook will focus strongly on continuous improvement, investigate links with other quality systems used in the industry, and provide additional information and best practice examples to assist providers to continue to improve service delivery. It is expected the new handbook will be available in late July.
[ top ]
Funding agreements for 1 July 2007 will be sent out to you shortly.
The new agreements are substantively the same as your existing agreements. They will have the same three-tiered document structure, but as part of aligning our disability agreements with FaCSIA’s standard suite of funding agreement documents, some of the names of the documents will change as follows:
Further details will be included in the new agreements. A ’What’s New, What’s Different” document will also accompany the new agreements to help you understand them.
Please contact your local FaCSIA Contract Manager if you have any queries.
[ top ]
Sometimes when you are entering in new client details on FOFMS you may receive the error message ‘CRN is not unique’. This happens when the client details you are trying to enter are already on FOFMS, that is, the client already has a record on the system. If you receive this error message, please contact the CBF Helpdesk.
The CBF Helpdesk can be contacted by email at Helpdesk.CBF@facsia.gov.au, or by phone on 1800 034 887.
[ top ]
Following a recent investigation of Client data on FOFMS, it was found that many Client records are missing important information such as Centrelink Reference Number, origin details, date of birth, address, and contact details. It was also noted that in some instances information recorded is incorrect or no longer current, such as the correct Case Worker of the Client.
FaCSIA uses the information on FOFMS for a number of purposes, including making decisions about Disability Employment Assistance policy that affects Business Services and Clients. In order to maintain the integrity of this policy process it is important that all records on FOFMS be kept up to date with accurate details.
Information in FOFMS is also used to manage workflow regarding DMI Assessment and Reassessments.
Please ensure that your Client’s case records are updated to reflect their current circumstances and details and that all appropriate fields are completed. Please note that the new Audit and Compliance Strategy considers, amongst other items, the accuracy of Case and Client records.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact the Case Based Funding Helpdesk on 1800 034 887.
[ top ]
The Client must sign a Client Consent Form before you complete and authorise their Intake Assessment. The consent information package, including the Client Consent Form, is on the Literature site in FOFMS.
The $500 Intake Fee and monthly Employment Assistance payments for new Cases are not payable until an Intake Assessment has been completed and authorised on FOFMS. Case Based Funding payments do not begin until the Intake Assessment has been authorised. FaCSIA will not backdate Intake Assessments, or make back-payments. If you do not authorise the Intake Assessment your Service risks a reduced funding flow for that Client.
If you create a Client and Case record in FOFMS and do not complete and authorise the Intake Assessment not only are your payments affected, but the total Cases and vacancies of your Service are also affected. When you create a Case record in FOFMS it is considered an active case and included in the count of your total Cases, which reduces your number of vacancies. If you do not complete and authorise an Intake Assessment you will not receive funding for the Client, but they will be occupying a place in your Business Service that could otherwise be filled and funded by another Client.
Cases that have been created but do not have an Intake Assessment completed or authorised have a status of 'Draft' in FOFMS. You should review your case list for any cases with a ‘Draft’ status and either complete and authorise an Intake Assessment or exit the record.
Important Advice Regarding Case Creation
You should create a client case record on the day that a potential employee first presents for work. Creating a case on the employee’s first day will ensure that your service receives the funding it is entitled to. This will save you time if the employee fails to attend your service and will not cost your service a unit of outlet capacity. Should the client choose to attend your service at a later date then you will be able to restart them without FaCSIA assistance as the client will not have a previous case record on FOFMS.
[ top ]
Please note that when DMI assessment and DMI reassessment dates are not met, FOFMS will suspend payments and exit cases in line with the DEA Programme Procedures. The following rules are automated in FOFMS:
Business Services are notified two months prior to the DMI reassessment date by an auto-generated activity in FOFMS to the nominated case worker. Business Services then have five months (two before and three after the DMI reassessment date) to complete and authorise the reassessment. Business Services should use this five-month period to smooth their DMI reassessment workload to avoid peak workload periods.
It is your responsibility to monitor DMI assessment and DMI reassessment dates. If your clients have their payments suspended or their cases exited as a result of DMI assessment or DMI reassessment dates not being met, you will not be back-paid.
To self-monitor when your service’s clients are due for a DMI assessment and DMI reassessment, simply use the predefined queries that are built into FOFMS. To access the predefined queries you will need to be in the ‘Cases’ view. Then, from the ‘Queries’ drop down menu you can select either:
If your clients are exited because a DMI assessment or DMI reassessment was not completed and authorised within the due dates, you will need to contact the FOFMS Helpdesk to request that the case status be reset to 'Return from Suspension'. Once the case status is reset you will have one month to complete and authorise the required assessment. If the required assessment is not completed within that one-month period, the case will be exited again and you will need to create a new case. You will also need to complete and authorise an Intake Assessment to receive payments for supporting this client.
