Disability Employment

Series Introduction, Dr Peter Smith

Hello, I’m Dr Peter Smith from the Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice, or CDERP.

Welcome to Systems in Employment Practice.

I wanted to put this six part series together because I keep finding myself coming back to the same problem.

In employment services, we spend a lot of time talking about programs, practitioners, participants and outcomes. We introduce new models, new contracts, new measures and, every few years, another round of reform.

But we don't always spend enough time asking what I think is the bigger question.

What is the system actually producing, and why?

The first session -Why Good Practice Fails in Bad Systems -Introduces the central proposition: we spend enormous effort improving practitioner capability while often ignoring the system in which practice occurs. Covers incentives, caseloads, contracts, measurement, organisational culture and why competent people can still produce mediocre outcomes.

Dr Peter Smith discusses Customised Employment, Discovery and the NDIS with Job Development thrown in.

In this podcast, we discuss what makes a good transition from school to work. We look at the elements of good transition and why having an individualised transition is important.

Tracee Garner; Disability Advocate, Author talks about her journey and new book. Inspirational!

Work First client Jeremy interviews Work First COO Lauren Pavlidis. Together they share Jeremy's story with Jeremy leading the discussion.

Random observations and conversations about what we see in our Work First employment and mental health Practice. We see some brilliant things, some things that make you pause, some things that make you angry, and some things that make you cry.

Dr Peter Smith was interviewed by Chris Ilsley on Radio 6PR about the Work First corporate disability employment program

A former business owner, Debbie has spent over 20 years advocating for societal change and creating pathways to make it happen. In addition to building vision and aptitude within Easterseals Southern California’s Employment Division, she works with stakeholders throughout the country to build capacity, and create urgency, around customized employment and employment first. Her concurrent roles as an Easterseals Vice President, board member on both CA APSE and Foundation for Developmental Disabilities boards of directors, and membership in numerous coalitions connect Debbie with some of the country’s best minds and allow her to continue working with, and on behalf of, others committed to ending segregation and building brighter futures for people with disabilities.

Carli Friedman, CQL Director of Research will join us and discuss behaviour support and all things CQL. Carli oversees all CQL data analyses and research projects research, while focusing on quality of life, community integration and social determinants of integration and ableism.

Tamsin Cottis, co-founder of Respond, a UK based counselling service for people with learning disabilities talks about counselling and learning disabilities.