Issue 113
11 August 2008
The Australian Government has announced $2.6 million to fund 278 new supported employment places for people with disability, in locations where demand for places is high.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, the Hon Bill Shorten, said the new places would provide job opportunities for people with disability across Australia in a variety of businesses, ranging from hospitality to food manufacturing to property maintenance.
The new supported employment places will target regions where demand is greatest, giving people with disability access to meaningful employment opportunities that also create opportunities to build skills and enter open employment.
The package will allow for the start up of 10 new business services—in Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
The new services will target people with psychiatric disability, young people with disability and Indigenous people with disability.
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NDS held its 2008 Employment Forum—‘Principles, Practice and the Pitfalls in between’—in Brisbane on 21 and 22 July 2008. This national conference—aimed at both business services and open employment services—provided delegates with policy information and practical advice. It presented key perspectives on disability employment from the union movement, business and government. Nearly 600 delegates attended. Participants have already provided considerable positive feedback on the forum.
A highlight was the presentation of the inaugural Business Services Excellence Awards by the Hon Bill Shorten and the Governor of Queensland and Governor-General Designate, Ms Quentin Bryce AM. The award winners were chosen from an outstanding field of applicants in recognition of their achievements in the supported employment of people with disability.
As well as the keynote addresses, the forum held sessions and workshops in specific areas of importance to open employment providers and business services. Business service sessions examined the transition to retirement, the use of training resources, staff recruitment and retention issues, working with Registered Training Organisations, pricing policies, developing new businesses, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) promotion and marketing strategy and wages and award issues.
ACTU President, Sharan Burrow, opened the conference with a strong commitment from the ACTU to work with the sector, where there is agreement to advance the employment of people with disability in both business services and open employment.
Professor Peter Saunders provided research findings on the social exclusion of people with disability and NDS Chief Executive, Dr Ken Baker, surveyed key developments in Federal policy.
Paul Barnes of Visy Industries, Karen Lonergan of Qantas, Stephen Amendola of Blake Dawson and representatives from FaHCSIA, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and the Department of Human Services all provided important and informative perspectives relevant to the provision of disability employment services.
Next year NDS will join with Workability International to host a three-day employment conference in Sydney on between 7 and 9 September 2009.
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The Australian Government has committed to an investigation into measures to strengthen the financial security of seniors, carers and people with disability, including a review of the Age Pension, Carer Payment and Disability Support Pension, as part of its inquiry into Australia’s Future Tax System.
The Pension Review will investigate the appropriate levels of income support and allowances; the frequency of payments, including the value of lump sums versus ongoing payments; and the structure and payment of concessions or other entitlements.
FaHCSIA is holding a series of public meetings to provide an opportunity for seniors, carers and people with disability to contribute to the process. These sessions are a chance for a broad range of individuals and organisations to have direct input into the Pension Review.
Public meetings will be held in all capital cities and several major regional centres throughout August and September 2008.
The Department is also inviting people to share their views through a written submission process. The submission process will commence in early August and will close towards the end of September 2008.
For more information about the Pension Review and the public consultation process can be found on the FaHCSIA website.
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If you receive the error message ‘CRN is not unique’ when registering a new supported employee’s details on FOFMS, it means that the supported employee has an existing client record and you will not be able to continue with the registration process. If you receive this error message, please contact the CBF Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or by email to helpdesk.cbf@fahcsia.gov.au, and we will assist you to create a new case.
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Work Based Personal Assistance (WBPA) is available to business services to help meet the recurrent costs associated with the provision of personal care services to workers with very high support needs. This includes assistance with personal care tasks such as personal hygiene, feeding by mouth, or assistance from a registered nurse to administer medical interventions. Section 30 of the DEA Program Procedures outlines what is required to qualify for WBPA.
An assessment and written report is required to confirm the high support needs of individual service users and a Work Based Personal Assistance requirements form (available on the FOFMS literature site) must be completed prior to any claim being lodged with FaHCSIA. Business services must ensure that the person performing the assessment is:
WBPA is paid to providers in arrears upon receipt of a claim. Providers have three months in which to make a claim from the time services have been provided to the individual. WBPA can be claimed for a maximum of 40 hours over a four week period. Two rates of payment apply:
If you have a worker who qualifies for WBPA and you wish to make a claim, WBPA claim forms are available under the literature tab on FOFMS. These should be completed and sent to:
The CBF Helpdesk
GPO Box 9820
Brisbane QLD 4001
or faxed to the CBF Helpdesk on (07) 3004 4688.
In order to assist with processing of WBPA claim forms you should ensure that:
If you require any further information on WBPA please contact your contract manager or the CBF Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or by email to helpdesk.cbf@fahcsia.gov.au.
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A Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) proforma is now located under the literature tab on FOFMS.
The proforma contains the complete list of questions from the 12 domains contained in the DMI assessment, selectable answer drop down fields, and an additional notes section that can be completed by business service staff prior to completing the DMI assessment on FOFMS.
The proforma can assist business service staff with the evidence collation stage of the DMI assessment process for their supported employees by providing a working document that can be updated and reviewed in the 13 weeks preceding the completion of a DMI assessment. It is also hoped that the proforma will provide new support staff entering business services with a valuable training tool.
If you have any further questions regarding the DMI proforma or DMI assessments please contact the Case Based Funding helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or by email to helpdesk.cbf@fahcsia.gov.au.
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Illawarra Vocational Services (IVS) business service has grown since establishment in 1986, to have two business arms providing work to 41 supported employees.
Illawarra Vocational Services Business Service merged with The Disability Trust in 2003. The service was established to provide meaningful outdoor work to anyone with a disability in the Illawarra region.
IVS has continued to develop its profile and reputation with the community and business sector by offering customers an excellent service, competitive pricing, and extensive safe working procedures.
Since coming under the auspice of The Disability Trust in 2003, IVS business income for lawn contracts alone has grow from approximately $70 000 in 2003 to over $400 000 in 2008. This represents an impressive 571 per cent increase and has resulted in the numbers of supported employees increasing by around 50 per cent.
IVS work crews are designed to enable people with all levels of ability to be productive. A qualified supervisor supports up to four supported employees engaged in lawn and garden maintenance and has a major role in on-the-job training and guidance. Daily reports are completed by supervisors with a focus on feedback regarding the supported employee’s acquisition of social and employment skills.
Employees are trained in and have access to real vocational experiences in the following areas:
IVS also provides work experience for students with disability from local high schools and special schools, clients from other disability services such as the Disability Employment Network (DEN) and transition to work.
For more information about IVS business service please call (02) 4227 3800.
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SA graphic design business, Inprint Design, was the recipient of the Small Business Achievement Award in the recent Business Services Excellence Awards. Most of Inprint’s staff (29 of the 38 employees) have a disability and they do real work using the latest technology—graphic design, desktop publishing, website design, illustration, administration and clerical work at award wages.
The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, announced the five category recipients at the inaugural Business Services Excellence Awards ceremony in Brisbane last month.
Inprint Design provides a professional service on par with other graphic design businesses to a range of top level clients. The judges noted in particular the effort Inprint Design put into matching jobs to peoples’ skills and interests, the individual nature of the work and the support and training provided by staff.
Inprint Design is one of several businesses operated by SA Group Enterprises—a non-profit organisation providing work for people with disability.
Members of the Inprint Team upon hearing the news that they had received the award
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