Progress report - 2008
Objective 4: Provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people.
| Agency | Project | Project Aim | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Social Development www.msd.govt.nz |
Working New Zealand | To increase employment rates of disabled people and people with ill health on benefits through: • better information • benefit application improvements • access to employment services on the same basis as other unemployed people • developing access to health and disability services • developing capacity of case managers • connecting with the health and disability sector. |
Better information A single medical certificate for Sickness Benefit and Invalids Benefit was developed. It provides more detailed information on ability to work and the steps and support required to achieve employment. Benefit application improvements Changes were made to make benefit application easier: • disabled people could use existing information for determining medical eligibility for a benefit, rather than limiting it to a medical certificate • once a person’s medical eligibility was determined the need for reassessment for many was removed. Access to employment services • legislative changes (enacted 1 July 2008) allow people on the Invalids Benefit and Sickness Benefit the same access to employment services as other unemployed people • Employment Coordinators working specifically with disabled people and people with ill health were appointed in Work and Income centres to assist disabled people and people with ill health into employment by accessing appropriate services. • These measures enabled projects like Kai Mahi in the Bay of Plenty region which assisted 100 clients with mild psychiatric conditions to enter seasonal packhouse employment in the kiwifruit industry. Developing access to health and disability services • Work and Income worked collaboratively with Ministry of Health and ACC to facilitate access to a range of services that meet the needs of disabled people and people with ill health. All these services were aimed at assisting people into employment. These services included: • people with mild to moderate health issues awaiting treatment provided by DHBs, PHOs, and ACC’s pain management service • working with NGO sector to develop Life Skills for Work. Developing capacity of Work and Income case managers • customised disability awareness training was provided for case managers with particular emphasis on working effectively with people with mental health issues • staff with specialised expertise were appointed to assist case managers. (13 Regional Disability Advisors, 13 Regional Health Advisors, a Principal Disability Advisor and a Principal Health Advisor). Connecting with the health and disability sectors To inform those who work with disabled people and people with ill health on Working New Zealand, and to get the sectors views: • 13 Regional Health and Disability Coordinators were employed by Work and Income to work to provide information to groups, practice managers, hospital services and disability organisations on changes brought about by Working New Zealand • Information was sought from primary care sector, disability organisations, unions and employer organisations, to further develop Work and Income’s strategies to increase the employment rates of disabled people and people with ill health. Examples include: • a Primary Care reference group which meets 4 times a year • an Employer Disability Forum met twice to look at opportunities and challenges to employment of disabled people and the development of best practice transition process from school to adult life. |
| ACC www.acc.co.nz |
Accessible and responsive recruitment process | To set an annual target to increase the placements of people with a disability or impairment in the organisation. | ACC has agreed to a new recruitment and retention employment strategy which has set a 5% increase target per annum of disabled people in the organisation. |