Increasing the numbers of parents as voluntary participants in JSA - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Increasing the numbers of parents as voluntary participants in JSA

Toni Wren, Employment and Social Policy Consultant

Consultant to DEEWR on Family Centred Employment Project

www.toniwren.com

9 August 2011Slide2

Outline of presentation

Why focus on jobless families? Who and where are they.

Current interventions and emerging lessons

Role of JSAs

Q and A and Discussion

What’s next: Budget Measures in 10 locations

Q and A and DiscussionSlide3

Australia has one of the highest proportions of children living in jobless families in the OECD.

Unemployment is the greatest cause of child poverty in Australia.

Jobless families are defined as

families with dependent children under 16 with no reported income from employment in the last 12 months.Joblessness is not only associated with higher rates of poverty, but poorer health status and lower education attainment for parents and their children.Disadvantage is concentrated by location – Tony Vinson:1.7% postcodes account for >7x their share of major factors causing intergenerational poverty and disadvantage – large numbers are in urban areas but also occurs in rural and remote.

Joblessness among families is a significant social and economic problem in AustraliaSlide4

Jobless families at February 2011

Jobless Families

(>1 year, no earnings) 255,000 or 40% of 630,000

630,000 families dependent on income supportAbout 50% have a youngest child aged under 6 and potential JSA volunteers

215,000 or 84% are

single parentsSlide5

Barriers to employment

Related to the individual or internal factors:

Health problems (mental and physical)

DisabilityPoor education, literacy, numeracy skillsChildren with health or behavioural problemsDomestic violence Housing instability/homelessnessStructural or external factors:Tax and transfer system disincentive to employmentLack of affordable child care Lack of affordable transport to education or employmentWork places not suitable for combining with child caring roleLack of internet/computer access Slide6

Emerging promising practice

Local

Connections to Work

(Centrelink) – focus on disadvantaged unemployed – not necessarily parents – engagement and employmentCommunities for Children (FaHCSIA) – focus on parents of young children – engagement not employmentFamily Centred Employment Project (DEEWR) – focus on parents and children – engagement and employmentSlide7

Local Connections to Work

Early outcomes

Higher attendance rate

(66% versus 58% normal JSA interview attendance rate). Letter from Centrelink, not provider, main reason.50% higher job placement rate than for similar clients who had not participated.First 8 months: >200 job placementsClient feedback: 82% better than previous Centrelink interviews and service and 73% better than JSA interview and service.Provider feedback: Centrelink and employment service providers working well together; community partners building stronger links with each other, Centrelink office is convenient

access point for service delivery to clients

.

See

Report of Taskforce

on Strengthening Government Service Delivery for Job

Seekers,

July 2011.Slide8

Communities for Children

Service model

Cooperation, collaboration and networking between different service providers at the local

level. Led to increased referral between agencies & solved problemsClient engagement and retentionWelcoming, comfortable and safe environmentSoft entry and non stigmatising venues and services: schools, child care centres, neighbourhood centres, health centres, toy libraries and parks, cafes and football clubs.Then link to more specialised services. Schools, health clinics and child care centres are key – schools can be venue and partner for training courses, playgroups, pre prep classes and family support services.For CALD and Indigenous - free child care services, assistance with transport, use of bilingual workers or

interpreters, offering

a meal as part of the

program

Non government regarded as less threatening than government for some.

Build

relationships based on trust and rapport

between service staff and

parents.Slide9

Family Centred Employment Project

Demonstration project

being administered by the

DEEWR but run by contracted community based providers.. 3 projects from 1 July 2010-30 June 2013:Broadmeadows (Victoria) Goodna (Queensland) Mansfield Park and Angle Park (South Australia) – started November 2010Aims to holistically meet the needs of jobless families whose members are likely to have entrenched and multiple barriers to employment participation.

