Issue 135
27 July 2009
Australian Government departments and agencies looking to purchase goods and services from Australian Disability Enterprises no longer need to go to tender due to changes to the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines (CPGs).
FaHCSIA has produced a fact sheet to encourage Australian Government departments and agencies to consider purchasing goods and services from Australian Disability Enterprises. This fact sheet provides potential customers information on what an Australian Disability Enterprise is, the changes to the CPGs and how to engage the services of an Australian Disability Enterprise.
Fact sheets will be distributed to government departments and agencies in the coming weeks. A page dedicated to the Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines can be found on the Australian Disability Enterprises website.
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FaHCSIA has extended the nomination period for the Australian Disability Enterprises Excellence Awards 2009. The new closing date is 31 July 2009.
The Australian Disability Enterprises Excellence Awards recognise, encourage and promote the significant contribution that Australian Disability Enterprises make in improving the lives of people with disability. The Awards provide an opportunity to recognise the dual focus of Australian Disability Enterprises as viable businesses that also provide high quality employment to people with disability.
The inaugural Australian Disability Excellence Awards were held in Brisbane as part of the National Disability Services Employment Conference 2008 and were highly successful and well received by the sector. The Australian Disability Enterprises Excellence Awards 2009 will be presented to finalists at this year's National Disability Services Employment Conference on 7 September 2009 at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney.
The Awards are an excellent opportunity to recognise the work of the sector and the people with disability who work within it. They also publicise and promote Australian Disability Enterprises to other industries, businesses and sectors. To nominate an Australian Disability Enterprise for an Award, or to make an enquiry about the Awards:
Email: excellenceawards
Visit: FaHCSIA Website
Phone: 1800 108 196
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The new Australian Disability Enterprises website is a key marketing tool that all Australian Disability Enterprises can utilise to promote the products and services they provide.
The success of the website relies on feedback from its users.
Several Australian Disability Enterprises have recently provided feedback around the aesthetics of the new website, with the concern being that it may not be visually dynamic.
The website has been designed to meet the Australian Government web publishing standards, including those that relate to access for people with disability. The site meets an AAA level of compliance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, confirmed in a review by Vision Australia on 23 April 2009.
If you have any other feedback on the website or if you can provide suggestions on how the website may be improved, please ensure this feedback is sent through the 'Contact Us' form on the website or, alternatively, emailed to australiandisabilityenterprises@fahcsia.gov.au.
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It is important to keep your information up-to-date on the Australian Disability Enterprises website.
The success of the new Australian Disability Enterprises website relies on the accuracy of the information provided to consumers.
Keeping your details up to date is particularly important for ensuring that you receive information on jobs logged through the 'Log a Job' function on the website.
A 'Log a Job' was recently emailed to all Australian Disability Enterprises and a number of emails could not be forwarded due to incorrect email addresses on the website.
In this case, FaHCSIA contacted the relevant Australian Disability Enterprises to update the email addresses. However, if a 'Log a Job' is sent to an incorrect email address in the future, FaHCSIA will not be following this up and Australian Disability Enterprises could forego potential business as a result of this.
If any of your details change (phone numbers, email addresses, business lines and so on), please ensure the updated information is emailed to australiandisabilityenterprises@fahcsia.gov.au, or provided through the 'Contact Us' form on the website.
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Following an extensive review of the current Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) Guidelines Version 3 and other associated documentations, the DMI Guidelines Version 4 is now complete. The new set of DMI Guidelines has been developed to provide a consistent approach to, and interpretation of the requirements surrounding the DMI. In particular, these Guidelines provide a clear set of rules around DMI evidence collection. DMI Guidelines Version 4 now officially replaces Version 3.
The variation to the Guidelines is in alignment with P12 of Your 2007-10 DEA Funding Agreement Schedule (p16) which covers 'Additional Obligations relating to varying this Agreement'.
P12.2 states that FaHCSIA may 'at Our absolute discretion, vary any aspect of, or replace, the Additional Procedures and Information from time to time, without Your consent, provided they are no inconsistent with the Agreement. Any such variation or replacement thereof, is immediately incorporated as a variation to the Additional Procedures and Information as part of this Agreement.'
P12.3 states that 'We will notify You within 20 Business Days of any variation to the Agreement made under this sub-Item P12.'
Australian Disability Enterprises are required to be fully transitioned to the new Guidelines by 1 January 2010. From now until the beginning of October 2009, Australian Disability Enterprises should aim to transition across to the new Guidelines. This will help to ensure that by 1 January you have the necessary processes in place.
The DMI Guidelines Version 4 will be sent to you from your FaHCSIA State Office. They are also posted on the FaHCSIA website.
Should you have any queries about the DMI Guidelines, please contact your State Office Contract Manager or the CBF Helpdesk on Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au.
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A revised WBPA Requirements Form can now be found on the Literature tab on FOFMS.
