COMPREHENSIVE WORK CAPACITY ASSESSMENTS CWCA

1

• COMPREHENSIVE WORK CAPACITY ASSESSMENTS (CWCA)
• AND
• PRE-VOCATIONAL ASSISTANCE PARTICIPATION ACCOUNT
• NESA Conference 2005

2
Key Points

• What is CWCA?
• What is Pre-vocational Assistance Participation
  Account?
• Consultation Process/Exposure Draft
• Priorities for CWCA
• Working closely with DEWR on implementation
• Issues for Employment Services

3
What is CWCA?

• From 1 July 2006, CWCA replaces Better Assessment
  (for DSP/Incapacity) and Job Seeker Supplementary
  Assessment.
• Combines assessment and direct referral of a
  customer to the appropriate assistance pathway.
• Focus on progression to employment.
• Fast, seamless process that
• maximises engagement and
• motivates clients to participate in employment
  assistance.

4
Objectives of CWCA

• Comprehensive assessment of participation
  barriers
• Referral to interventions/assistance to help
  jobseekers improve work capacity.
• Assessment informs Centrelinks decision on
  income support.
• Comprehensive report to employment service,
  rehab. or personal support providers to assist
  them to tailor appropriate programmes.

5
What is Pre-Vocational Account?

• Additional funding for CWCA assessors to refer
  jobseekers to short programs to prepare them for
  Job Network.
• Addresses participation barriers for customers
  with disabilities, illness,injuries, etc.e.g.
  pain/anger management, counselling.

6
Consultation Process

• Exposure draft will be released mid to late
  August 2005 along with employment services.
• Consultations in September to seek feedback from
  stakeholders.
• Consultations conducted by DHS and DEWR to ensure
  end to end system integrity.

7
Exposure Draft/Procurement

• Request For Tender (RFT) planned forNovember
  2005 - alongside RFT processes for employment
  services.
• RFT process will be informed by market responses
  to exposure draft.
• Contract offers no later than March 2006.

8
CWCA Provision of Service

• Private sector expected to provide some CWCA
  services from 1 July 2006. (August September
  2005 process planned to test capacity/interest/via
  bility.)
• In first 2 years, Government expected to be a
  major provider continuity.

9
Priorities for CWCA

• Faster, better assessments.
• Early intervention, focus on quality assessments
  of work capacity.
• Skilled assessors (including rehab counsellors,
  psychologists, doctors).
• Appropriate and direct referrals to service
  providers.
• Quality assurance e.g. KPIs, random quality
  audits.

10
Pre-Vocational Account

• CWCA assessors will have a list of service types
  to which they can refer customers e.g. pain
  management.
• Services to meet accreditation standards.
• CWCA assessor pays for services ( reimbursed
  similar to Job Seeker Account.)
• Quality assurance through random audits.

11
Benefits for Employment Services

• Scope to bid for CWCA services, butmust manage
  potential conflict of interest issues.
• Customers engaged earlier and better motivated to
  participate in programmes.
• Welfare reform means more customers parents,
  long term unemployed, mature aged, those with
  wider range of work capacity.

12
Issues for Employment Services

• New groups of customers will mean Employment
  Service Providers (ESPs) may need to review their
  service and customer handling strategies.
• ESPs will be able to refer customers directly to
  CWCA services.
• More efficient and consistent processes and
  reports through CWCA will help ESPs to customise
  assistance.

13
Next Steps

• In August/September we will be seeking feedback
  on
• the policy model
• costs of delivery
• implications including for employment services
• managing the transition to the new approach and
• market interest.