Policy Submission: Inclusion for people with disability through sustainable supported employment
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JFA Purple Orange made this submission to the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs inquiry into inclusion for people living with disability through sustainable supported employment.
The Julia Farr Association believes that the present inquiry is urgent in the current environment. It is widely understood that people living with disability are poorly-supported in Australia, in terms of dearth of employment opportunities and the experience of exclusion. Further, there is national recognition that people living with disability have the right “to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities” through the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by Australia in July 2008.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Julia Farr Association asserts that the current business/funding models for supported employment are not a good fit with the intended outcomes identified by FaHCSIA. Instead, a model of Individual (Self-Directed) Funding presents a better match with those intended outcomes, and without meaning the demise of well-intentioned supported employment agencies who are prepared to make this business transition in the interests of their target beneficiaries. We would be very happy to assist FaHCSIA with the design and implementation of the new model.
Naturally, there will be a range of transition considerations when moving from a Support Employment funding model to an Individual (Self-Directed) Funding model. Again, we would be very happy to assist FaHCSIA to map these transition considerations and develop a transition plan.