Taken from our funding body’s submission to the Senate inquiry into disability purchasing”
“The DES Star Rating system measures the relative performance of providers by comparing job seeker engagement and achievement of outcomes. The Star Ratings take into account the disability type, service requirements of participants, labour market conditions, job seeker characteristics and other factors to ensure a fair and consistent approach in comparing performance.
The DES Star Ratings are a relative not absolute measure. The lack of a competitive tender process to this point means that there can be no certainty or confidence that ‘relative average’ represents the best outcomes or services for people with disability.While the performance framework can compare existing services to each other, it does not substitute for a competitive tender by comparing an existing market to a potential future market. Optimal performance requires both mechanisms”.
You can read the whole thing here (no47): http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/eet_ctte/disability_employment/submissions.htm
Is it flawed?
You betcha!
“The Star Ratings take into account the disability type, service requirements of participants, labour market conditions, job seeker characteristics and other factors”
Where’s wages earned?
Where’s independence from welfare and individual independence?
Not here – and why not?
because the increased numbers that are the Department’s stated goal require service providers to cream off the most able job seekers and encourages services to find casual positions of little real worth.
The submission states that this system has been in operation since 1999 (like that’s a good thing) – has anyone questioned the coincidence of this system with the casualisation of our workforce and the concomitant lack of job security?
2 part time (8hr) positions don’t equal 1 38 hour a week integrating, independence promoting real job that empowers a person with a disability to fully integrate into the community of taxpayers.
This submission is riddled with inaccuracy and misleading nonsense such as: “Competitive tendering offers incentives for providers to better their performance, leading to more outcomes for jobseekers”.
No it doesn’t.
Experience here and overseas shows it leads to the creation of an industry to ‘beat’ the ratings. Providers are encouraged to seek which ‘outcomes’ gain the biggest reward and a race to the bottom begins. It brings about 'creaming' of the most able applicants and causes the creation of numerous part time and casual positions.
Another: “However, the existing ‘capped’ stream was not subject to tender. Nineteenof the current 207 DES-ESS providers entered the market as a result of this tender in 2006”.
Fallacious and designed to mislead (I accept the raw numbers are accurate). These 19 providers which included predominately overseas and local ‘for profits’, received approximately 50% of the available business and have been exporting Australian taxpayers money ever since. Despite assurances from DEEWR (then DEWR) and the then Minister, many programs were wound up and lots of skilled staff left the industry.
(Side Point: NOVA doubled in size)
Australians who have a disability are amongst our most vulnerable groups. Again, this submission demonstrates fundamental misunderstandings about the needs of such individuals and risks exposing the most exposed of these to a real reduction in services.
Maybe its telling you something when the only 'pro' voices are a foreign owned for profit and a funding body that will see a reduction in its own labour needs.
Do I have an alternative?
Absolutely!
License disability employment services against the Disability Service Standards and a 'pass' against the annual Quality Assurance audit. Remove the ridiculous geographical boundaries and reward services for a reduction in welfare dependency. Measure the outcomes through cooperation with Human Services.
Watch that work for the improvement of people who have a disability
Would you like a face-to-face meeting with Martin via Skype? Click the button below to make an appointment
Subscribe to this Blog - blog.novaemployment.com.au Copy the link above and paste it into your favourite Reader to subscribe to an RSS feed of this blog. To watch a short video explanation of RSS and how it helps you save time reading the web click here
Your Comments There are currently no comments on this article
Previous Posts
The records keep falling! Following on from last post, I'd like to give some public recognition to my staff who have not only stood up under the tests of the Pandemic, they've continued to achieve record breaking results....
Never been so busy! At the risk of jinxing it, there's never been a better time to be looking for work - NOVA is getting scores of inquiries for workers, breaking all records each week with no sign of a let-up in sight!
The demand might be simply a post lockdown mini boom and maybe the bubble will pop - I have to say there's no sign of that....
July Rant There's an inquiry into Disability Employment Service and how best the new National Contract (2023) might serve the needs of the Commonwealth - note, that I haven't said, 'the needs of people with disability'....
