Disability Employment Services (DES) providers can support eligible clients in finding work with a new employer. Services provided include career advice, employment preparation, resume development, training and assistance with job searching.
Clients can be directly referred to a DES provider.
Eligibility
A job seeker is eligible for DES if they:
- have a disability, injury or health condition
- are aged at least 14 years and below the age pension qualifying age
- have a valid employment services assessment (ESAt) or job capacity assessment (JCA) with a future work capacity of eight hours or more per week
- are an Australian resident
- are not studying full-time
- are not working at or above their assessed work capacity (not applicable for Work Assist participants or people who receive National Disability Insurance Scheme funding).
Eligibility to access DES without an ESAt are for:
- school leavers, meeting the other criteria
- workers on the Work Assist program who have difficulty fulfilling the essential requirements of their role due to their injury and are seeking assistance from a DES provider.
Employment services assessment or job capacity assessment
An ESAt or JCA is used to identify a person’s barriers to finding and maintaining employment, their work capacity and ongoing support needs. An employment service assessment is required for a client to be referred to a DES provider. Job capacity assessments are primarily used for Disability Support Pension claims but may result in a referral to a DES provider.
Incentive programs
Programs and incentives are available including equipment and workplace modifications.
Job Access: subsidies and support
Support for younger clients
There are programs and subsidies available for young people.
- Eligible school leavers program assists students in their last year of school with significant disability to transition to post-school open employment. Students may be eligible if they receive additional educational funding due to their disability.
- Youth Advisory Sessions provide one-on-one sessions with a specialist youth consultant to support vocational activities for young people (15-25 years).
- Transition to Work supports young people (15-24) on their journey to enter employment or complete education.
DES new employer referral pathway steps
For clients receiving Centrelink payments, the DES provider checks if client has a current and valid employment services or job capacity assessment.
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program (BIRP) clinician contacts provider to discuss referral
- Recommend pre-referral meeting with client, clinician and provider to discuss DES program eligibility and requirements
- BIRP clinician emails referral information to DES provider
- DES provider or Centrelink books ESAt upon receipt of medical evidence
- Recommend that DES provider or BIRP clinician attend ESAt with client
- Client and BIRP clinician attend initial meeting with DES provider following ESAt (joint meeting may not be required if pre-DES registration meeting has occurred)
- BIRP clinician and DES provider maintain regular contact to provide a collaborative approach