Celeste Galton, Work Directions

1

• Celeste Galton, Work Directions
• Michelle Sainsbery, IPA Personnel
• Current realities
• Presentation - Case Studies
• Future potential
• Industry survey

2

• Current realities
• Funding (around 3,300 per person for 2 years)
• Challenges with attracting suitably qualified
  staff
• Diversity of participants needs
• Caseload size
• Provision of relief staff for leave periods
• Capacity to access resources
• Limited income to buy services (eg. ongoing
  translation services)

3
FUNDING MODEL
4

• Current realities
• Parallel Servicing
• Challenges with perception of PSP
• Limited understanding of other programmes (eg.
  Job Network, Disability Open Employment, CWC)
• No minimum standards for transition out of PSP
• Waiting lists result in people not accessing
  their first option

5

• Current realities
• Resources
• Work within EA2000
• No access to a participation account to help
  fund interventions
• Provision of outreach services

6

• Current realities
• Administrative load
• Claims structure clunky (9 manual)
• Reporting at various intervals (Action Plan,
  Timing 8 and 16 months, Exit)
• Provision of outreach services

7

• Current realities
• Good Will and Collaboration
• DEWR work with providers to develop processes,
  performance measurements etc
• Providers work together in many geographic areas
• Genuine desire to deliver quality services
• Many success stories of PSP working for
  participants

8

• Current realities
• Other
• Waiting Lists
• High Performance Indicator Framework confusion
• Roll out of small number of places
• Bridge between PSP and the requirements of Job
  Network
• No online tool for management reporting or
  monitoring performance

9
Personal Support Program (PSP)

• Celeste Galton

10

• The Personal Support Programme (PSP) was
  established to provide individualised attention
  to clients, to bridge short term crises
  assistance and employment related assistance.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
11
Open to

• The programme is open to those who receive
  Commonwealth Income Support including
• Newstart
• Youth Allowance Parenting Payment
• Disability Support Pension
• Mature Age Allowance
• Wifes Pension
• Widow Allowance
• Special Benefits
• And those who are aged between 15-20 who do not
  receive any payment but are registered as Job
  Seekers with Centrelink and are determined as
  eligible for the programme.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
12
Why was it established

• The Personal Support Programme was established
  to provide support to identify ways of overcoming
  and better managing personal obstacles to
  employment. Some of the obstacles include
• Homelessness
• Drug and alcohol dependency
• Mental illness.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
13

• The programme allows people on activity tested
  payments to meet the activity requirements
  through participation in PSP. Along with
  addressing personal barriers. Some participants
  will access the Programme for up to two years.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
14
Case Studies

• Case Study 1
• Commenced 27/02/03, PSP ISCA 05/04
• Barriers Alcohol Drug dependency, Depression,
  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Panic
  Disorder, Anger Management, Psychotic Symptoms
• She commenced into the programme after a period
  in hospital recovering from an overdose. She had
  deferred her uni study and was traumatised by
  the break-up of an emotionally abusive
  relationship. She had a history of severe
  depression and had psychological issues. She felt
  she had nowhere to go.
• WorkDirections set up a schedule of weekly
  appointments and made the referrals necessary.
  She has a very supportive family but despite this
  network, twice attempted to take her life and was
  sectioned to the Mental Health and Wellbeing ward
  in the local hospital. Monday mornings were
  always difficult for her advisor as at anytime
  they expected the news that she had not made it
  through the weekend.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/05
15

• Case Study 1 Continued
• After a while, with appropriate medication and
  aided and abetted by her support network, her
  unique and indomitable spirit kicked in. She
  started socialising, organised volunteer work,
  contacted her ex and came to an understanding
  where she felt less betrayed. She organised a
  level of study that she could manage and then
  started looking for work. All this happened in a
  relatively short and intense period of time. She
  will remain on PSP as a suspended participant for
  a further 6 months and ongoing support and
  encouragement will be provided. With the
  wonderful network of PSP workers WorkDirections
  were able to put her in contact with a local
  support network. This young womans story is only
  beginning and no doubt there will be pitfalls
  along the way but we believe she will go on to a
  far-reaching future. She has since started work
  as a copywriter on the Gold Coast.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
16

• Case Study 2
• Commenced 16/02/03
• Barriers Alcohol Drug dependency, Depression,
  Past Abuse, Victim of an armed kidnapping,
  Psychotic episodes, Panic Disorder, Post Natal
  Depression, Suicide Ideation, Lack of
  confidence and self esteem
• She had been suffering Post Natal Depression
  following the birth of twins which had developed
  into long term chronic depression and recent
  suicide attempts. She had a large state debt and
  no licence. The twin boys were removed by the
  Department of Community Services and in care. All
  her previous relationships were abusive and at
  times violent.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
17
Case Study 2 Continued

• Despite the horrors faced she presented as warm,
  open and keen to make positive changes. Time was
  spent engaged in exploring her negative self
  beliefs and providing helpful strategies. A
  referral to Mental Health Services proved useful
  and she linked in with Anxiety Groups and ongoing
  counselling. She was supported in commencing a
  debt repayment scheme and eventually regained her
  licence. She reduced substance abuse and
  ultimately abstained. With all this wonderful
  progress the PSP Coordinator and the DOCs
  caseworker liaised in setting up access visits to
  the children and eventually sleep overs. She
  began and sustained a positive and healthy
  relationship with a supportive partner. She then
  entered PSP/ISCA and gained employment with the
  Post Office despite by then being granted DSP.
• She has recently been told that her twin boys
  are to be returned to her full time care.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
18

• Case Study 3
• Commenced 01/12/03
• Barriers Violent and brutal childhood
• You know that a man is disenfranchised when he
  retreats from society to live in a cave. He was
  once a seasonal worker, in his 40s when he came
  to us almost two years ago.
• His violent and brutal childhood had caught up
  with him and although he tried to settle down in
  conventional accommodation it was not the right
  place for him. So he turned his back on society,
  took a few belongings and withdrew to live in a
  cave.

Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
19
Case Study 3 Continued

There in the foothills of the Blue Mountains,
with Park Rangers discreetly turning a blind eye,
he survived on the bare minimum. Remarkably, he
kept his appointments with WorkDirections, making
the considerable trek on foot. Slowly with great
kindness, his dedicated Advisor assisted him in
facing, his past. He had been living in the cave
for some 12 months and disturbingly, arrived at
one point quite ill from the flu. Immediately the
Advisor arranged an appointment with a doctor,
and in the interest of his health pleaded with
him to move indoors. He moved into temporary
accommodation. To keep in touch with him the
Advisor would leave notes for him at a local soup
kitchen. Further counselling and accommodation
assistance saw him eventually able to transfer to
a less intensive level of assistance. During the
week he lives in a room at a hotel and goes to
work. On the weekends he retreats back to the
cave. He has saved quite a deal of money as a
down payment on a place of his own.
Personal Support Programme 28/07/2005
20

• Future Potential
• Reduction in clunky administrative processes
• Move to EA3000
• Improved integration with Job Network and
  Disability Open Employment
• Increased usage of volunteer opportunities
  through Work for the Dole
• Continual development of support networks via
  LANs and through PSP SIG

21

• Future Potential
• Opportunities for PSP providers to become a
  resource within local areas (eg. services to Job
  Network)
• Increased capacity to record and report provider
  experiences (survey)
• The development of minimum standards for PSP
• Sharing of best practice

22

• Online Survey
• Annette Gill, NESA
• [phone] or 0409 551 182