Review Australia's $1bn disability employment service criticised over poor outcomes and reduced employment - https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/31/australias-disability-employment-down-3-in-past-decade-as-service-scheme-criticised-for-poor-outcomes....
Thank you Mark Zuckerberg (not!) Friends of NOVA may have seen our Facebook page is down - courtesy Mark Zuckerberg NOVA/Focus are victims of much larger forces - no idea when or if we'll be restored - more as events unfold....
They Don't Count Gaining or holding formal qualifications can set a person up for a lifetime career. Holding appropriate qualifications that can lead to lifelong careers, tradespeople generally make a good income and enjoy well deserved respect....
Benchmarks To access NOVA Employment or any Disability Employment Service (DES), almost everyone is required to be assessed by the Services Australia Services (Centrelink) to determine their "Benchmark" hours: Benchmark hours are the pay point for service providers; being the minimum working hours required for the DES provider to bill the Government and the assessed maximum hours a person is deemed capable of working with DES support....
International Day of People with a Disability
International Day of People with a Disability
It's IDPwD and we have a 1 hour 'special' screening on SBS from 4.30 this afternoon.
Our Ryan Goodwin has done a great job of selecting some of the great entries from NOVA's 'Focusonability' short film festival - we love the Festival and hope that you'll love these films, gathered from around the world....
2020 - the first half When the going gets tough, the tough get going
Good! - Now they've left us, let's look at reality - when the going gets tough, many people suffer and dis-proportionally, people with disability suffer more....
Countdown Clock II
What's the countdown clock all about?
It's our closing time and a countdown to the end of a truly remarkable month of extraordinary effort by my staff....
Countdown Clock Regular viewers will have noticed a countdown clock ticking away (above)
What's that all about?
Can't say - you have to wait till 4.30pm (a little earlier for staff)
...
Just the best 3 One thing we all love is a winner which is why there's a smile on my face it will be pretty hard to shift.
There's a nightmare pandemic sweeping the world (carried off my mum), the economy has tanked in a never before seen disaster that's left more than a million Aussies unemployed and the only news seems to be bad news....
More than Money!
If asked, most of us would say we went to work for the money, to pay our bills or support our family.
All true, and yet work means so much more:
Prior to finding a job with NOVA employment Glenn* struggled to keep jobs for more than a few months and was generally working as a dishwasher in restaurants which he found to be quite unsatisfying work....
Life Changers II
How are you in the mornings (or evenings, or nights)? NOVA is an 'old school' Disability Employment Service - we find work in the general community with identical pay and conditions as those enjoyed by people who dont have a disability....
Life Changers Required! Received yesterday:
I was unemployed for 24 years because of my disability. I was looking for a job for the last 2 and half years. With the help of (NOVA Staff) I found suitable job and working in the law company for last one year....
Try us!
Don't know about you but I have felt pretty bruised from all the horrible stuff brought upon us by this damn virus - seeing so many folk losing their jobs is particularly awful and the uncertainty generated for everyone, particularly for workers who have a disability is dreadful to see....
Best Ever II
Following from last post:
NOVA Employment has operated for 30 years. Comparing all results from previous years, February 2020 has been our most successful to date - Following on from January that's 2 in a row and every indication March will also be a record breaker....
Best Ever
NOVA Employment posted another 'best ever' result for the first month of 2020.
Despite the most dreadful natural disasters and with many businesses closed for the holidays, the NOVA team delivered more new workers than in any previous January results, beating past 5 years average by 25% and previous (2017) 'best ever' numbers by 5%....
Depressing cracked record!
A good friend will occasionally pull me up with the reminder that I have a tendency to rant, 'rave on slop jaw' if I remember correctly....
Big Win! Saturday night saw a big win for the NOVA team and for people with disability when our Podcast partners NOVA Entertainment- no relationship other than mates - received the following:
BEST ORIGINAL PODCAST - BRANDED
Focus On Ability; Nova Employment & the Nova Entertainment Podcast Team , NOVA Entertainment
BEST ORIGINAL PODCAST - UNBRANDED
Hamish & Andy; Hamish Blake & Andy Lee, PodcastOne Australi
Taken from the web: https://www....
Subscribe to this Blog