SYC Ltd
Introduction
SYC Ltd (SYC) welcomes this opportunity to respond to the consultation for the new Disability Employment Support Program. SYC was founded in 1958 to support young people experiencing disadvantage. Since that time, we have expanded to deliver services to Australians of all ages experiencing disadvantage, with an expertise in delivering high-quality employment services on behalf of the Australian Government.
SYC currently delivers: Disability Employment Services (DES), jobactive, Transition to Work (TTW), ParentsNext, the Sticking Together Project, as well as School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) and other individualised supports to NDIS participants. Our feedback has been compiled based on this extensive experience and our research into best practices supporting disadvantaged job seekers into employment.
General Feedback
SYC delivers DES in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Our experience is that DES is a generally successful program that supports people with disability into employment and helps to build the confidence and capacity of employers to employ people with disability in open employment. However, our view is also that DES will benefit from reform. Specifically, DES will benefit from:
• Reforms to the assessment process, to ensure that people with disability most in
need of supports are efficiently referred to the support they need;
• Consideration of whether ESS and DMS are combined into a single program;
• Rationalising and reducing the significant administrative burden placed on both
providers and employers;
• Increasing the DES Wage Subsidy to align with those paid for jobactive job seekers;
• Early intervention for young people with disability will reduce youth disengagement;
• Introducing the Points Based Activation System.
SYC thanks the Department for the opportunity to provide feedback.
If you would like to contact us regarding our feedback, please contact:
Stacey Dutschke
Chief Operating Officer – Employment and Education
M: 0408 444 634
E: sdutschke@syc.net.au
