You are here:

• Home  > 
• Individuals  >  Services  > 
• Disability Employment Services

Disability Employment Services

Disability Employment Services provide specialised employment help for people with a disability, injury or illness.

A person does not have to be receiving, or be eligible to receive, a payment from Centrelink to use Disability Employment Services. In most cases a person must be assessed by a Job Capacity Assessment Provider before they can access these services.

The assessment must indicate:

• that the person has a disability, illness or injury
• the level of support a person requires
• the types of assistance required to help them get a job or to stay in a job.

If you are seeking a referral to Disability Employment Services and you do not have a current eligibility assessment, a new one may be arranged for you by Centrelink, or in some cases by the Disability Employment Service provider.

If you have been assessed as eligible for referral to Disability Employment Services, Centrelink can provide you with information about suitable service providers in your area, and can make a referral for you. If you need more help, contact Centrelink.

Types of help

Disability Employment Services fall broadly into 3 main categories:

• Disability Employment Network
• Australian Disability Enterprises (previously known as Business Services)
• Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Disability Employment Network

The Disability Employment Network is a network of service provider organisations contracted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

This service approach generally provides one or more of the following services to you:

• help in finding a job and starting employment in the open labour market
• continuing support once you have started work
• support while training for a particular job - the training may be provided by the service or subcontracted to another agency.

You can get a referral from Centrelink or go directly to the service provider to receive assistance from a Disability Employment Network member. If you already have a current eligibility assessment recorded by Centrelink, the service provider may be able to check your eligibility with Centrelink automatically, and organise the referral for you, or where no current assessment exists, the Disability Employment Network provider can refer you directly for an assessment.

[ return to top ]

Australian Disability Enterprises (previously known as Business Services)

Australian Disability Enterprises provide supported employment services through a network of organisations contracted by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Australian Disability Enterprises employ and support people with disabilities, often in specialist working environments.

This type of service approach is aimed at people with disabilities who want to work but choose to do so in a supported employment environment or who, because they have higher support needs, normally find it hard to find and keep a job.

Wherever possible, employees in supported employment will be provided with the additional skills and support needed to make the transition into open employment.

[ return to top ]

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Vocational Rehabilitation Services are offered through providers that are contracted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Vocational Rehabilitation Services is tailored to the individual needs of the job seeker and can include, but are not limited to:

• assessment of the impact a job seeker’s injury, disability or health condition is having on the job seeker’s ability to gain sustainable employment
• assistance with job design, workplace assessments and modifications
• counselling on disability issues
• identifying and delivering vocational rehabilitation interventions and strategies to manage their injury, disability or health condition, in order to achieve a safe return to work, including interventions designed to improve endurance
• job search and job placement assistance
• training and work trials
• vocational counselling and planning to identify a safe, suitable and sustainable job goal.

[ return to top ]

Other employment assistance

Centrelink provides other services for people with disabilities looking for work:

• Centrelink Senior Customer Service Advisers - specially trained staff to provide employment help to people with disabilities.
• Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support Program - payments made to employers who employ apprentices with disabilities.
• Job Capacity Assessment - assess the impact of a disability upon a person's ability to work.
• Jobs in Jeopardy - assist customers whose jobs are in jeopardy because of work problems related to a disability to keep their job.
• Job Services Australia - job services provided nationally by a group of organisations.
• Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) - used to identify the appropriate level of employment assistance for customers.
• Supported Wage System - a system of productivity based wage assessment for those with a disability.
• Wage Subsidies - money is paid by a Disability Employment Service to subsidise wages for people with disabilities entering work.
• Workplace Modifications - reimbursement to employers for the costs of workplace modifications when employing people with disabilities.

[ return to top ]