Some people who already have a job can also use DES
Support from Disability Employment Services (DES) includes a program called Work Assist.
Work Assist supports people who find it difficult doing important parts of their job because of their injury, disability or health condition. This is can be particularly helpful for people with intellectual disability who have found themselves a job but need support to keep it.
A DES provider can work with you and your employer to provide the help you need to keep your job.
Who can use Work Assist?
To be eligible for Work Assist, you need to meet the main DES eligibility rules. You also need to:
- be employed
- be assessed by the DES provider to show that you find it difficult to do important parts of you job
- not be studying full time
- not be getting help from another employment services provider, like an Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE).
You also need to have been working in the job for at least an average of eight hours a week for 13 weeks in a row.
This is often a problem for people with intellectual disability who work less than eight hours a week some, or all, of the time.
If you’re not eligible for Work Assist but you’re already an NDIS participant, you can use your NDIS plan to get the support you need to keep your job.
What can Work Assist help with?
DES runs Work Assist to help people who are at risk of losing their job. The program can help people with disability who have found a job but need support to keep it.
An employer can ask for Work Assist support from a DES provider if they think their staff member is finding it difficult to do their job because of their disability.
An employee can also ask for Work Assist support from a DES provider if they’re having problems doing their work or keeping their job because of their disability or health condition.
The DES provider can work with the employee and the employer. The provider can also work with just the employee to help keep them working.
DES can provide:
- face-to-face support
- advice about making changes to a job to make it easier for you to do
- a workplace assessment to see what could be changed to help you do your job
- workplace modifications or special equipment
- support in the workplace to help manage the effect that the injury, disability or health condition is having on your work.
Read more Work Assist is provided by some DES providers for people who already have a job, but need support to keep their job. It used to be called the Job in Jeopardy program.
Read more Disability Employment Service (DES) providers use seven criteria to decide whether someone is eligible for DES.
Read more An Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) is a type of employment support for people with disability who need significant support to work.
Read more Every National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participant has an individual plan that lists their goals and the amount of funding the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has approved.
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