The Department for Child Protection (DCP) , SA plays a pivotal role in keeping children and young people safe from abuse and harm. It also offers care to those who experience neglect in their family homes. With a view to improve workforce diversity, DCP partnered with the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) . The NDRC is JobAccess' employer engagement service. It partners with…, Commitment to build a supportive and accessible work culture, The DCP's Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2020-2024 outlines steps to promote the rights of South Australians living with disability. It ensures that everyone enjoys equal access and inclusion within the community. It also details strategies to improve access to the services DCP offers., Teresa Di Manno, , Team Leader, Recruitment at DCP, emphasises their commitment to disability inclusion. “The Department is currently working to set realistic, impactful goals. We are looking to increase disability representation within DCP. We also aim to improve accessibility across all stages of employment, from recruitment to retention." , Building disability confidence through NDRC partnership, Teresa said she learned about the NDRC through discussions on improving diversity and inclusion at DCP. “Some peers in the public sector network highly recommended JobAccess. They had worked with the NDRC before and found JobAccess very helpful when it comes to creating a more inclusive workplace," Teresa recalls. After learning about the service, DCP signed up for a partnership with the NDRC. “…, Removing workplace barriers to improve disability inclusion, A NDRC Professional Adviser worked with Teresa and the team at DCP. “The adviser did an extensive review of our recruitment policies and processes. This led to a significant improvement," said Teresa. “He also delivered disability awareness training to our leadership team and hiring managers. It offered insights on how to reduce workplace barriers for people with disability.” Teresa shared that…, Teresa Di Manno, Team Leader, Recruitment Department for Child Protection Teresa adds, “Partnering with JobAccess made us more proactive. Now, we can identify and address workplace barriers more easily. We’ve also made other adjustments, including changes to our recruitment process, improved workplace accessibility, and inclusive communication.” “JobAccess has helped us create a more supportive and accessible…, A cultural shift within the Department, Teresa shares that the support DCP received from the NDRC team was tremendous. “JobAccess has helped position us as a more inclusive employer, which we are committed to maintaining.” , Teresa Di Manno, Team Leader, Recruitment Department for Child Protection “We’ve seen a significant cultural shift within DCP. Our understanding of disability inclusion has deepened.” Teresa concludes, “JobAccess has helped position us as a more inclusive employer, which we are committed to maintaining.” , Are you looking to build a disability confident workplace? Talk to the experts., , The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) partners with larger employers. The team works with employers to create inclusive workplace policies that support disability employment. The NDRC also provides a vacancy distribution service to employers – big or small. Call JobAccess at 1800 464 800 to connect with the NDRC. You can also submit an online enquiry form through the JobAccess…
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Yarra Ranges Council is a local government council in Victoria. The Council wanted to improve access to jobs for people with disability. As part of its partnership with JobAccess, the organisation’s full recruitment process improved., Improving accessibility, The Council worked with JobAccess to make it easier for people with disability to access jobs within its organisation. The People and Culture team wanted to learn more about disability in the workplace and get advice from experts. That’s where the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) stepped in. The NDRC is JobAccess' service that works with employers. It partners with organisations…, Kate Freeman, is a Talent Acquisition Advisor at Yarra Ranges Council. She shares, “Our goal in engaging JobAccess was to improve disability awareness. We wanted to apply a disability perspective to our services. This includes our recruitment processes, policies, and procedures. Our aim was to improve our disability employment accessibility.” , Enhancing the hiring process, The Council worked with an NDRC Professional Adviser to look at their hiring practices. They received advice on how to make applying for jobs an accessible and inclusive process for candidates with disability. The adviser also worked with the team on the Council’s goals for hiring people with disability. After a full recruitment review process, changes were made to job ads, systems, policies, and…, Nathan Deslandes, Head of People and Culture Operations Yarra Ranges Council, Nathan Deslandes, is Head of People and Culture Operations at Yarra Ranges Council. He says, “Our recruitment team now feels much more confident in applying a disability perspective. Job ads are more inclusive. There’s increased confidence in supporting candidates. And we advise hiring managers about inclusive interview practices.”, Building disability-confident workplace , The team is still working on improving their practices by taking courses on writing accessible content. They are also making other changes to improve inclusivity in their processes. “The adviser’s feedback has encouraged us to continually improve our approach to recruitment. His training provided some great insights. We’re now better at handling reasonable adjustment requests,” Nathan adds. …, Are you looking to build a disability confident workplace too? Talk to the experts., The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) works with employers, big or small, to help create inclusive workplace policies. They educate on good practice to support people with disability. The NDRC provides a vacancy distribution service to employers, workplace training and employer seminars on disability awareness., Call JobAccess at, 1800 464 800, to connect with the NDRC. You can also submit an online enquiry form through the, JobAccess website, .
