brotherhood of st laurence lunch time seminar
TRANSCRIPT
Local Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time Seminar
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Janie DaveyJanie DaveyJanie DaveyJanie Davey
Centrelink Representative
Taskforce on Strengthening Government
Service Delivery for Job Seekers
August 2010
• Current Labour market conditions
• New Zealand ‘Community Link’ approach
• What Local Connections to Work is all about:
� Objectives
What this presentation will cover
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� Objectives
� Locations
� Target Groups
� Early progress and Achievements
Unemployment
Australia is once again experiencing relatively good employment growth.
The trend unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 5.8% in
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fallen from a peak of 5.8% in October 2008 to 5.1% in June 2010.
The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 4.75%by end of 2011-12.
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Long Term Unemployment
But there remains a cohort of disadvantaged job seekers and those who have been unemployed for a long time.
Long term unemployment is still increasing.
As of May 2010 there were 112 200 long term unemployed people (as measured by
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term unemployed people (as measured by the ABS).
There were 43 500 very long term unemployed people (unemployed for 2 years or more).
Disadvantaged people and their families often face vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment.
• Local Connections to Work is based on the New Zealand ‘Community Link’
model which brings under one roof service providers from the local
community.
• Government and non-government organisations work together to provide
New Zealand ‘Community Link’
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• Government and non-government organisations work together to provide
more holistic services.
• A collaborative/team approach is used to assist job seekers and their
families help overcome disadvantage and barriers to social inclusion and
economic participation.
• Sustainable place based solutions for the most disadvantaged.
• Service delivery organisations are co-locating on a rostered basis within
four Centrelink sites to provide better collaboration between services for
disadvantaged job seekers.
What is Local Connections to Work?
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• Co-locating organisations include:
� Commonwealth, State and local government services;
� JSA and DES providers;
� Training providers;
� community welfare and service organisations.
• To assist those who need it most – customers with barriers and issues can
find it difficult to access the services they need.
• Having services available (in the most part) under one roof should make it
easier for customers to receive assistance.
Purpose of Local Connections to Work
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easier for customers to receive assistance.
• Closer collaboration between service providers should facilitate a holistic
view of the customer, and better integration and coordination of assistance.
• Customers would only need to tell their story once.
• Stabilisation of job seekers’ circumstances and removal of barriers to social
inclusion.
• Progress towards economic participation and eventual employment (noting
there will be a lag while barriers are addressed).
Objectives of Local Connections to Work
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there will be a lag while barriers are addressed).
• A reduction in the propensity of disadvantaged youth and other job seekers
to become long term unemployed.
• Stronger links between all service providers (including Centrelink, and
employment and training organisations).
Local Connections to Work has been introduced in four large Centrelink
CSCs in disadvantaged locations:
• Frankston VIC on 24 May
• Campsie NSW on 31 May
Local Connections to Work locations
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• Campsie NSW on 31 May
• Ipswich QLD on 7 June
• Elizabeth SA on 21 June
Local Connections to Work has now been in place for 3 months in
Frankston.
Targeted job seekers have strengths based joint interviews with their
employment services provider and Centrelink.
• Extremely long term unemployed job seekers
(Unemployed for five years or more.)
Targeted Job Seekers
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• Disadvantaged youth
15 – 24 year olds with barriers including: homelessness; drug or alcohol
dependency; psychiatric or mental illness; or lacking literacy/numeracy
skills.
Local Connections to Work is available to others with significant need.
Local Connections to Work has two levels of services:
1. Wrap Around Services:
Mainly for targeted job seekers identified as needing joint servicing with
Levels of Servicing
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Mainly for targeted job seekers identified as needing joint servicing with
two or more services.
2. Single Service:
When a customer is connected to a single Community Partner
on site (eg Mental Health services or literacy provider).
Local Governance
• Community Partnership Groups manage local issues, guide the local
approach, develop rostering arrangements and identify gaps in services.
Privacy
Local Governance and Privacy
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Privacy
• The Taskforce consulted with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in
developing a Privacy Impact Assessment.
• Community Partners who co-locate within Centrelink sign a ‘Deed’
that sets out a common understanding of operational and
privacy issues. This includes ensuring customers give
consent to share information.
• There are 82 Community Partners across the four Centrelink sites:
� 21 Community Partners in Frankston
� 15 Community Partners in Campsie
� 24 Community Partners in Ipswich
� 22 Community Partners in Elizabeth
• Community Partners include:
Early Progress and Achievements
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• Community Partners include:
� JSA and DES providers
� Medicare, Child Support Agency & CRS Australia
� Youth and Family services
� Emergency Housing services
� Health & Mental Health services
� Training providers (eg TAFE)
� Financial counselling
� Legal services
• Over 700 Wrap Around Service interviews completed:
� 500 initial interviews.
� 200 subsequent interviews.
Early Progress and Achievements
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• Over 140 Single Services delivered by co-located Community Partners
• Almost 2,000 Medicare services.
34%
32%30%
26% 25%
19%19%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Barriers Identified
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0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
No access to
Internet
Disability No or little contact
w ith
Family/Friends
Unaw are of local
services
Financial Problems Poor Health Housing Problems
22%
11%15%
20%
25%
Referrals to Services
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9% 9%
6%
2%
9%
0%
5%
10%
Education/Training
Health
Counselling
Employment Services
Housing
Finance
JCA
Good News Stories
Strategic Success in Ipswich:
Ipswich have Probation and Parole collocating in addition to
Lifeline. The former offer a Fine Order option to those with
debts to the State and the latter offer budgeting support debts to the State and the latter offer budgeting support
services. The Project Lead in Ipswich has been asked by the
Community Partnership Group to develop a proposal to
strengthen the service system integration re early debt
identification and referral involving Centrelink support.
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Job success in Campsie:
A job seeker was referred to Local Connections to Work during a regular participation
contact interview. She had been out of work for three years, felt disengaged with her
employment services provider, and was experiencing financial hardship – which meant
she could not afford appropriate clothing for job interviews.
Good News Stories
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she could not afford appropriate clothing for job interviews.
The job seeker was linked on the spot with Community Partner ‘Dress for Success’
(free business attire for people to attend job interviews). Her employment services
provider came in and was able to refer her to a job.
She got the job and was very thankful for the services she received.
Community Partners and employment services providers working
together in Ipswich:
Aftercare contacted Centrelink at Ipswich to arrange a joint interview on site
for them, a customer and a DES provider not yet a co-location partner.
Good News Stories
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Ipswich Centrelink arranged for the DES provider to schedule an appointment
to be held the office of the DES provider.
Aftercare stated that they would not have known how to arrange
that without Local Connections to Work.
Long term unemployed customer re-engaging in Frankston:
A DES provider has a client who has been unemployed for 7-8 years and is
socially isolated.
After a short period of joint intervention with Local Connections to Work the
Good News Stories
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After a short period of joint intervention with Local Connections to Work the
client has secured voluntary work as a bus driver.
This was a fantastic result in a short period of time given the client’s long
history of unemployment and disengagement. Undertaking voluntary
work will help the client regain work skills as a pathway to
paid employment.
Customer engaged in Elizabeth:
A job seeker who was regularly attending his JSA provider appointments, but
was not open about his circumstances, received a wrap around service joint
interview. Previously the job seeker would not commit to any activity.
Good News Stories
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At the Local Connections to Work joint interview the job seeker was able to
discuss longer term goals and agreed to participate in an eight week course
that included one week of work experience.
The JSA provider was “blown away” by how Local Connections to
Work had changed the job seeker’s willingness to participate.
THANK YOU
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ANY QUESTIONS?