The Commonwealth Government provides vocational rehabilitation services to Australian citizens or residents who have an injury, disability or health condition, and who with assistance, will be able to gain or retain unsupported paid employment. Vocational rehabilitation is delivered for the Commonwealth Government by CRS Australia, a Commonwealth Government service, through 160 units nationally.
Vocational rehabilitations provide:
- Holistic assessments of clients to identify specific vocational barriers;
- Programs developed to assist the individual to compensate for or manage their disability, or the limitations or restrictions imposed by it;
- Personal and vocational counselling; and
- Specialised job matching and placement, including workplace modification, job redesign or graduated return to work where required.
CRS Australia also provides occupational health and safety consultancy services to employers and career counselling services.
Hearing Services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Hearing services to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may be provided through the Australian Hearing Services network of hearing centres, or within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities under the Australian Hearing Specialist Program for Indigenous Australians. The focus is on providing tertiary level services, namely hearing assessment, supply and fitting of hearing devices if appropriate, and on prevention and community awareness and education.
State and Territory Government Rehabilitation initiatives
The State and Territory Governments have initiated a broad range of rehabilitation services to assist people with disabilities to integrate into society. Examples include programs to divert people with disabilities away from the justice system to meet the needs of minor offenders and assist them to be reintegrated with the community after they leave prison, and independent living centres designed to deliver in-patient services in a home-like environment.