Australian Government Employment and related Services

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Australian Government Employment and related
Services
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Disclaimer

• This presentation is based on the Exposure Draft
  released on 26 September 2005.
• The Exposure Draft has been produced for the
  information of stakeholders and
• potential tenderers, and for the purpose of
  seeking comments and feedback from
• stakeholders and potential tenderers.
• Attendees attention is drawn to the Disclaimer at
  the beginning of the Exposure
• Draft which makes clear that
• The Exposure Draft is a working document and
• The Commonwealth may or may not adopt comments
  and suggestions provided on the Exposure Draft,
  and vary the requirements set out in the Exposure
  Draft when preparing the Request for Tender (RFT)
  documentation.
• Attendees must not rely on the contents of the
  Exposure Draft or these
• consultation sessions in developing their
  response to the RFT. Prospective
• tenderers must address the requirements specified
  in the RFT, in accordance with
• the terms set out in each document. The final
  RFT is expected to be released in
• November 2005 and further information sessions on
  the RFT requirements will be
• held then.

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Job Placement, Employment Training (JPET)

• Commenced on 1 July 1997
• Administered by the Department of
• Employment and Workplace Relations
• (DEWR)
• Pre-employment programme

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Objective of JPET

• To assist young people aged between 15 and 21
  years of age facing multiple non-vocational
  barriers, who are homeless or at risk of
  homelessness, to overcome their barriers and
  achieve greater economic and social
  participation.
• JPET does not duplicate, extend or replace other
  existing services.

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JPET Target Group

• Young people aged 15-21 (inclusive)
• Homeless or At Risk of Homelessness
• Face multiple non-vocational barriers
• Not in sustainable employment.

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Some of the barriers faced by JPET participants

• Substance abuse/misuse
• Domestic violence or other serious family
  conflict
• Victim of abuse
• Mental or other health problems
• Learning or other disabilities
• Refugee background and torture and trauma
• experiences
• History of offending or criminal behaviour
• The exposure draft contains a longer list of
  barriers

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• JPET participants must be
• Aged between 15 and 21
• Fall into the JPET Target Group
• Be an Australian citizen, have permanent
  residency or a Temporary Protection Visa.

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• There is no limit on how long a young person can
  participate in JPET
• On average participation in JPET is expected to
  be about 6 months.

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Current figures

• 14,617 new participants commenced in 2004-05
• Currently 96 organisations are funded to deliver
  JPET covering 133 services across Australia
• A mix of community, welfare and private
  organisations local, regional and national
• Total funding for the programme was 19.908
  million last financial year.

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Lapsing Programme Review

• Review of the JPET programme
• The review assessed
• Appropriateness
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Recommendations
• Participant Survey

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Recommendations

• Funding for JPET be continued
• Clarification of objectives and target groups
• Three Year Funding Agreements
• Performance Management Framework
• Stronger linkages with Job Network and other
  employment programmes

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Participant Survey

• Participants very satisfied with JPET
• JPET well known in the community
• Many self-referrals
• Steady number of referrals from community services

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JPET Service Delivery Model

• Flexible
• Holistic
• No prescribed model

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JPET services

• Effective linkages must be maintained to
• Attract eligible participants
• Enable access to other activities and support
• DEWR does not guarantee the number of young
  people that may seek assistance from a JPET
  provider.

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Referral sources

• Centrelink
• Comprehensive Work Capacity Assessments
• Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)
  providers
• State and Local Government programmes and
  initiatives
• welfare workers and other community agencies
• self-referral
• family, friends or word of mouth or
• other specialist services.

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Mutual Obligation

• Participating in JPET can satisfy Activity Test
  or Mutual Obligation (MO) requirements if
  appropriate and eligible for JPET
• Only Centrelink can refer a young person who will
  be using participation in the JPET programme to
  meet their MO requirements.

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Core Services

• Assessment
• Case management
• Referral and advocacy
• Practical support
• Outreach

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JPET 2006-2009

• Tender for all services and places
• 14,000 places nationally
• Approx 20 million in funding each year.

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Payment Structure

• Cost per participant
• 1540 approx for standard (GST inc)
• 1760 approx remote (GST inc)
• Payments made quarterly
• Payment model has 3 components

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Brokerage

• 10 of the cost per participant is to be spent
  solely on brokerage
• Brokerage supports JPET participants by the
  purchase of specific services to overcome barriers

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Performance Management Framework

• A JPET Performance Management Framework has been
  developed to assist JPET providers to
• Deliver and manage their services effectively
• To provide feedback to JPET providers about their
  performance in a systematic way and
• To ensure performance is measured in a consistent
  way against the Funding Agreement

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• The Performance management Framework consists of
  the following elements
• Three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• The quality of JPET services in relation to the
  Code of Practice and the JPET Service Guarantee
• A Performance review each Performance Period and
  monitoring visits by DEWR staff

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Business Re-allocation

• Business reallocation process will operate in
  conjunction with the Performance Management
  Framework.
• Where there is low demand or poor provider
  results, DEWR may seek to re-allocate JPET places
  to high demand areas or to high performing
  providers.

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Request for Tender (RFT)

• For JPET services for 2006-2009
• For all JPET places
• 14,000 nationally each financial year
• JPET places in each ESA to be released with the
  RFT

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Request for Tender (RFT)

• In selecting providers to deliver JPET through
  the tender, DEWR will take in to account
• The needs of the community
• Diversity of services
• Coverage within ESAs
• Relative quality of the tenders
• Viability of service provision

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Selection Criteria

• Demonstrated performance in delivering JPET or
  similar services
• Proposed strategies to achieve outcomes for JPET
  services
• Local strategies to promote, sustain and enhance
  the delivery of JPET at an ESA level.

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Specialist Services
Demonstrate the need for the specialist service
in the ESA
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Conditionality

• An organisation may specify conditionality
• provisions when bidding for JPET. These
• provisions can relate to
• Bids across ESAs
• Specialist conditionality and
• Bids for more than one DEWR service within the
  ESA.

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• Next Steps
• Exposure Draft is a working document comments
  and questions encouraged
• All updates to information about Exposure Draft
  and RFT is on Employment Services Purchasing
  website www.workplace.gov.au/ESpurchasing

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• Next Steps (continued)
• Email comments toespurchasing_at_dewr.gov.au
• Phone comments to 1300 733 514Employment
  Services Purchasing HotlineMon-Fri 9am-5pm
  EST/EDT (except ACT public holidays)
• Post comments toCommunications
  ManagerEmployment Services Purchasing
  TeamDepartment of Employment and Workplace  
  RelationsPO Box 9879Canberra   ACT   2600

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• Purchasing Process
• Draft Contract released early October
• Comments - Exposure Draft due 21 October 2005
• RFT released early November 2005 (Free
  download from www.tenders.gov.au Austender
  website)
• Tender submissions close mid December 2005
• Contract offers released March 2006
• Contracts commence 1 July 2006