Work First Employment is an innovative suite of person-centred disability employment services underpinned by Customised Employment, Individual Place and Support and Workplace Counselling delivered with fidelity to the evidence base for practice. Our approach is based on local and international evidence for best practices in disability employment and is supported by the input of leaders in disability employment across the world.
Work First uses a whole-person approach that addresses your barriers to employment while building your capacity to self-determine and self-advocate. Genuine Person Centred programs focus on building a person’s capacity to lead an independent life in the community; that’s what Work First does.
Work First Employment works with individuals who are self-managed and plan-managed participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Age is no barrier to accessing our services. Participants may still be in school needing support to understand their potential employment journey, about to leave school or have finished school and haven’t been supported to undertake a journey to employment. Our clients are as young as thirteen, and well, we don’t put a limit on your age. Your age shouldn’t be a barrier that prevents you from pursuing your employment dream. Most school-age children generally start with the Glide In program to build their capacity for post-school employment or further study.
“At Work First, we deliver individualised support for people with disabilities or barriers to employment to assist in finding meaningful paid employment in the community. It is based on the individual’s strengths, skills, interests, ideal conditions of employment and the employer’s business needs. True mutuality! “
Jenny Argaet – Work First Employment Manager
Discovery underpins our Customised Employment and IPS programs, a highly individualised process that starts with the person and is always about the person. Our Discovery process begins in the home with purposeful conversations about who you are, your interests, hobbies, skills and strengths.
At its simplest, the employment process is about starting with the things that you like and following them towards the right job for you.
“Employment Counselling is vital to support individuals to prepare for employment and assist in developing the skills to self-advocate in the workplace. It is a necessary skill that supports long-term employment and career outcomes and goes hand in hand with self-determination skills.”
Lauren Pavlidis – COO & Mental Health Manager
Some of the fundamentals of the Work First program include zero exclusion, every person is employable, and it is our mission to find the person’s strengths and ideal conditions of employment. The complexity of an individual does not limit their capacity for job customisation. Ultimately, the outcome of everyone’s employment journey should be a higher level of self-determination, the capacity to self-advocate, and employment or a vocational pathway.
Our Customised Employment program has four key phases:
• Discovery Stage One: Getting to Know the Person
• Discovery Stage Two: Understanding the Person and their Career
• Stage Three Job Development: Career planning, job negotiation and finding the right fit
• Stage Four Career Support: Post-Employment support & career planning
The four phases are customised to the individual, including the intensity or speed of delivery, the number of mental health services and training/mentoring for your support team.
Not sure if you have the right support in your NDIS funding? We can help you get the funding you need to ensure you can undertake your journey of Discovery to meaningful employment. Talk to our employment experts today.
For more details, email: jenny.argaet@cderp.com.au