Disability Employment Services
Disability Employment Services (DES) is an Australian Government service that helps participants with disabilities find and keep a job.
Through the DES, providers work directly with participants with a disability, to help them become ‘job ready’ including offering guidance on disability awareness in the workplace, available financial support, flexible working arrangements and disability legislation.
What Is It?
Disability Employment services help connect people with disabilities and employers.
Any organisation that receives funding from the Commonwealth Government for provision of disability employment services or jobactive services, must be independently audited to the National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS), or Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) respectively.
National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS)
National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS) are applicable to Disability Employment and Enterprise Services (DES)
- Open Employment (Disability Management Services, and Employment Support Services)
- Supported Employment (Australian Disability Enterprises) – while many supported employees have transitioned to the NDIS, some organisations may still require this standard for non-NDIS employees
These Standards enable consistency in employment services nationally, focussing on a person-centred approach and promoting choice and control for people with disability.
Certification to the NSDS follows a 3-year certification cycle – initial audit, annual surveillance audits and a recertification audit.
Quality Assurance Framework (QAF)
Jobactive is the Australian Government’s way to get more Australians into work. It connects job seekers with employers and is delivered by a network of 40 providers and over 1700 locations across Australia.
The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business requires all funded jobactive Employment Services providing employment support to jobseekers nationally, to be independently audited to:
- A Management System Standard plus the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF), developed by the Department.
- The Quality Management Standard options are:
- ISO 9001 – CERTIFICATION
- National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS:2013)
Certification to the QAF is based on a 4-yearly certification cycle – initial audit, mid-cycle surveillance audit every 2 years, and a recertification audit.
Certification to ISO 9001 or NSDS follows a 3-year certification cycle – initial audit, annual surveillance audits and a recertification audit.