Inclusive Employment Australia (Easy Read)

This fact sheet is about Inclusive Employment Australia.

We say IEA for short.

IEA used to be called Disability Employment Services or DES.

IEA can help people

• get ready for a job

• find a job

• keep a job.

This factsheet is written in Easy Read.

Hard words are in bold.

We explain what they mean.

It is a good idea to read this factsheet with support.

This factsheet is part of the Supported Employment Advocacy project.
We say SEA project for short.

The SEA project is about helping people

• understand their employment options

• learn about their rights at work

• access the right support and advocacy to make informed decisions about employment.

You can learn more about the project and find other resources by going to https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/project/supported-employment-and-advocacy-project-sea/

You must be between 14 and 67 years old to use IEA.

You must have a:

• disability or
• injury or
• health condition that affects how much you can work.

You must be an Australian permanent resident.

This means you can always live and work in Australia.

You can work between 0 and 30 hours in a week to use IEA.

You do not need to get a Centrelink payment to use IEA.

You use IEA for as long as you want to.

Some people who have participation requirements must use IEA to keep getting their Centrelink payments.

Participation requirements are the things you must do to keep getting your Centrelink payment.

Some people who get the Disability Support Pension have participation requirements.
We say DSP for short.

If you are on the DSP you have participation requirements if you are

• under 35 years old and

• can work more than 8 hours a week and

• do not have a child younger than 6 years old in your care.

There is more information about DSP and participation requirements at: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/what-your-commitments-are-for-disability-support-pension-dsp?context=22276

People who get the JobSeeker payment may also need to use IEA to keep getting their payment.

There is more information about JobSeeker at: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/if-you-have-reduced-capacity-to-work?context=51411

There are many different IEA providers around Australia.

It is important to choose the right provider for you.

Most people in IEA can choose their own provider and change providers any time.

If you are leaving prison Services Australia will choose for you.

Services Australia is part of the Australian Government.

In IEA there are specialist providers.

This means providers who have experience supporting people with different types of disability.

For example intellectual disability.

You can choose a provider even if you do not live in the same place.

Good IEA providers do things like:

• listen to you

• understand your support needs

• support you to make your own decisions about work

• give you information in ways you can understand

• meet with the people who support you if you say it is okay

• talk to employers for you if you say it is okay

• respect your rights.

There is a list of IEA providers at:
https://www.dss.gov.au/inclusive-employment-australia/find-inclusive-employment-australia-provider

You can search for a provider by searching

• their name
  
• postcode
  
• suburb or
  
• how far away they are.

Services Australia will help you start using IEA if you have participation requirements.

You can tell Services Australia which IEA provider you want to use.

Or you can contact the IEA provider you want to use.

You can find contact details for IEA providers at: https://www.dss.gov.au/inclusive-employment-australia/find-inclusive-employment-australia-provider

To start using IEA you will meet with your IEA provider.

The IEA provider will ask you about

• what you are interested in

• your skills and strengths

• any work or training you have done before

• what supports you need to find and keep a job.

You can choose how you want to meet with you IEA provider.

For example

• online or

• in person.

You can change your mind about how you meet with your IEA provider.

When you meet your IEA provider you will make a job plan together.

A job plan says

• what you will do in IEA to meet your employment goals

• what your IEA provider will do to support you.

There are 2 kinds of job plans:

• meaningful engagement job plan

• detailed job plan.

You only have one of these plans.

Most people in IEA will have a meaningful engagement job plan.

Meaningful Engagement Plan
A meaningful engagement job plan says

• how you want to be supported by your IEA provider

• how you choose to stay in contact with your provider
  
  for example online or in person.

• how you choose to stay in contact with your provider
  
  for example online or in person.

• how often you will meet with your provider

• any other activities you want to do to help you find and keep a job
  
  For example doing a First Aid training.

You can make changes to the meaningful engagement job plan.

You can have 2 days to think about your job plan before you agree.

You can ask for more time if you need it.

Detailed Job Plan

You can be moved to the detailed job plan if

• you have participation requirements and

• your IEA provider thinks you are not following the meaningful engagement job plan without a good reason.

The detailed job plan has more activities that you must do to keep getting your Centrelink payment.

For example contacting employers or going to job interviews.

If your IEA provider thinks you are not following the detailed job plan your Centrelink payment might stop or go down.

Your IEA provider must always tell you first.

If you need help with understanding participation requirements and your job plan you can

• talk to your IEA provider

• talk to an advocate.

There is more information about advocates on page 33 of this document.

Ongoing Support

Once you get a job you can get ongoing support from your IEA provider.

This means extra support to help you keep your job over time.

You can get ongoing support for as long as you need it.

To get ongoing support you will have an ongoing support assessment.

This means you will meet with an assessor to talk about the support you need to keep your job.

Assessors work as part of the National Panel of Assessors.

This is an Australian Government program.

Your IEA provider will give you information about the assessment.

You can choose the time and place for your assessment.

You have rights in IEA.

Rights are rules about how people should be treated.

You have the right to get good support from your IEA provider to

• make a job plan that works well for you

• meet your employment goals.

You do not have to attend any third party appointments.

This is when someone other than your IEA provider wants to meet with you.
For example a counselling appointment.

You can have a support person with you any time you meet with your IEA provider or do any other activities.
For example a friend or support worker.

You can ask for an interpreter if you need one.

For example if you speak a language other than English or use AUSLAN.

You can choose what information you share with your IEA provider.

For example information about your health and disability.

You can tell your IEA provider not to contact your employer if you do not want them to.

You never have to give your payslips to your IEA provider even if they ask you to.

Payslips are information from your employer about what you get paid.

You can have time to make decisions about the supports you get in IEA.

You can make changes to your job plan at any time.

You can make a complaint or change your IEA provider at any time.

Your Centrelink payment will not change if you make a complaint or change IEA providers.

To make a complaint or change your IEA provider contact the National Customer Service Line.
This is part of the Australian Government.

You can call

1800 805 260

You can email

nationalcustomerserviceline@dewr.gov.au

You can also talk to an advocate.

An advocate is someone who is trained to support you to speak up for your rights.

The SEA project includes advocates who work with people with an intellectual disability in employment.

You can learn more about the SEA project and find an advocate by going to https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/project/supported-employment-and-advocacy-project-sea/

The Australian Government has made Easy Read information about IEA at: https://www.dss.gov.au/inclusive-employment-australia

JobAccess is an Australian Government website with employment information for people with disability.

You can find more information about IEA on the JobAccess website at: https://www.jobaccess.gov.au/i-am-a-person-with-disability/looking-applying-job/government-services-help-you/how-iea-can-help

You can call JobAccess

1800 464 800