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<< Return to previous page | House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Navigation: Contents | Next Page Preliminary PagesForewordMy committee colleagues and I wish to thank everyone who participated in this inquiry. Many people with a mental illness, their families and carers relayed their stories throughout the course of the inquiry, describing the limits illness places on educational, training and employment avenues, and the toll taken on people’s lives. The Committee especially appreciated hearing these personal accounts because they illustrate so well the barriers that exist to participation in education, training and employment for people with a mental illness. In listening to them we can start to unpeel what is required to overcome these challenges. Above all, the many individual stories attest to why a national inquiry into mental health and workforce participation is so important. Most people want to work, and people with a mental illness are no exception. Government services, be these employment or social services must work closely together with employer associations, employers and educational institutions to help job seekers with a mental illness find meaningful employment and pursue their educational and training goals on the paths towards that employment. Much is already being done in this space and the Committee acknowledges the multitude of community organisations that offer moral and practical support to individuals on a daily basis, to help connect them to the services they need and to find their path. More broadly, we encourage workplaces to actively promote the mental health and well-being of all employees and foster an inclusive workplace culture. Ms Amanda Rishworth Membership of the Committee
Committee Secretariat
Terms of reference
Some Australians with mental ill health continue to encounter difficulties in accessing education, training and employment opportunities, and face barriers in educational institutions and the workplace. The Committee will inquire into and report on:
n barriers to participation in education, training and employment of people with mental ill health; n ways to enhance access to and participation in education, training and employment of people with mental ill health through improved collaboration between government, health, community, education, training, employment and other services; and n strategies to improve the capacity of individuals,
families, community members, co-workers and employers to respond to the needs
of people with mental ill health. List of abbreviations
List of recommendations1 IntroductionRecommendation 1The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government coordinate a comprehensive and multi-faceted national education campaign to target stigma and reduce discrimination against people with a mental illness in Australian schools, workplaces and communities. The campaign should: 2 Education and trainingRecommendation 2The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government
establish a Kidsmatter High School program pilot based on similar principles to
the Kidsmatter Australian Primary Schools Mental Health Initiative. Recommendation 3The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work with peak bodies such as Universities Australia and TAFE Directors Australia to coordinate a national approach to ensure that teaching and other relevant staff at universities and vocational education institutions be educated about ways to support students with mental ill health, with access to staff professional development on mental health issues. Disability liaison officers and student services staff should be appropriately skilled to assist students with a mental illness and have access to ongoing professional development in this area. Recommendation 4The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government encourage more peer support programs on Australian university and TAFE campuses, including those that specifically support students with a mental illness. 3 Employers, employees and workplacesRecommendation 5The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government examine ways to further support social enterprises that effectively transition people with mental ill health into the open employment market. Recommendation 6The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government ensure that the Supported Wage System is sufficiently flexible to accommodate employees with a mental illness by taking into account the episodic and fluctuating nature of their condition. Recommendation 7The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work with employer associations and employers to promote the business case for employing people with a mental illness. This should include: Recommendation 8The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government support and, where necessary, amend the JobAccess, Employment Assistance Fund and Jobs in Jeopardy initiatives to ensure that: All these programs need to be promoted more widely and their websites kept updated. Recommendation 9The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government take a lead role in implementing best practice as an employer that looks after the mental health and wellbeing of employees, including the employment and retention of people with a mental illness. 4 Government and other service providersRecommendation 10The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work
with employment service providers to streamline assessment processes for job
seekers with a mental illness and ensure that the assessment criteria for and
requirements of job seekers with a mental illness are compatible and consistent
across the services. Recommendation 11The Committee recommends that any future Disability Employment Services tender process require prospective disability employment services providers to provide evidence of expertise in working with people with mental illnesses. Recommendation 12The Committee recommends that the Disability Employment Services Performance Framework be monitored and evaluated on a regular and ongoing basis. DEEWR should continue to consult with a technical reference group of stakeholders to ensure the framework’s and star ratings’ ongoing relevance and efficacy in achieving qualitative as well as quantitative outcomes for people with mental illnesses. Recommendation 13The Committee recommends that DEEWR and Centrelink prioritise the implementation of a clear, effective and timely communication strategy that advises clients of the services and supports available to them, including how changes like the participation requirements and revised impairment tables will affect them. The Committee expects that any accompanying explanatory guides and commensurate training provided to Centrelink and employment service providers by DEEWR and DHS to assist clients with mental health conditions will similarly be provided in a timely manner and user-friendly format. Recommendation 14The Committee recommends that any new communication strategies be developed with input from clients and staff (from both Centrelink and employment service providers) into how best to disseminate information to clients so they can readily understand any changes to their entitlement and participation requirements. Recommendation 15The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government explore ways, in partnership with the states and territories through COAG, to support Individual Support and Placement (ISP) and other service models that integrate employment services and clinical health services. Navigation: Contents | Next Page |
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