Annual Report 2005–06
Output 3 - CRS Australia: General Manager’s review
Page contents:
- Working with job seekers to improve effectiveness for government
- Working with government and other organisations
- Working with stakeholders to improve outcomes
- Assuring quality for government
- Improving our workplace
This year has focused on ensuring delivery of consistent, high-quality employment and return-to-work outcomes for the Australian Government and other customers. The newly formed senior management team has also been focused on ensuring organisational readiness for the Welfare to Work reforms from 1 July 2006.
Working with job seekers to improve effectiveness for government
CRS Australia’s continued focus on each individual’s ability has seen the results achieved in 2005–06 again exceed the benchmarks set by DEWR. 43,945 new job seekers were assisted during the past year. All of these job seekers have a disability, with an increasing proportion having mental health conditions, rising from 23 per cent in 1996 to 30.6 per cent in 2006. 12,269 job seekers were successfully placed in employment, with 10,156 of these (about 80 per cent) achieving a 13-week employment outcome at an average of 25 hours per week. Eighty-four per cent of these job seekers continued in employment for 26 weeks after initial placement. An additional 8 per cent were active in study, training part-time, or volunteer work (secondary outcomes).
CRS Australia independently surveyed 1,000 job seekers that had completed their program. The survey aimed to gain data on longer term employment outcomes, acquire insights into the workforce experience of the respondents, and receive feedback on our services.
These former job seekers told us how they felt about our services. The results of the survey showed a very high level of satisfaction with our services:
- seventy-eight per cent of job seekers employed for 13 weeks agreed that their CRS Australia program gave them the support they needed to get their initial job
- of those that were no longer employed at the time of our survey, only 14 per cent considered that CRS Australia could have done more to help them keep the job
- sixty-six per cent of job seekers with an employment outcome had done a range of activities to enhance their employment prospects, and 69 per cent agreed that their CRS Australia program was the main reason they were able to participate in these activities.
The survey also showed that, once in employment, job seekers went on to achieve even better outcomes: 23 per cent received increases to wages since their initial placement and a further 42 per cent of those who moved on to other jobs received higher wages than in their original placement. This finding is consistent with international research indicating that part-time employment typically leads to longer hours and better paid employment.
These outcomes are achieved through our excellent network of allied health professionals, support staff and managers. Our staff have continued to exhibit innovative and flexible approaches to bring out the best in job seekers.
CRS Australia aims to enable people to access vocational rehabilitation services close to where they live. We achieve this by aligning the location of service delivery units with the geographic distribution of working-age people receiving income support. About 10.8 per cent of programs are delivered in rural and remote areas, and about 100 visiting services operate in addition to the organisation’s 174 permanent sites.
Working with government and other organisations
During 2005–06, CRS Australia also provided a range of services to Australian government agencies and other organisations, including:
- rehabilitation services for veterans and military personnel under the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
- occupational rehabilitation services for workers compensation insurers
- career planning services for the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST)
- wage assessments and case management in business services for the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA).
Working with stakeholders to improve outcomes
As part of the Department of Human Services, CRS Australia has participated actively in reforms to improve the overall effectiveness of service delivery. This participation has yielded improvements to purchasing practice, support for staff in delivering services to communities, and more general sharing of better practice.
Excellent working relationships exist with our primary purchaser, DEWR. The coming year will see a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a milestone and outcome-based funding model. Our existing internal focus on milestones and outcomes will position us well for the commencement of the DEWR funding model on 1 July 2006.
Significant effort over the past year has been directed to ensuring that our network is well placed to handle increased demands from 1 July 2006. With an estimated growth in Australian Government–funded rehabilitation programs of over 60 per cent, each site’s capacity has been strengthened wherever possible and an external provider panel is being established. These strategies will ensure sufficient capacity exists for the anticipated higher demand for programs.
Assuring quality for government
CRS Australia maintained certification under the Disability Services Act 1986 , with no deficiencies recorded. The certification audit was conducted by an accredited auditor, SAI Global, who indicated:
… the audit revealed CRS Australia is an organisation committed to quality and has a strong focus on best practice in the provision of services and meeting and exceeding outcomes for people with a disability. There was a high level of implementation of the documented management system and compliance with the Disability Service Standards.
The audit process identified a number of areas for continuous improvement, including:
- introducing a broader opportunity for capturing job seeker feedback to further improve job seeker participation in continuous improvement
- assisting job seekers with the verification of wages and working conditions when placing clients in employment
- improving and enhancing the usability of our intranet, CRSNet, to support changes in service delivery.
Internal audit and quality assurance processes are used strategically to identify learning and development opportunities, undertake improvements to overall effectiveness and provide assurance of consistency in decision making, in particular as it applies to decisions under the Disability Services Act 1986 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 .
Quality service delivery is underpinned by a strong commitment to lifelong learning and active knowledge sharing. New internal products have been developed using internal and international best practice, focusing on the work-first nature of welfare reform and the increasing complexity of job seekers.
To make our work more effective and efficient, a range of research and evaluation projects were undertaken, and eight Communities of Practice (Networks of Excellence) identified and promulgated best practice across the organisation. During the year, CRS Australia was awarded a platinum award for its Networks of Excellence from actKM . CRS Australia is now nationally recognised as an outstanding knowledge management organisation.
Improving our workplace
The quality of CRS Australia’s achievements reflects the excellence of its staff. A staff survey showed the very high commitment of staff members to organisational goals and objectives—a commitment demonstrated in their work. CRS Australia aims to provide staff with a family-friendly workplace and relevant professional development opportunities. The new Certified Agreement was finalised in December 2005 and reinforces the organisation’s commitment to being an attractive place to work and offering work–life balance. Significant progress has also been made in ensuring that our workplace is safe and supportive, where all staff contribute to our success.
CRS Australia ended the year with a small budget surplus, which will contribute to further improving service delivery for people with disabilities in 2006–07.
Margaret Carmody
General Manager