Continuous improvement
Standard 3: Decision making and choice
How Standard 3 applies to all service types
Each person with a disability has the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in making decisions about the events and activities of his or her daily life in relation to the service he or she receives.
Standard 3 context
Policy and program context for Australian Disability Enterprises
Employment outcomes are best achieved where supported employees have input into the decision and choices about the services they receive. This primarily refers to the day-to-day decisions and choices in relation to pre-employment and employment planning, but extends to input into the broader planning for the organisation.
Supported employee participation in decision-making and choice does not mean that supported employees always make the decisions. Rather the emphasis is on utilising the unique skills and insights of supported employees to improve the quality of these decisions and choices.
Key areas for supported employee contribution and influence are:
- Planning the services they receive as an individual (e.g. individual choices about pre-employment and employment opportunities);
- Planning the overall priorities and direction of the organisation(e.g. corporate, business and service delivery planning); and
- Quality assurance and continuous improvement processes (e.g. participation in the supported employee consultations as part of an audit).
Within each of these areas, Australian Disability Enterprises are expected to:
- Ensure supported employees have access to appropriate information about opportunities for supported employee participation;
- Ensure that supported employees are encouraged and supported to access these opportunities; and
- Act upon the outcomes of supported employee input into decision-making.
Specifically, Australian Disability Enterprises are expected to:
- Develop suitable processes for communicating with and educating all supported employees about the audit process and the system;
- Promote and implement measures that support the contribution of supported employees in the consultation activities of certification assessments with particular consideration given to supporting the participation of "difficult to reach" groups; and
- Develop suitable mechanisms for ensuring supported employee representation in audit preparation activities (e.g. internal audits) and certification assessment and reporting processes (e.g. training of a panel of supported employee representatives who attend the exit meeting and feedback the findings to other supported employees).
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Policy and program context for Disability Employment Services providers
Employment outcomes are best achieved where participants have input into the decision and choices about the services they receive. This primarily refers to the day-to-day decisions and choices in relation to pre-employment and employment planning, but extends to input into the broader planning for the service.
Participants’ involvement in decision-making and choice does not mean that they always make the decisions. Rather, the emphasis is on utilising the unique skills and insights of participants to improve the quality of these decisions and choices. Some participants have an obligation under Social Security Law to work with a Disability Employment Services provider in order to continue receiving their Centrelink payments. These participants do not have a choice to decline offers of suitable work and are required to attend fortnightly meetings with their provider and undertake agreed activities within their Employment Pathways Plan. Although these participants have certain obligations they should still have the opportunity to take an active role in decisions that impact on them wherever possible.
Key opportunities for participants’ contribution and influence include,:
- planning the services they receive as an individual (e.g. individual choices about pre-employment activities and employment opportunities);
- planning the overall priorities and direction of the service as these impact on participants’ experiences of the service (e.g. service delivery planning); and
- quality assurance and continuous improvement processes (e.g. input to the participants’ consultations as part of an internal or quality audit).
Within each of these areas, services are expected to:
- Ensure staff have access to appropriate information about opportunities for participants’ choice;
- Ensure that staff are encouraged and supported to access these opportunities; and
- Act upon the outcomes of participants’ contribution and influence.
Specifically, services will be expected to:
- develop suitable processes for communicating with and educating all participants about the audit process and the quality assurance system;
- promote and implement opportunities that support the contribution of participants in the consultation activities of certification assessments with particular consideration given to supporting the participation of "difficult to reach" groups; and
- develop suitable mechanisms for ensuring participants are represented in audit preparation activities (e.g. internal audits) and certification assessment and reporting processes (e.g. training of a panel of participants representatives who attend the audit exit meeting and feedback the findings to other participants).
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