Jobless families participation is

voluntary. Slide10

Key

elements of the FCEP service model

Provides

family-centred, as opposed to individual, servicing.Takes a client focused and strengths based case management approach that brings together a range of supports that revolve around the needs of the individual and their family.Establishes local steering committees to coordinate service arrangements and guide the FCEP design and approach.Provides intensive support for jobless families with children aged 0-5 years to address their childcare and early education

needs.

Works with LECs and builds demand-led capacity of local employment service providers. Engages local employers

to

create a

workforce environment

that supports the employment of local jobless

families.Slide11

FCEP emerging lessons

High level of disadvantage for many families

Local gaps in services

Integrated model treated with some suspicion by providers (JSAs and social servicesOther government agencies cooperative and critical to success – Centrelink, State and Local GovernmentAttracting volunteers is difficult Slide12

Key themes emerging

Collaboration and partnerships with other service providers – government of all levels and NGOs – takes time to build trust between providers and between providers and clients but is a positive

Integrating employment with support to overcome barriers to work (not either or, one before the other)

Voluntary participation needs soft entry points.Slide13

Opportunities for employment service providers

Strong labour market – employers more willing to engage

Stability – rollover of ~80% of JSA contracts for 2012-15

Federal Budget 2011-12 measures – both universal and in select locationsSlide14

Volunteer parents and JSAs

Referred by

Centrelink

or other provider

JSA provider

Fully eligible job seeker

JCSI & possible Employment Services Assessment

Stream 2

Stream 4

Stream 1

Stream 3

EPF

Partially Eligible job seeker

Stream 1 services only

Client chooses

Parent can elect to exit or participate in

JSA

Services at anytime

JSAs

receive service and outcome payments as part of the normal

JSA

servicing arrangements.Slide15

Questions

and

Answers

DiscussionSlide16

Next Steps: Building

Australia’s Workforce

2011-12

Budget MeasuresThe Federal Government is trialling a new approach with teenage parents and jobless families in 10 locations of disadvantage.The two trials are both based on: more Centrelink engagement to connect parents to support and services a focus on children’s health, wellbeing and early childhood developmentplusTeenage parents –focus on completing Year 12 or equivalent

Jobless families –focus on preparing parents to participate in work.

10 LGA locations:

Playford

(SA), Hume (Vic), Shepparton (Vic), Burnie (Tas), Bankstown (NSW), Wyong (NSW), Shellharbour (NSW), Rockhampton (Qld), Logan (Qld), and Kwinana (WA).Slide17

Support for Teenage Parents and their Children

From 1 January 2012 at a cost of $47.1 million over four years

4000 teenage parents in total over the four years across 10 locations

Who?Teenage parents living in the 10 locations who are on Parenting Payment and who do not have Year 12 or equivalent. What will they have to do?Attend six monthly support and engagement interviews with Centrelink Initial interview when their child turns six months old, focus on:parents’ plans for the future; information about the program; and

services available for them and their children, such as playgroups, pre-schools, Youth Connections and Communities for Children.Slide18

Support for Jobless Families

Starts 1 July 2012 at a cost of $71.1m over four years.

22 000 parents per year across 10 locations

Who?Parents who have been on income support for more than two years and who are not working or studying, or who are under the age of 23 years and not working or studying. What will they have to do?Each child aged one and two - attend an annual interview with Centrelink Each child aged three and four - bi-annual interview with Centrelink

Youngest child turning four and five - attend an annual workshop with CentrelinkSlide19

Supports for Parents in the 10 locations

Job Services Australia (on a voluntary basis)

Youth Connections

Communities for Children (including 3 new sites –Bankstown, Rockhampton and Shepparton)Jobs Education Training Child Care Fee Assistance Program (JETCCFA) (extended from 26 weeks to 52 weeks for employment activities in 10 locations)Other services already on the ground in the locations supplemented by Local Solutions Fund from July 2012Slide20

A broad engagement strategy to implement the Government’s Building Australia’s Workforce place-based is planned.

First consultations with 6 State Governments conducted in July.

Work on future community consultations are currently being developed by DHS.

Consultations in 10 locationsSlide21

Questions

and

Answers

Discussion