Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Inc.
Association No. A005222V ABN 37 573 031 165
Ross House, C/O AFDO 247 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel – 9662-3324
Fax – 9662-3325
ANNUAL REPORT – June 30th 2014
ADDE was formed by Mr Peter Rickards (President) from the completion of his Leadershipplus project in 2005. From his own personal experience and frustration in trying to find meaningful employment after twenty six years in a major agency in the disability sector, he and a group of passionate individuals decided to do something about it. A public meeting led to the formation of a steering committee and decided the first project was to obtain funding to undertake the “Leading from the Front?” research project. ADDE has since become an incorporated association with DGR status and has carried out a number of significant training sessions and research projects.
VISION
To increase employment opportunities in Australia of people with disabilities and from diverse backgrounds
MISSION
To provide systemic advocacy, social enterprise, strategic partnership and member participation to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities and from diverse backgrounds.
OUR COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT
Peter Rickards President
Jeff McNeill Vice President
David Sullivan Secretary
Edward Manuel Treasurer
Asitha Gurusinghe Committee Member
Gordon Trott Committee Member
Kathy Leitch Committee Member
Martin Stewart Committee Member
Gordon Trott, David Sullivan and Asitha Gurusinghe will be standing down from the committee as per the constitution.
OUR STAFF
Geoff Crawford Public Officer / Operations Coordinator
CONSULTANTS Martin Stewart
Nick Gleeson
Gordon Trott
Asitha Gurusinghe
OUR ACTIVITIES
Apart from our ongoing systemic advocacy work for people with disability around employment issues, we carried out two projects throughout the year. The first funded by the Department of Employment Education and Workplace Relations (now the Department of Social Services to carry out a research project of our consumers and members on the Disability Employment Services (DES) and report back to the Government with findings and recommendations. The project officer was Geoff Crawford ADDE used several consultants to promote the DES providers to employers and the public.
The second project was to lift the profile of ADDE in the public sector. The ADDE board recognized that we need to lift our public profile and under the political climate decided that the best way of achieving this was to use the media. A consultant was commissioned to carry out this work while concurrently promoting the DES program
Following is a brief summary of our achievements:
· Disability Employment Consumer Group Engagement Project
In July 2013, the then Minister for Employment Participation, Hon Kate Ellis, advised Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Inc. that the Australian Government would be providing $41,000 to a number of national disability organisations, including ADDE to assist in improving the delivery of Disability Employment Services (DES). The specific purpose of the one off funding grant was to lift consumer engagement and knowledge of the DES program, facilitate provision of consumer advice to the Government about the needs of people with disabilities in the context of the DES, and look at ways to improve future Disability Employment Services. The Australian Government further indicated that a major focus of the funding is to enable the Government ‘to hear about issues affecting the client group your organisation represents in order to improve DES,’ in order to ‘better assist this group to effectively access information on DES and to hear how we could improve program performance.’
The project commenced early in the 2013/14 financial year and was completed on 30 June 2014.
Our obligations in accepting the one off funding grant included:
- a consumer engagement strategy to be provided no later than 1 September 2013;
- a mid-term progress report to be provided by 1 February 2014;
- a statement or declaration that funds made available under the project were expended for the project, by 31 July 2014.
· ADDE submitted a final report to the Department with summaries of our consumers’ findings and some recommendations for the government to consider.
ADDE believes that the DES employment system plays an integral part in meeting the Governments obligations to assist people with disability achieve a higher quality of life particularly around employment and financial security.
ADDE ran several focus groups and many individual interviews with our members over the project timeframe. It is significant that those mostly involved with the collection of data for this project had a disability.
After reviewing the responses of the individuals, and the three focus groups there were clearly a number of common themes. Approximately 75% of participants noted some degree of dissatisfaction of the DES system.
“They gave me great advice about everything, including advice about self disclosure of my vision loss. They were of great benefit as far as giving me confidence in myself.”
For the remaining group there was extreme satisfaction and positive outcomes. It is ADDE’s belief that there is clearly some very high performing DES’s and a larger group of under performing organisations with many operating adequately but could improve.
“Often the job application would be closed and even filled before I knew it was open. Struggling to read the newspaper to even know what was available. Not being confident that my interview answers were in my best interest.
At times the method they used for finding jobs, IE, I think it might have been a Commonwealth Employment Services ma23tching system would suggest ridiculous and unrealistic job prospects which were a waste of time. It obviously did not factor in that I was blind.”
Recommendations
· The Department needs to undertake a strategic review and redesign of the Disability Employment Support system in Australia using a approach involving employers, people with disability and the employment industry (mainstream and disability-specific).
- The Department needs to set up a marketing program like they did for the aged promoting the DES success cases to Employers.
· The Government needs to invest in educating employers and marketing the reasons why employers should engage people with disability.
- The Government should offer incentives to DES providers who employ people with a disability. ADDE believes that there is a critical need for the DES providers to actively promote the employment of people with a disability within their own organisations.
- A review of the case load of the employment consultants as the general opinion of our members was that the consultants did not have enough time to properly service them due to excessively high case loads.
- Case workers need to show more respect for their clients.
- Disability awareness training programs need to be set up for all DES staff as a mandatory condition of employment.
- There needs to be more clarity and transparency around what services and supports are available from the DES in the pre employment and employment stage.
- DES providers need to offer a mobile service where clients can be visited by staff at the client’s home where it is extremely difficult for the client to get to the DES.
- DES should provide a service to assist clients with a disability to set up and run their own business.
- A system that allows for workplace trials rather than the interview process should be put in place.
- There was almost unanimous agreement around the concept of the DES funding being reviewed and a new model developed similar to the TAC and NDIS funding model where funding is linked to the individual job seeker. The Department should seriously consider further investigation of this model.
- The timing of obtaining workplace modifications needs streamlining to ensure the requirements of the employer and employee are met in a timely manner.
ADDE Profile
During the financial year ADDE completely remodeled its Website to become a more appropriate marketing tool. Feedback from our clients has been extremely positive as seen below.
ADDE has released three press releases throughout the year focusing on controversial potential policy on disability issues by Government. We also had several radio interviews for comment.
ADDE was invited to present a session on issues facing people with disability around employment. The session "WORKING FOR CHANGE" was presented at a two day national conference “Strengthening disability advocacy conference in May 2014
A panel session was facilitated by Geoff Crawford, Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Inc.
Panel members included:
- Martin Stewart, Advocate at ADDE
- Robert Paskfrom Safe Futures Foundation
- Liz Kelly, member on the Disability Services Board and the Victorian Disability Advisory Council
This session examined the current employment situation for people with disability. Speakers with the lived experience of disability will expand on positive steps to address legal and attitudinal barriers.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
July 1st 2013 to June 30th 2014
Total Income $48,264
Expenses $51,233
Net Profit/(loss) -$2,969
Cash in hand at bank $39,769(30th June 2014)
Total Assets $3,200
Liabilities $0
Association Equity $42,969
Financials audited by Mr. Edward Manuel
Geoff Crawford
Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Inc.
Ross House, C/O AFDO 247 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel – 9662-3324
Fax – 9662-3325
Mob – 0419-380220.
