City of Casey embraces disability inclusion with support from JobAccess

Image description: Five team members from the People and Culture Division at the City of Casey are standing outdoors and smiling at the camera (Source: City of Casey).

The City of Casey is home to more than 413,000 people. It is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Victoria. To reflect the community it serves, the City looked at increasing disability representation in its workforce. To achieve this, the City partnered with the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC).

The NDRC is JobAccess' employer engagement service. It partners with organisations to improve their disability knowledge and confidence. NDRC partnerships are available at no cost to employers.

Being inclusive with good practice

Christina Harbis, the Talent Acquisition Advisor at the City of Casey, says finding areas for improvement is important for inclusion.

“We aimed to assess our inclusive practices, particularly in the recruitment process. We wanted to identify gaps and areas for improvement. Our goal was to ensure we are as inclusive as possible when attracting, recruiting, and onboarding new staff,” Christina says.

During their 12-month partnership, the NDRC Adviser worked with the City of Casey to review the City’s recruitment process and advise on good practice.

Christina reflects, “The NDRC Advisor conducted a thorough review of our processes and policies. They provided a detailed report with recommendations. We had communicated regularly to discuss the recommendations and how to implement them. They also conducted disability awareness training, which was very well received.”

Disability awareness training by the NDRC led to conversations about disability among staff. The training focused on disability employment basics: the essential requirements, sharing information about disability, inclusive language, and making reasonable adjustments. 

Concrete, positive, and long-term changes

Christina says that NDRC’s support helped the City identify gaps in their recruitment practices. It also provided them with actionable insights to improve. 

The NDRC’s support has influenced our long-term strategies for fostering a more accessible workplace.

Christina Harbis
Talent Acquisition Advisor
City of Casey

“Through NDRC’s detailed review, we gained a clearer understanding of how to remove barriers and better support candidates with disability. This has led to changes in our processes. They now ensure a more inclusive experience from recruitment through to onboarding. The NDRC’s support has influenced our long-term strategies for fostering a more accessible workplace.”

The City has also used JobAccess’ free vacancy distribution service. This service helps employers reach more candidates with disability. Christina says, “The JobAccess vacancy service has been helpful. It has allowed us to reach a wider pool of candidates. It also ensures our jobs are accessible to everyone.”

Appreciative of the support received, Christina says, “The NDRC Advisor was lovely to work with and a great support to us! We have enjoyed their down to earth, friendly, and supportive nature throughout the process.”

Are you looking to build a disability-confident workplace? Talk to the experts. 

The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) partners with employers to develop inclusive workplace policies. They also advise on good practice to support people with disability.

The NDRC also provides a vacancy distribution service to employers. It offers other services too. These include workplace training and employer seminars on disability awareness.

Call us at 1800 464 800 to connect with the NDRC. You can also submit an online enquiry form through the JobAccess website.