Supported Employment

Supported employment refers to jobs where people with high support needs (i.e. those who, because of their disabilities, need substantial ongoing support to obtain and/or keep paid employment) can receive extra support while they are at work.

If an individual is eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), supports for employment could be funded through their NDIS Plan. Further information about supported employment under the NDIS, including information on the pricing framework, can be found on the NDIS website.

Participants can use their supported employment funding in any workplace they choose, including mainstream employment, social enterprises, micro-businesses, or supported employment services (including those traditionally known as Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs)).

The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that people with disability have genuine opportunities to work in a wide range of settings. As part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Australian Government announced a commitment of $57 million over four years to:

create ongoing employment opportunities for people with disability with high support needs;
assist the supported employment sector to evolve to better meet community expectations; and
provide people with disability with high support needs, their families and carers with access to advocacy support and information to build their confidence and understanding about their rights and options at work.

Finding a supported employment service

You can find a supported employment service through:

BuyAbility website: This site allows purchasers to find, and engage services of supported employment services. You can search listed organisations by name, location, or business type. National Disability Services manages this site.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has a list of supported employment services that are registered as NDIS providers. You can filter within the provider list by the ‘Specialised Supported Employment’ registration group.

Supported Employment Grants

As part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Australian Government announced a commitment of $57 million over four years towards supported employment initiatives and measures. Measures include:

The Structural Adjustment Fund

The purpose of the Structural Adjustment Fund (the Fund) is to support the employment of people with high support needs and assist the sector to evolve in line with the guiding principles for the future of supported employment through the provision of grants. The Fund is supporting projects that enable the introduction of innovative approaches to:

create pathways to open employment
allow supported employment workplaces to better meet community expectations, and
create sustainable employment opportunities for people with disability.

The Fund is being delivered over two grant rounds, with Round 1 projects underway and Round 2 to open for applications in the second half of 2024.

View more information on the Fund.

View the list of successful applicants.

Disability Employment Advocacy and Information program

This Disability Employment Advocacy and Information program (Advocacy program) will support people with high support needs, their families and carers, with access to advocacy support and information to build their confidence and understanding about their rights and options at work. The Advocacy program will provide:

case based advocacy support, where people with high support needs and their families would have the opportunity to access short term, one-on-one assistance to solve a particular employment issue
group based workshops, events or information sessions for people with high support needs – both online and in person, and
group based workshops, events or information sessions for families and carers of people with high support needs, both online and in person.

The Advocacy program is being delivered by Inclusion Australia and the Disability Advocacy Network Australia, via a consortium arrangement.

View more information on the Advocacy program.

Disability Employment Expos

The purpose of the Disability Employment Expos (the Expos) is to provide people with high support needs, and their families and carers, with information on a range of employment pathways and available supports. View more information on the Expos.

The Expos are being delivered by ImpactInstitute.

View more information on the Expos.

Commonwealth, State and Territory Supported Employment Plan

On 10 October 2022, the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, held a Supported Employment Roundtable (the roundtable) with state and territory disability ministers, people with disability, family representatives, ADE representatives, peak bodies and other sector experts in attendance.

Attendees shared views and experiences, and agreed on a set of guiding principles for the future of supported employment (for people with disability with high employment support needs). All disability ministers have agreed to the guiding principles. Read the guiding principles.

To ensure the guiding principles are brought to life, Commonwealth, State and Territory Disability Ministers agreed to work together to develop a supported employment plan (the plan). The plan was endorsed by Disability Ministers on 3 November 2023, and includes a range of practical initiatives and actions, with a specific focus on employment for people with disability with high support needs.

The plan is focussed on providing people with informed choice and control about their employment, as well as genuine opportunities to work in a wide range of settings, be it in an ADE, social enterprise, in open employment or in their own business. View the Commonwealth, State and Territory Supported Employment Plan.

Disability Employment Continuity of Support (DECoS)

The DECoS program provides funding for supports and services to supported employees who are ineligible for the NDIS, and who were previously funded under the department’s Disability Employment Assistance program. These services help supported employees to participate in and retain employment. The DECoS program commenced on 1 April 2021.

Supported employee wages

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) is responsible for the Supported Employment Services Award 2020 (the Award), which sets wages and working conditions for the majority of supported employees.

On 30 June 2023, changes to the Award took effect following a review by the FWC. Changes include:

implementing two new wage Grades (Grades A and B) and slightly modifying existing Grades 1-7,
using the Commonwealth administered Supported Wage System (SWS) as the only wage assessment tool under the Award, and

modifying the SWS to set a minimum wage of $2.90 per hour.

The FWC has set a period of three years for supported employment services to transition to the new Award. This transitional period will enable all SWS assessments to be conducted for those employees who have previously been assessed using an alternative wage tool. More information about the SWS is available at the JobAccess website.

More information about the Award is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman at Supported Employment Services Award pay rates - Fair Work Ombudsman.

Quality standards for supported employment services

Supported employment services are audited against the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018 (NDIS Rules).

The Guiding Principles for the Future of Supported Employment

Disability Ministers have also agreed to officials from each jurisdiction working together with Commonwealth officials, in consultation with the disability sector, on a plan to support the transition of the sector and meaningful employment of people with disability.

Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (BSWAT) Payment Scheme

The BSWAT Payment Scheme (the scheme) delivered a one-off compensation payment to eligible supported employees with intellectual impairment whose wages were assessed and paid using the BSWAT.

The scheme was a statutory, time-limited payment scheme established by the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool Payment Scheme Act 2015, which came into effect on 30 June 2015. The scheme ended on 31 December 2018.

Resources and useful links

Supported Employment - Resources and useful links

Last updated: 23 April 2024 - 4:27pm