[ top ]
Stretch Capacity is a 10 per cent allowance on top of your Outlet Capacity. Stretch Capacity places are used when your organisation has no vacancies and an employee who has previously been suspended or exited from your service wishes to return to work. To access Stretch Capacity you must return the cases from suspension or exit within 12 months of the initial suspension or exit. Stretch Capacity places cannot be used for new clients who have not previously been supported by your service.
[ top ]
The Department has employed market research company Colmar Brunton Social Research to conduct a study into the branding and general marketing of business services, and the useability and impact of the Bizability web site. This research will build on the previous research undertaken by TNS Social Research last year and aims to inform a national communication strategy to further promote business services to the broader business sector.
Colmar Brunton will be conducting a series of workshops with business services in mid June in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to get your perspective before conducting interviews and focus groups with purchasers of your products and services. If you are located in one of the cities and are interested in participating in the market research contact your State Office contract manager for the details.
[ top ]
Do you have any clients, colleagues or know of others in your networks that either have disability or are involved in disability issues? If you do, then you may be interested to know that nominations for the inaugural National Disability Awards are now open!
The National Disability Awards aim to recognise the outstanding contributions and achievements of people with disability, as well as the outstanding contribution individuals make to people with disability.
The national Awards program is part of the Australian Government’s celebration of International Day of People with Disability—a worldwide celebration that occurs on 3 December each year. Service providers are encouraged to nominate individuals or pass on information to clients that may be eligible. The Award recipients will be recognised at a National Awards Event in Canberra on 3 December 2007.
Nominations are open to:
[ top ]
The following article has been submitted by the Best Practice Partnership
The Best Practice Partnership (BBP) is conducting a Benchmarking Survey on Supported Employment Business Services. The aim of the project is to collect both financial and non-financial data from Business Services and compare the results to one another and also mainstream business standards.
220 organisations sourced from the BizAbility website have been contacted and invited to participate in the Benchmarking Survey. The organisations contacted provide services and sell products similar to those of BPP member organisations.
The data collected is treated in the strictest confidence by the Project Officer and individual organisations will not be identified. The name of the organisation is only required by the Project Officer to assist with verification and grouping of data.
The BPP is encouraging as many organisations as possible to participate enabling a good cross section of data to be collated. Please complete and return your survey urgently.
Alternately organisations can forward a copy of their Audited Financials for FY1/7/2005 to 30/6/2006 and the Project Officer will complete the survey on their behalf.
For further information visit the website www.bestpractice.org.au or contact Debbie on
(03) 5134 1555 Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm AEST or by email projectofficer@bestpractice.org.au
[ top ]
15 June 2007
NDS NSW Regional meetings provide an important opportunity to network and discuss key issues affecting the disability services sector with senior FaCSIA and NDS representatives. Our regional meetings are held four times a year, right around the State.
All disability service organisations can attend NDS NSW regional meetings. The NDS NSW regional network offers the opportunity for all services in NSW to share a common ‘industry voice’. The ongoing growth of the regional meetings since 1999 reflects the disability sector's desire to work together and provides a formal network to ensure that the issues faced by disability service providers are addressed.
If you would like to attend one of the regional meetings, please email your name, organisation and region to Gabrielle Jones email gabrielle.jones@nds.org.au or phone 02 9256 3103.
Regional meetings are free of charge.
For more information, visit the regional meetings main page at http://www.nds.org.au/nsw/Regions/regions.html
[ top ]
30 – 31 July 2007, Sydney Hilton Hotel
The future has a way of arriving unannounced, but organisations that are prepared for it will fare better than those that are not. The 2007 NDS Employment Forum will help equip disability employment service providers to face the future with confidence. Participants in this major national conference will learn about:
The conference will provide multiple streams to reflect the diverse interests of participants and cater for both Disability Employment Network providers and Disability Business Services and for both mangers and support staff.
Please join us in Sydney as together we prepare for a challenging future.
For more information, visit http://www.nds.org.au/conferences/EF2007/home.htm or
Contact:
Conference Secretariat
Rebecca Gardner, National Disability Services
Ph 02 6283 3217
Email rebecca.gardner@nds.org.au
[ top ]
Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program or to let us know what you think of this e-newsletter.
[ top ]
Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
[ top ]