Local Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkLocal Connections to WorkBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time SeminarBrotherhood of St Laurence Lunch Time Seminar

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Janie DaveyJanie DaveyJanie DaveyJanie Davey

Centrelink Representative

Taskforce on Strengthening Government

Service Delivery for Job Seekers

August 2010

• Current Labour market conditions

• New Zealand ‘Community Link’ approach

• What Local Connections to Work is all about:

� Objectives

What this presentation will cover

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� Objectives

� Locations

� Target Groups

� Early progress and Achievements

Unemployment

Australia is once again experiencing relatively good employment growth.

The trend unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of 5.8% in

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fallen from a peak of 5.8% in October 2008 to 5.1% in June 2010.

The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 4.75%by end of 2011-12.

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ent Rate (%

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Long Term Unemployment

But there remains a cohort of disadvantaged job seekers and those who have been unemployed for a long time.

Long term unemployment is still increasing.

As of May 2010 there were 112 200 long term unemployed people (as measured by

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term unemployed people (as measured by the ABS).

There were 43 500 very long term unemployed people (unemployed for 2 years or more).

Disadvantaged people and their families often face vocational and non-vocational barriers to employment.

• Local Connections to Work is based on the New Zealand ‘Community Link’

model which brings under one roof service providers from the local

community.

• Government and non-government organisations work together to provide

New Zealand ‘Community Link’

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• Government and non-government organisations work together to provide

more holistic services.

• A collaborative/team approach is used to assist job seekers and their

families help overcome disadvantage and barriers to social inclusion and

economic participation.

• Sustainable place based solutions for the most disadvantaged.

• Service delivery organisations are co-locating on a rostered basis within

four Centrelink sites to provide better collaboration between services for

disadvantaged job seekers.

What is Local Connections to Work?

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• Co-locating organisations include:

� Commonwealth, State and local government services;

� JSA and DES providers;

� Training providers;

� community welfare and service organisations.

• To assist those who need it most – customers with barriers and issues can

find it difficult to access the services they need.

• Having services available (in the most part) under one roof should make it

easier for customers to receive assistance.

Purpose of Local Connections to Work

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easier for customers to receive assistance.

• Closer collaboration between service providers should facilitate a holistic

view of the customer, and better integration and coordination of assistance.

• Customers would only need to tell their story once.

• Stabilisation of job seekers’ circumstances and removal of barriers to social

inclusion.

• Progress towards economic participation and eventual employment (noting

there will be a lag while barriers are addressed).

Objectives of Local Connections to Work

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there will be a lag while barriers are addressed).

• A reduction in the propensity of disadvantaged youth and other job seekers

to become long term unemployed.

• Stronger links between all service providers (including Centrelink, and

employment and training organisations).

Local Connections to Work has been introduced in four large Centrelink

CSCs in disadvantaged locations:

• Frankston VIC on 24 May

• Campsie NSW on 31 May

Local Connections to Work locations

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• Campsie NSW on 31 May

• Ipswich QLD on 7 June

• Elizabeth SA on 21 June

Local Connections to Work has now been in place for 3 months in

Frankston.

Targeted job seekers have strengths based joint interviews with their

employment services provider and Centrelink.

• Extremely long term unemployed job seekers

(Unemployed for five years or more.)

Targeted Job Seekers

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• Disadvantaged youth

15 – 24 year olds with barriers including: homelessness; drug or alcohol

dependency; psychiatric or mental illness; or lacking literacy/numeracy

skills.

Local Connections to Work is available to others with significant need.

Local Connections to Work has two levels of services:

1. Wrap Around Services:

Mainly for targeted job seekers identified as needing joint servicing with

Levels of Servicing

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Mainly for targeted job seekers identified as needing joint servicing with

two or more services.

2. Single Service:

When a customer is connected to a single Community Partner

on site (eg Mental Health services or literacy provider).

