Research support for disability employment policy development

The department was developing a national employment strategy for people with disability. The strategy aimed to encompass a range of initiatives to address the contemporary needs and pressing challenges in Australia’s disability employment system. This included but was not limited to:

• removing policy barriers to employment participation and meaningful employment, including supporting income support recipients to work at their capacity and better supporting high‑school students of working age to transition to work
• researching and identifying ways to increase employer demand for and capacity to employ people with disability
• clarifying Government program responsibilities and promoting employment in NDIS plans
• improving linkages and pathways between Government employment programs.

We were contracted to address a critical skill and knowledge gap in the project team. We:

• provided advice on the development of the proposed employment strategy
• provided advice on mapping of the current income support payment and employment assistance system
• supported the department in investigating and identifying effective programs operating outside of government; and how they could complement the development of a national employment strategy
• assisted with the initiation and conduct of a review of the department’s Disability Employment Services scheme
• assisted with stakeholder management
• supported internal staff to improve policy development skills and capability.