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One in five Australians live with disability. This includes those living with mental health conditions. If you don’t already employ people with disability, it’s likely that you will in the future. , What’s the business case?, People with disability bring a range of skills and abilities to the workplace. Employees with disability are:, reliable, – people with disability take fewer days off, take less sick leave and stay in their jobs longer than other workers., productive, – when in the right job, people with disability work as well as others., good for business, – people with disability build strong customer relationships. They boost staff morale and help create a diverse workforce. Employing people with disability can improve the company’s image as a place that reflects the community. Employment success stories Many employers in different industries have benefited from employing people with disability. Among these employers are:, PwC Australia, , a Professional services firm, employs Nicole Vongdara. She is a Senior Manager in Diversity and Inclusion. She says, ‘employees with disability bring valuable new perspectives, skills and diversity to our team’. Read a story about PwC’s diversity and inclusion program ., William Angliss Institute, , an Education employer. Paul Kloppenborg a manager of Learning and Information Services, hired Daniel Giddens as a Liaison Librarian. Daniel has Cerebral Palsy. As Paul says, Daniel is ‘breaking down some of the stereotypes of what people with disability can and can’t do’. Learn more about Paul and Daniel . Ebru Dogan, a Diversity and Inclusion Advisor at, Gold Coast University Hospital, , says that hiring people with disabilities 'brings a diversity of thought that is invaluable'. Read a story about Gold Coast University Hospital . Food service employer, Compass Group Australia, – Kathy Scott, Communications Manager, says, ‘In the past year, we’ve employed 77 people with that identify as having disability, and over that time we’ve had a 94% retention rate’. Read the success story of one of their employees with disability, Kevin Green ., What the research says about employer attitudes, Research by the Australian Government shows most Australian employers are open to hiring people with disability. This is a good sign, but there is room for improvement. Most employers in the research knew the value or workers with disabilities. But many weren’t sure how to practically employ people with disabilities., Barriers to employment, “The research told us that businesses want more help to transition from ‘willing’ to ‘hiring.’” What stopped employers from hiring people with disability? Of the employers who were open to hiring people with disability: 44% are worried about integrating people with disability into the workforce 37% were unaware of disability employment, they saw hiring a person with disability as 'a step into the…, Attitudes by industry, The research found these industries are most open to hiring people with disability: professional and financial services retail, accommodation and food services social, healthcare and education services. Most businesses in these industries believed it is important to include people with disability. Their workplace should reflect the community’s diversity. That included 83% of businesses in the…, Support for employers, A range of supports are available to help you employ people with disability. Contact a JobAccess Adviser for advice to get started, explore the resources on our website, or attend a free seminar for employers . You may qualify for funding through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF). It can cover costs for workplace changes, equipment and services to support an employee with disability. For all…
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Get advice on creating disability strategies, action plans and employee support plans for a diverse and fair workplace. You can also join one of our free information sessions for employers.
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A disability employment strategy can help you recruit people with disability. It will also give applicants confidence that you value employees with disabilities. , What is a disability employment strategy?, A disability employment strategy states your goals for hiring people with disabilities. It also outlines how you plan to achieve these goals. Your strategy can include: recruitment processes guidelines for shortlisting candidates processes for interviewing people with disability ways to work with a Disability Employment Services provider . It might also include your plan to raise disability…, Getting started, The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) can help you. They can develop your disability employment strategy. You can also contact a JobAccess Adviser on 1800 464 800 and they can connect you to the NDRC. Or you can fill out our enquiry form ., Raising disability awareness in your organisation, There are many ways you can raise disability awareness at work. For example, you can: celebrate key dates such as the International Day for People with Disability hold disability awareness training sessions develop a network of staff members who want to promote a more inclusive, diverse workforce.
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