Local Governance

• Community Partnership Groups manage local issues, guide the local

approach, develop rostering arrangements and identify gaps in services.

Privacy

Local Governance and Privacy

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Privacy

• The Taskforce consulted with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in

developing a Privacy Impact Assessment.

• Community Partners who co-locate within Centrelink sign a ‘Deed’

that sets out a common understanding of operational and

privacy issues. This includes ensuring customers give

consent to share information.

• There are 82 Community Partners across the four Centrelink sites:

� 21 Community Partners in Frankston

� 15 Community Partners in Campsie

� 24 Community Partners in Ipswich

� 22 Community Partners in Elizabeth

• Community Partners include:

Early Progress and Achievements

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• Community Partners include:

� JSA and DES providers

� Medicare, Child Support Agency & CRS Australia

� Youth and Family services

� Emergency Housing services

� Health & Mental Health services

� Training providers (eg TAFE)

� Financial counselling

� Legal services

• Over 700 Wrap Around Service interviews completed:

� 500 initial interviews.

� 200 subsequent interviews.

Early Progress and Achievements

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• Over 140 Single Services delivered by co-located Community Partners

• Almost 2,000 Medicare services.

34%

32%30%

26% 25%

19%19%

20%

25%

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35%

Barriers Identified

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0%

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No access to

Internet

Disability No or little contact

w ith

Family/Friends

Unaw are of local

services

Financial Problems Poor Health Housing Problems

22%

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25%

Referrals to Services

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9% 9%

6%

2%

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0%

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10%

Education/Training

Health

Counselling

Employment Services

Housing

Finance

JCA

Good News Stories

Strategic Success in Ipswich:

Ipswich have Probation and Parole collocating in addition to

Lifeline. The former offer a Fine Order option to those with

debts to the State and the latter offer budgeting support debts to the State and the latter offer budgeting support

services. The Project Lead in Ipswich has been asked by the

Community Partnership Group to develop a proposal to

strengthen the service system integration re early debt

identification and referral involving Centrelink support.

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Job success in Campsie:

A job seeker was referred to Local Connections to Work during a regular participation

contact interview. She had been out of work for three years, felt disengaged with her

employment services provider, and was experiencing financial hardship – which meant

she could not afford appropriate clothing for job interviews.

Good News Stories

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she could not afford appropriate clothing for job interviews.

The job seeker was linked on the spot with Community Partner ‘Dress for Success’

(free business attire for people to attend job interviews). Her employment services

provider came in and was able to refer her to a job.

She got the job and was very thankful for the services she received.

Community Partners and employment services providers working

together in Ipswich:

Aftercare contacted Centrelink at Ipswich to arrange a joint interview on site

for them, a customer and a DES provider not yet a co-location partner.

Good News Stories

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Ipswich Centrelink arranged for the DES provider to schedule an appointment

to be held the office of the DES provider.

Aftercare stated that they would not have known how to arrange

that without Local Connections to Work.

Long term unemployed customer re-engaging in Frankston:

A DES provider has a client who has been unemployed for 7-8 years and is

socially isolated.

After a short period of joint intervention with Local Connections to Work the

Good News Stories

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After a short period of joint intervention with Local Connections to Work the

client has secured voluntary work as a bus driver.

This was a fantastic result in a short period of time given the client’s long

history of unemployment and disengagement. Undertaking voluntary

work will help the client regain work skills as a pathway to

paid employment.

Customer engaged in Elizabeth:

A job seeker who was regularly attending his JSA provider appointments, but

was not open about his circumstances, received a wrap around service joint

interview. Previously the job seeker would not commit to any activity.

Good News Stories

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At the Local Connections to Work joint interview the job seeker was able to

discuss longer term goals and agreed to participate in an eight week course

that included one week of work experience.

The JSA provider was “blown away” by how Local Connections to

Work had changed the job seeker’s willingness to participate.

THANK YOU

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ANY QUESTIONS?