[Jobs Australia Member] Insert organisation s name

Transcription

1 [Jobs Australia Member] Insert organisation s name Disability Employment Strategy SAMPLE Jobs Australia Ltd 2010

2 CONTENTS 1. Why we have a Disability Employment Strategy 2. Background: people with disabilities in your region 3. Our strategy for increasing the number of employees with disabilities 3.1 Mental Health (sub) Strategy 4 Attract (recruitment) 4.1 Policies on disclosure 5. Induction and Maintenance 6. Develop (and advance) your staff 7. Roles and responsibilities 8. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting 8.1 Monitoring 8.2 Evaluation 8.3 Reporting Disability Employment Strategy Sample 1

3 1. Why we have an Disability Employment Strategy (Name of organisation) is committed to working to support people who are disadvantaged within our community. (Insert relevant clauses from your mission statement). In recognition of the disadvantage experienced by people with disabilities (name of organisation) has developed this Disability Employment Strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to increase the employment opportunities for people with disabilities within our organisation. The implementation of the strategy will fulfil the contractual requirement of (name of organisation) when entering into the Disability Employment Services (DES) (Name of organisation) recognises that increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities within our workforce requires a specific strategy that addresses the employment inequality they face. (Optional We also recognise the specific barriers additionally faced by people with mental health disabilities and our Disability Employment Strategy is framed with the needs of this group in mind.) Our Disability Employment Strategy is a dynamic document which we will review annually. It will: enhance the recruitment of people with disabilities at (name of organisation); increase the retention levels of employees with disabilities; increase the vocational skills and career development outcomes for employees with disabilities; and promote Disability and Diversity awareness and help us become a Disability Confident Organisation. We will achieve these outcomes by: increasing, fostering and evaluating the employment participation of people with disabilities at all levels of the organisation; maximising staff development, along with the transfer of job skills and information in order to advance the experience, remuneration and job security of employees with disabilities; and facilitating and encouraging the direct involvement of employees with disabilities in determining their own career strategies and goals. Our Disability Employment Strategy is designed to attract, develop and maintain (Optional and advance) people with disabilities as part of the workforce at (name of organisation). (Name of organisation) has developed a specific strategy to achieve this because we recognise that: levels of unemployment among people with disabilities are disproportionately and chronically high in relation to Australia s overall unemployment rate; and job seekers with disabilities face a range of barriers to achieving and retaining sustainable employment which are only likely to be overcome by specifically targeted strategies and policies. 2. Background: disability community in our region (Name of organisation) delivers DES in (insert the name of the ESA, main towns and communities in which you provide services as a DES provider). NOTE: Insert two or three brief paragraphs provide a background to the demographics of disability in your catchment area or areas and any specific focus this might give to your Disability Employment Strategy. Disability Employment Strategy Sample 2

4 3. Our strategy for increasing the number of employees with disability In order to make effective progress in increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at (name of organisation) we are committed to actively recruiting people with disabilities and to working effectively with new staff to develop their employment skills and career development so that their employment is sustainable and ongoing. We are also committed to working with our existing employees with disabilities to ensure that (name of organisation) actively supports their professional and career development. Over the period of the DES contract we will increase the numbers employees with disabilities at (name of organisation). (Optional Our target or quota will be (insert your target/s)). Staff will be provided with Disability and Awareness training to help us become a Disability Confident employer Mental Health (sub) Strategy (OPTIONAL) (Name of organisation) also recognises that people with mental health disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged at obtaining long term and meaningful employment. Our employment policies will accommodate the impact of episodic illnesses on the workplace and workload of colleagues, and provide effective return-to-work agreements. (Name of organisation) will monitor employees who are at risk of episodic conditions and we will ensure staff in key roles undertake appropriate mental health awareness training. 4. Attract In order to meet our goals we will: 1. Examine our staffing structure for legitimate opportunities for job redesign including identifying jobs that can be undertaken on a part-time and/or job share basis. 2. Identify opportunities that may lead to career advancement within our organisation 3. Implement flexible working arrangements and have policies for additional flexitime and unpaid leave provisions. 3. Ensure that all our recruitment materials comply with best practice to attract a range of candidates with different disabilities. 4. Advertise our positions in appropriate media including jobsearch.gov.au 6. Ensure our interview process and facilities are accessible including the timing of appointments. 5. Work in partnership with TAFE and Universities in our area to canvass opportunities to graduates with disabilities. 8. Have an agreed disclosure policy with employees with disabilities 9. Negotiate return-to-work provisions for employees with disabilities who may need to take additional periods of leave. 5. Induction and Maintenance Our induction process for new employees with disabilities will involve assessing the workplace and utilising workplace adjustments and ongoing supports. Employees with disabilities will be supported on the job in their roles by supervision and on the job training appropriate to their roles. Following the onset of episodic disabilities, or when the employee has been required to take additional leave we will have flexible return-to-work policies and provisions for covering workplace absences. We will undertake exit interviews for employees with disabilities to identify areas for improvement. Disability Employment Strategy Sample 3

5 6. Develop and advance Our employees with disabilities will be provided with training opportunities and we will: work with new staff to develop a training and support plan; and review the training plan to ensure it supports real professional development. As part of our professional development we will develop skilling and career advancement pathways for our employees with disabilities by: undertaking discussions with new staff about their career development needs and opportunities; holding discussions with local TAFEs about relevant and accessible training; developing disability scholarship programs to facilitate work experience and career development; and participate in school-based traineeship programs. 7. Roles and responsibilities Because (name of organisation) genuinely wishes to address the high levels of disadvantage facing people with disabilities the Disability Employment Strategy will be the responsibility of (insert job title of responsible senior staff member). The (insert job title of responsible senior staff member) will: have the authority to call on all staff at (name of organisation) for any help required in carrying out the Disability Employment Strategy; be directly responsible to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for implementing and reporting on the Disability Employment Strategy; and prepare reports on the Disability Employment Strategy for the Board. 8. Monitoring, evaluation, reporting (Name of organisation) is committed to successfully implementing our Disability Employment Strategy. We will put in place the following mechanisms to monitor, evaluate and report on our progress. 8.1 Monitoring We will monitor all aspects of the Disability Employment Strategy on an ongoing basis. The (insert job title of responsible senior staff member) will take responsibility for designing and implementing this process. 8.2 Evaluation We will evaluate our performance against the criteria of the strategy (attract, maintain and develop (Optional advance). The (insert job title of responsible senior staff member) will have responsibility for ensuring this process is undertaken effectively and in a timely manner for reporting back to the CEO or Board. We will evalute the strengths and weaknesses of our strategy and use this knowledge to refine the elements of the Disability Employment Strategy. Disability Employment Strategy Sample 4

6 8.3 Reporting The (insert job title of responsible senior staff member) will provide a written report on progress against the goals and targets we have outlined in the strategy to the Board of (name of organisation). We will do this annually and we will present a summary of the achievements of our Disability Employment Strategy in our Annual Report. We will report on both the strengths and weaknesses of our strategy and promote this knowledge to our staff and stakeholders. Disability Employment Strategy Sample 5