The Future of Disability Employment Services

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The Future of Disability Employment Services

• Tony Waslin
• Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
  Relations

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• Government Agenda
• Review employment services
• Social Inclusion
• Increased focus on education /training
• Address skills shortages

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• Whats happened already?
• Review of general employment services
• Jan 08 Minister called for submissions
• June 08 Release of Discussion Paper
• National Mental Health Disability Employment
  Strategy
• May 08 consultations
• June 08 submissions
• DEN/ VRS contracts extended to February 2010

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• Moving Forward
• Review of Disability Employment Services
• Services are separate and distinct
• Within context of broader review
• Some issues addressed through broader review
• Charter of Contract Management
• Compliance Framework for job seeker
• Performance Management

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• What weve heard?
• Key themes
• Complexity
• Program design - DEN/VRS capped and uncapped
• fee structures
• assessment processes
• Inflexibility
• Streaming of job seekers
• Linkages between programs
• Red tape
• Administrative burden
• Contract management, claims for fees

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• Building Solutions
• Complexity
• Comment received
• Simplifying program structure and funding will
  reduce a significant amount of existing red
  tape.
• Question
• Would simplifying the structure of the disability
  employment programs help reallocate resources
  from administration to job seekers?
• Do the benefits of a complex fee structure
  outweigh the costs of administration and
  assurance?

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• Building Solutions
• Complexity
• Comments received
• assessment processes (DPI) and (DMI) should be
  reviewed and improved.
• Question
• How can we improve the assessment processes?

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• Building Solutions
• Inflexibility
• Comments received
• A job seeker style account should be introduced
  for VRS and DEN
• Questions
• Would job seekers get a better deal through an
  account?

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• Building Solutions
• Inflexibility
• Comments received
• speed to placement performance measures reward
  short term-outcomes and discourage capacity
  building.
• Questions
• How can a performance framework guard against
  parking difficult to help job seekers, while
  recognising and rewarding getting job seekers
  into a better job (eg. through skilling)?

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• Building Solutions
• Red Tape
• Comments received
• The DEN fee structure is overly complex and
  should be reviewed
• Questions
• Are the two fee structures and four funding
  levels for DEN capped and uncapped useful?
• Would simplifying the fee structure reduce red
  tape?

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• Building Solutions
• Red tape
• Comment received
• There is administrative burden in the overlap
  between certification under the disability
  service standards and DEEWR contract management.
  
• Question
• How can we reduce red tape, while still ensuring
  that taxpayer funds are appropriately spent?

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• Building Solutions
• What other key changes would you like in future
  arrangements for disability employment services?

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Next Steps

• Next Steps
• Release of formal Discussion Paper
• Call for comment and consultations
• Contact details
• Website www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Publicatio
  ns/PolicyReviews/
• Email desreview_at_deewr.gov.au
• Telephone [phone]
• Mail Project Manager
• Disability Employment Services Review
• Location 12M12
• DEEWR
• GPO Box 9879
• Canberra ACT 2601

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The Future of Disability Employment Services

• Tony Waslin
• Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
  Relations