Assisting people into work
Work is important for social and economic wellbeing. We know that most people want to work and can with the right support. At a time when employers are keen to find suitable workers, we have the opportunity to improve the quality of life for even more people by assisting them into suitable, sustainable employment.
Many people who suffer from a health condition or disability appreciate the social, financial and emotional value of being in employment. Our focus is on assisting people to gain the skills that lead to sustainable employment, providing effective support to keep them in work and making sure that they are better off.
Definition of work
Work and Income defines work as any employment which the person is familiar with or other type of paid work that they might reasonably be expected to be able to undertake.
- Full-time work – is defined as 30 hours per week or more.
- Part-time work – is defined as less than 30 hours per week.
- Sheltered employment – is defined as employment conditions that have been substantially changed to accommodate the person’s impairment or illness.
- Open employment – (particularly for Invalid’s Benefit) is any employment other than sheltered employment.
Inability to work
A person may be unable to work if:
- they are medically unable to follow their current occupation now but will return to it soon and it would be unreasonable to expect the person to undertake alternative work in the interim
- returning to work would be prejudicial to the person’s health in the interim
- they are unable to do any reasonable job full-time either for a short period or permanently
- they have caring responsibilities – caring responsibilities can include care of a dependent child, care of a person who is sick or infirm or care of a person with disabilities.
Factors to consider
Work and Income believe that most people want to work and can with the right support and assistance. Work provides a range of benefits including financial, physical and social support.
As a health practitioner you can often best support a person by taking action that will encourage them to retain their job or move towards employment.
In considering whether to certify a person’s ability or inability to work, it is important to take into account:
- the nature of the person’s medical condition or disability and how long it is likely to last
- functional limitations that result from the person’s condition
- psychological, social and environmental factors that impact on the person
- any reasonable modifications to the person’s work place that might enable them to continue working or return to work earlier
- any conditions that could assist the person into work – such as part-time work, regular hours each day, regular days each week or the avoidance of certain activities
- treatment, interventions or support that could reduce the duration of the person’s condition or the impact of their disability
- any opportunities for the person to retrain or use their current skills in an alternative environment.
Employment assistance available from Work and Income
Work and Income provides a range of assistance to help people into work. This includes specialized roles that focus on linking people to employers (such as work brokers and employment co-ordinators), employment programmes and grants. The key employment programmes and grants we have available to people are listed below.
Activity in the Community
Offers unpaid work experience opportunities in sponsored community projects and helps people learn work skills while they help the community. Some expenses may be paid.
Business Training and Advice Grant
A grant that can help with the costs of paying for advice and training from professionals to help start a business.
Course Participation Allowance
Provides assistance for actual and reasonable costs for people participating in a short-term employment related training course or programme.
Enterprise Allowance
An allowance that can help with the costs of starting a business, such as buying the initial stock and weekly living expenses.
Modification Grant
A grant to help remove the physical barriers in a workplace that impact on a disabled person's ability to get work and keep working.
Skills Investment Subsidy
A wage subsidy that invests in a disadvantaged job seeker by making a temporary contribution to their wages and training to enable them to access and maintain unsubsidised, sustainable employment.
Taskforce Green
A wage subsidy that can be paid when a person is working on a fixed-term community or environmental project. It helps them gain work-related skills, work habits, confidence and self-esteem.
Training Incentive Allowance
Provides non-taxable assistance for people receiving Emergency Maintenance Allowance, Domestic Purposes Benefit, Widow’s Benefit or Invalid’s Benefit, to undertake employment-related training that will improve their skills and increase their chances of getting work.
Transition to Work Grant
A non-taxable, non-recoverable payment that can be made to a person receiving a benefit, a student and/or someone who is re-entering the workforce. It provides flexible financial assistance to help them meet the additional costs of entering into employment.
We also have programmes and seminars to help people find work:
- Job Search Service – Work and Income's service to assist working age clients to find employment within 13 weeks.
- Work for You – Seminars delivered at Work and Income service centres to help people prepare for job search activities.
- Employment Workshops - One hour workshops designed to help job seekers search for jobs in a supported and structured environment.