Joint Submission on Disability Employment Excellence, Oct 2023

A joint submission from Disability Representative Organisations

Disability Representative Organisations and other individuals and organisations supporting this submission welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on the Options Paper 'Establishing a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.' This submission responds to the four key areas of consultation questions posed by the Options Paper:

1. Why do we need a Centre?
2. Who could the Centre assist?
3. What models exist?
4. What are the next steps towards implementation?

There has been significant previous consultation discussions and submissions that have recommended the formation of Disability Employment Centre of Excellence (the Centre). This submission expands upon the common themes as outlined in the Options Paper.

Our vision of the Centre focuses on:

• It being led by people with disability, particularly people from groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion, such as people with intellectual disability, First Nations people with disability and young people with disability
• Its work being shaped by the expertise and lived experience of people with disability
• Reflecting the diversity and intersection of people with disability from diverse backgrounds
• Incorporating a First Nations cultural model of inclusion and building on the principles of Closing the Gap National Agreement
• Providing specialised support for groups most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion
• Building evidence-informed best-practice tools and resources that are accessible and available to all people with disability
• Creating and consolidating resources and training to improve all employers' capacity, confidence and competence in inclusive employment (including communities of practice for employers)
• Consolidating data and improved data collection methods and establishing common metrics for measuring progress
• Establishing an accountable and independent mechanism to drive change through monitoring outcomes and evaluation and
• Incorporating communities of practice that centres the experience of people with disability.

These key themes guide our responses to specific consultation questions and key recommendations.

This submission sets out our discussions as follows:

• Why do we need a Centre? [Question 1.1]
• What should be the model for the Centre? [Questions 3.1 – 3.3]
• Where could a Centre be best placed? [Question 4.1]
• What should be the core functions of the Centre? [Question 1.2]
• Who can the Centre assist? [Question 2.1]
• How can the Centre work with stakeholders to achieve its purpose? [Question 2.2 – 2.3]
• What elements of the proposed role of the Centre or its functions should be prioritised? [Question 4.3]
• Are there any other implementation issues that should be considered? [Question 4.2]

List of recommendations

Recommendation 1 – The reasons for the Centre articulate the important opportunities for the Centre to improve the quality of outcomes as follows:

• Improving employment outcomes for all people with disability;
• Improving the capacity, confidence and competence in inclusive practices for all employment service providers and employers; and
• Creating opportunities for people with disability to lead and shape employment reforms through expertise and lived experience, particularly people from groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion, such as people with intellectual disability, First Nations people with disability and young people with disability.

Recommendation 2 – The Centre model embeds:

• Leadership by a person or people with disability, particularly people from groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion, such as people with intellectual disability, First Nations people with disability and young people with disability;
• Meaningful disability representation at all levels, including representation from groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion such as people with an intellectual disability, First Nations people and young people with disability;
• Co-design throughout all stages of the Centre including its development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation;
• Accountability and independence that drives reform, including monitoring outcomes and evaluation;
• Centralised evidence-informed best-practice tools and resources for increasing inclusive employment;
• Specialised support for specific groups of people with disability that includes specific training and peer-to-peer support relevant to different intersectional communities;
• Cultural Model of Inclusion Framework and the principles of the Priority Reforms of Closing the Gap National Agreement be applied during the development, design and evaluation of the Centre, including specific engagement with FPDN and the First Nations people with disability to implement the framework.

We support a statutory model because we believe this would provide the most accountability and independence in the long term. In lieu of a statutory agency, a combined research centre/evidence-based training hub model is the strongest model to implement targeted reform in the short term. The model for the Centre is codesigned in consultation with people with disability to facilitate a shared understanding and consensus about what model the Centre should take. People with disability be provided with clear information in accessible, inclusive formats, that clearly explains what the different models would look like, so that people with disability can make informed decisions about which model is most fit for purpose.

Recommendation 3 – The Centre's core functions focus on significant employment reforms, led and shaped by people with disability to improve outcomes for economic inclusion by ensuring that the Centre is:

• Led by people with disability, particularly people from groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion, such as people with intellectual disability, First Nations people with disability and young people with disability
• Its work is shaped by the expertise and lived experience of people with disability
• Reflects the diversity and intersection of people with disability from diverse backgrounds
• Incorporates a First Nations cultural model of inclusion
• Provides specialised support for groups most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion
• Builds evidence-informed best-practice tools and resources that are accessible and available to all people with disability
• Creates and consolidates resources and training to improve all employers' capacity, confidence and competence in inclusive employment (including communities of practice for employers)
• Consolidates data and improves data collection methods and establishing common metrics for measuring progress
• Establishes an accountable and independent mechanism to drive change through monitoring outcomes and evaluation and
• Incorporates communities of practice that centres the experience of people with disability.

The Centre's core functions are codesigned in consultation with people with disability to facilitate a shared understanding and consensus, including the provision of clear information in accessible, inclusive formats.

Recommendation 4 – The Centre should specifically identify in its purpose and functions to provide specialised support and deliver good outcomes to people with disability from diverse backgrounds and with a variety of disability. Co-design should consult specifically with groups that are most impacted by barriers to economic inclusion, including young people with disability transitioning from school to employment, people with intellectual disability, and those from CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse), First Nations and regional or remote communities.

Recommendation 5 – The Centre should establish links and partnerships that leverage existing services, networks and experts, including people with disability (including experienced self-advocates) and their supporters, including but not limited to relevant research bodies and academics, advocates and advocacy organisations; Disabled People's Organisations and DROs.

Recommendation 6 – A communication plan needs to be implemented so that people with disability are kept informed and updated throughout the design and implementation processes of the Centre.

Recommendation 7 – The proposed name of the Centre, "Disability Employment Centre of Excellence" be reviewed through consultation with people with disability.

The submission was prepared with the assistance of Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) and the Coordinator, National Coordination Function for DANA. We thank the DROs who contributed to this submission:

• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia
• Disability Advocacy Network Australia
• Down Syndrome Australia
• First Peoples Disability Network
• Inclusion Australia
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance
• People with Disability Australia
• Women With Disabilities Australia

We acknowledge the significant contributions made by Inclusion Australia and Children and Young People with Disability Australia to the content of this submission.

Signatories to this submission

The following organisations endorse this submission:

• Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
• Children and Young People with Disability Australia
• Disability Advocacy Network Australia
• Down Syndrome Australia
• First Peoples Disability Network
• Inclusion Australia
• People with Disability Australia