SUB.001.02451_01_0001
28 October 2020
Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and
Exploitation of People with Disability
GPO Box 1422
Brisbane Old 4001
Submitted Online
Dear Commissioners,
Submission on Employment Pathways for People with Disability The Centre for Social Impact (CSI) Swinburne thanks the Commission for the opportunity to make this submission. CSI Swinburne is a multi-disciplinary research centre within the School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship at the Swinburne University of Technology, which was established in 2014 as part of the CSI National Network. Our research strives to empower the social impact ecosystem to achieve positive social change through improving the systemic and organisational conditions that shape communities. CSI Swinburne has partnered with genU disability services to develop an evidence-based model that supports employment pathways for people with a disability. Dr Perri Campbell leads the project ‘Connecting Pathways to Employment with the WISE-Ability model’, working with Professor Erin Wilson,
CSI Swinburne’s Uniting Chair in Community Services Innovation, and Ms
Jenny Crosbie, PhD candidate. Dr Perri Campbell is the primary author of this submission, which focuses on recent CSI Swinburne research that identifies barriers to employment for people with disability, and how these barriers can be addressed. Dr Campbell is also available to provide expert witness evidence before a public hearing of the Commission. Connecting Pathways to Employment with the WISE-Ability model The research focused on people with a disability working in Australian Disability Enterprises. The Commission has a specific interest in the employment rates of people with disability. The research speaks directly to this interest. The project team worked collaboratively with genU and a variety of stakeholders
in the Barwon region to use and implement the Work Integration Social
Enterprise ‘WISE’ model to improve Supported Employees’ work readiness and
their transitions to Hybrid (working in both a supported setting and in Open
Employment) or Open Employment. The research was guided by the following questions:
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- What are the barriers to Open Employment?
- What Facilitates Open Employment?
- How can the WISE model be adapted to support Open Employment pathways in a WISE/ADE contexts?
Data collection was conducted via interviews, Action Learning and Steering Committee meetings. In total, 27 interviews, 4 Action Learning workshops, and 5 Steering Committee meetings were held with different groups of stakeholders over the period November 2021 - March 2022. The relevance and purpose of each WISE element in supporting the needs of people with a disability was examined via interviews, a series of Action Learning workshops and Steering Committee meetings. All participants were asked to consider how model elements, like having different physical spaces to work in, would assist people with a disability to learn hard and soft skills and maintain a
job in Open Employment. Participants were able to identify a range of
employment barriers, supports and tools.
The WISE model was adapted by first identifying data matching with the
organisational elements in the coding process. New WISE model categories and sub-categories were identified from coding interview data and then cross checked with the Action Learning Group data and through discussions in Steering Committee meetings.
Key Findings
The project generated significant data about the limitations of employer
knowledge in facilitating and creating jobs for people with a disability, and the best practice for supporting employment pathways. To assist the Commission, we have attached the project report to this submission, which presents the key findings in the executive summary. This report also includes the newly developed WISE-Ability model (Appendix 1, page 77), and other resources to assist organisations seeking to emulate this approach to supported employment and pathways to open employment. Overall, the data identifies significant barriers to employment for people with a disability, including: employer confidence, employee confidence and having the right funding structure to support pathways. Funding for Support, particularly in Open Employment, is a key barrier. Moving from intensive-support employment
(i.e. in an ADE) to Open Employment often results in support and funding
changes, creating difficulties for employees who want to return to more
supported forms of work after attempting Open Employment.
Individual participants with a disability felt that they might like to try Open
Employment, but they were also wary of the limited support and social stigma they believed they would encounter. These disincentives, coupled with the risk of jeopardising Individual Funding Plans and DSP support, meant the pathway to employment was uncertain at best, and at worst, emotionally or physically harmful. Many reported previous experiences in Open Employment where they
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had been 'thrown in at the deep end', or experienced bullying and
marginalisation. A range of solutions were identified through the WISE-Ability model. These
focus primarily on addressing employer knowledge, appropriate forms of
support, sustainable employment options and funding barriers. Key solutions include:
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Providing appropriate and continued forms of support to people with a disability in ADE and open employment settings (see Appendix 1 and 2)
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Raising awareness and capacity of employers (see Appendix 4)
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Providing training and development opportunities in the workplace
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Creating an understanding and respectful workplace culture
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Facilitating pathways to employment through self-discovery and customised roles
The project has been extended to gather further information about the use of individual NDIS funding and how it can be used flexibly as a solution to existing employment barriers.
Conclusion
The WISE-Ability model provides information to support the transition of ADEs
to organisations that function to provide pathways to Open Employment,
including hybrid options where people choose to blend employment both in Open Employment with employment in ADE environments. Within the WISE Ability model, ADEs can be designed to provide both spaces of wellbeing as
well as spaces that foster social and economic participation. The model
provides a set of necessary ingredients and guidance as to how to achieve these. CSI Swinburne once again thanks the Commission for the opportunity to provide this submission. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss the research raised in this submission with the Commission further. In this regard, please do not hesitate to contact Dr Perri Campbell, Social
Impact Research Fellow
Yours sincerely
Libby Ward-Christie Faculty of Business & Law
Director, Centre for Social Impact Swinburne Centre for Social Impact Swinburne
PO Box 218 Hawthorn
Victoria 3122 Australia
Telephone +61 3 9214 3757
http//www.swinburne.edu.au/busin ess-enterprise/research/social 3 impact/