Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Program
The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Program helps Indigenous job seekers to gain the skills, training and capabilities needed to find sustainable employment and improves the economic and social well-being of communities. CDEP is one of the key Indigenous employment programs contributing to the Australian Government’s aim of halving the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employment within a decade.
CDEP contributes to the economic and social development of communities through the delivery of two streams of services: work readiness and community development.
Work Readiness
The aim of the work readiness stream is to ensure that Indigenous job seekers in remote communities can achieve their training and employment goals, and thus economic independence through employment. CDEP provides job seekers with a range of personalised training and support designed to give them the skills needed to get a job. This includes activities such as vocational training, on-the-job work experience, English literacy and numeracy training, mentoring support, and general work and life skills training.
Employers providing work experience placements for new CDEP participants will have access to the CDEP Work Experience Subsidy (administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations) to encourage them to offer work experience placements and pay wages directly to CDEP participants.
Community Development
The aim of community development is to increase the economic and social well-being of Indigenous communities by providing local people with the support and tools they need to act on issues of importance to them. The CDEP community development stream will support these aims in three ways.
Firstly, CDEP providers will work with their communities to develop community action plans that support the needs and aspirations of the communities. The plans will set goals, actions and targets to improve the quality of community life, and the social and economic participation of people in the community. CDEP providers will also supply the resources and support needed to deliver the community projects that are identified and engage CDEP participants in the delivery.
Secondly, CDEP providers will provide an information and referral service to help Indigenous people and their families to access other support services available in their region.
Thirdly, CDEP providers will be supported to build their own skills and capacity to deliver the new approach to work readiness and community development, and better assist the development of social and economic opportunities in communities.
The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin has approved $172.4million over three years for full implementation of the three year community action plans developed in consultation with CDEP participants and their communities.
Further Information:
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How can I access CDEP?
Indigenous job seekers who are interested in participating in CDEP will need to contact Centrelink and apply for an appropriate Income Support Payment. Centrelink will refer you to a Job Services Australia provider in your area if you are eligible.
Job Services Australia will work with you to develop an individual Employment Pathway Plan that sets out the services and training that will help you to find and keep a job.
If CDEP work readiness training or community development projects can assist you in achieving your work and training goals, you will be referred to a CDEP provider in your area.
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Who is my local CDEP provider?
On 1 July 2009, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin announced the successful organisations that will deliver the CDEP program 2009-12.
There are now CDEP programs operating in 74 remote Indigenous communities, providing work readiness and community development services to Indigenous job seekers and their communities.
CDEP Consultative Group
The CDEP Consultative Group provides advice to FaHCSIA on the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Program.
This Group will:
- identify areas of improvement for the CDEP program
- Address significant operational issues as they arise
- Provide a forum for sharing information about innovative, successful approaches to service delivery.
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Background to the CDEP reforms
On 18 May 2008, the Australian Government released a discussion paper that proposed changes to CDEP and the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP). Consultations on the proposed changes were held in many locations throughout Australia including several remote communities and submissions were invited.
After considering feedback received, a further discussion paper, Increasing Indigenous Employment Opportunity: Proposed reforms to the CDEP and Indigenous Employment Programs, was released in October 2008.
Additional consultations were held in 55 communities in urban, regional and remote areas in October and November 2008. Around 1,560 people attended and 86 written submissions were received. In total, over 3,500 people attended sessions and over 200 written submissions were received as part of the two consultation rounds.
On 19 December 2008, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP, and the Minister for Workforce Participation, the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP announced reforms to the CDEP program and IEP which were implemented on 1 July 2009.
The reforms to CDEP formed part of an integrated approach to employment services for Indigenous Australians which commenced with the introduction of Job Services Australia on 1 July 2009.
The reforms included a recognition that employment support needs often differ between remote and non-remote locations, and that solutions must be adapted to local needs and to local economies. The reforms are a key element in making progress on the Government's aim of halving the gap in employment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.
The main reforms included:
- CDEP was removed in locations with established economies on 30 June 2009, and replaced by Job Services Australia as the main provider of employment services for Indigenous people.
- A new Community Support Service was introduced to support Indigenous community members and their families by providing links and referrals to a range of mainstream and Indigenous services.
- The focus of the CDEP program in remote Indigenous communities was changed from directly providing employment to building the skills of participants in remote communities to find jobs outside of CDEP.
- The CDEP funding model and program deliverables were changed to focus on outcomes in the specific areas of work readiness training and community development.
- CDEP participants who were receiving CDEP wages at 30 June 2009 are eligible to continue receiving CDEP wages until at least 30 June 2011, as long as they remain eligible and do not take leave of more than two weeks that is not approved by their CDEP provider.
- New participants from 1 July 2009 will need to apply for income support payments.
- The reforms included a new requirement for CDEP, Job Services Australia and Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) providers to work in partnership to provide greater support to Indigenous Australians in finding sustainable employment.
- The reforms were supported by a Jobs Package, which allowed for the conversion of around 2,000 jobs in government funded service delivery and the establishment of 400 new traineeships and 60 ranger positions.
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CDEP Enquiries
For more information about the CDEP program, please contact your nearest Indigenous Coordination Centre (ICC) by calling toll free on 1800 079 098.
For the following locations call toll free:
- Nhulunbuy - 1800 089 148
- Kalgoorlie - 1800 193 357
- Kununurra - 1800 193 348
TTY users: phone 1800 555 677 then ask for the 1800 number listed above that you want to contact.