The support available from DES
Disability Employment Services (DES) is the Australian Government’s employment service that helps people with disability find and keep a job.
DES helps people with disability, injury or a health condition:
- get ready to look for a job (for example, by helping you with your resume)
- find a job (for example, by contacting potential employers for you)
- keep a job (for example, by helping the employer understand what help you need to do your job well).
Ongoing support
The Australian Government usually only funds DES providers to support people with disability in their job for 26 weeks. However, many people with intellectual disability need ongoing support to be able to keep a job.
If you have worked for 26 weeks, your DES provider can arrange for an Ongoing Support Assessment. Many people with intellectual disability are found to need moderate or high ongoing support to keep their job. This support is available for as long as they have a job.
Moderate Ongoing Support is best if your support needs are regular and ongoing. This would include most people with a report that says their IQ is less than 60.
High Ongoing Support is best if your support needs are regular and ongoing, and the support you need is high. This means you need more hours of support or a higher level of support.
For some people, the ongoing support from DES is not enough. In this case, you can use your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan for extra ongoing support.
Mutual obligations
If you receive support from a DES provider, you might have to take part in activities that help you get ready for work.
These activities could include:
- looking for and accepting work that’s right for you
- going to appointments with your DES provider
- going to job interviews
- doing other suitable activities.
These activities are called ‘mutual obligations’. If you don’t meet your mutual obligations, your DES support or DSP might stop.
If you have an assessed capacity to work 0–14 hours a week, your mutual obligations would usually only be things like going to meetings and taking part in activities that build your skills and experience.
Job Plans
DES providers will work with you to write a Job Plan.
A Job Plan is also called an Employment Pathway Plan. The plan should have the right supports for your disability.
A Job Plan explains:
- your work capacity range (0–7 or 8–14 hours a week) based on Centrelink’s assessment
- the steps you and your DES provider need to take to find and keep a job.
The plan must help you to:
- get ready for work
- learn new skills
- find a job
- keep working.
Read more Ongoing Support is when a Disability Employment Service (DES) provider gives a person extra support to keep a job. It’s available after being in a job for 26 weeks.
Read more People who need regular and ongoing support at work may be able to get Disability Employment Services (DES) Moderate Ongoing Support.
Read more People who need regular and ongoing high levels of support at work may be able to get Disability Employment Services (DES) High Ongoing Support.
Read more A Job Plan lists what you will do to find and keep a job, and how a Disability Employment Services (DES) provider will help you.
Read more Work capacity is Centrelink’s assessment of how many hours of work you can do a week without support. Future work capacity is Centrelink’s assessment of how many hours you could work if you got Disability Employment Service (DES) support for up to two years.
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