The Authorisation section of the form now contains fields for 'Assessor's name' and 'Assessor's qualification' to be included with the Assessor's signature and date. This change has been made to reflect the requirement of the Additional Procedures and Information of the Funding Agreement for the WBPA needs assessment to be carried out by a suitably qualified person (clause 22.2 – occupational therapist, registered nurse or human services qualification).
As part of the ADE Audit and Compliance Strategy Round Two, audit activity C6 requires auditors to check WBPA Requirements Forms to ensure that the needs assessments are conducted by qualified personnel. Any old forms should now be replaced with the updated version, which can be found on the Literature tab on FOFMS under 'DEA_Form_WBPA Requirements'.
If you have any questions about the new form please feel free to contact the Case Base Funding (CBF) Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au.
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We have agreed to extend the due date for your 2008-09 Annual Audited Financial Acquittal Report under the DEA Funding Agreement 2007-10 by one month to 30 October 2008.
Sub-Item E2.2 of the Schedule (p4) and disAbility e-news Issue 111 outline what your Annual Audited Financial Acquittal Report must contain:
E2.2 Each Annual and Final Audited Financial Acquittal Report must contain:
(i) a statement of compliance by You, certified by Your Authorised Officer, that You have applied all Funding under this Agreement for the provision of the Activity and strictly in accordance with this Agreement;
(ii) a statement by an Approved Auditor:
(iii) a full copy of Your audited financial statements prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards for the financial years covered by this Agreement, and as outlined in the table in sub Item E3 of this Schedule; and
(iv) any other information that We notify You must be included.
This disAbility e-news article serves as a 'direction' under clause 4 of the Terms and Conditions of the DEA Agreement 2007-10, and has authority under sub-Item B3.8 of the Schedule.
Please contact your FaHCSIA Contract Manager if you have any queries about your acquittal requirements.
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The Indigenous Origin list of values within the Client Record has recently been updated. The list of values provides FaHCSIA with important program information about the origins of our Indigenous clients.
The new list of values includes an 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander' option for those Clients who identify from both cultures.
The previous option of 'Not Applicable' has been changed to 'Not Indigenous' to avoid confusion.
If you have any further queries please contact the Case Base Funding (CBF) Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or at Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au.
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The Case Base Funding (CBF) Helpdesk recently received a query about who can sign as an advocate on Client Consent Forms, Employment Assistance Plans (EAPs) and any other forms under the 2007-2010 Funding Agreement. If an Audit and Compliance Audit reveals that an employee of the organisation has signed as an advocate, the affected forms will be deemed to be invalid. A non-conformity will be raised and the organisation will be required to re-do all affected forms (with independent advocate sign-off where required) within three months. For EAPs, this could result in the planning sessions being conducted a second time. If you have any questions on advocates signing off on EAPs and Client Consent Forms, please contact the CBF Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au.
P24.2 of the Schedule to the 2007-2010 Funding Agreement makes it clear that EAPs, Client Consent Forms and any other forms under the Funding Agreement must not be signed by an employee of the organisation which is providing employment support to the Supported Employee. This clause is consistent with Objectives (8) and (11) of Attachment 2 to the Schedule, Disability Business Services, Principles and Objectives under the Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth) (p27):
'(8) Programs and services should be designed and administered so as to ensure that no single organisation providing services shall exercise control over all or most aspects of the life of a person with disability'. and
'(11) Services should be designed and administered so as to ensure that people with disabilities have access to advocacy support where necessary to ensure adequate participation in decision-making about the services they receive.'
The aim of both the clause and the Objective is to ensure that the person who acts as an advocate for the Supported Employee is completely independent and has no employment relationship with the organisation which is providing employment support. Using an employee from the same organisation (including a Day Service Support Worker or Residential Care Worker) to sign these forms is inconsistent with the 2007-2010 Funding Agreement.
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FaHCSIA is developing the Australian Disability Enterprises FOFMS Training Resource Centre which is anticipated to be up and running by early August 2009. The Resource Centre will be available to organisations funded under the Disability Employment Assistance Program (DEA) with links to training videos.
There will be five videos in the training series which will provide assistance on how to access and operate FOFMS. The training videos will cover logging into FOFMS, basic navigation and each business process that DEA Service Providers complete for the Disability Employment Assistance program.
The Resource Centre will provide links to each of the training videos along with additional resources and information. You will be able to access the videos from your desk at your own time and pace. The videos can be played and paused to allow you to view the video, complete activities in FOFMS then restart the video, effectively guiding you step-by-step through each business process at your own controlled pace.
All Disability Employment Assistance Service Providers who have a current FOFMS User ID will be given access to the Resource Centre when the site is released.
If you have any questions regarding the Resource Centre, Training Videos or other Case Base Funding (CBF) issues, please contact the CBF Helpdesk on 1800 034 887 or Helpdesk.CBF@fahcsia.gov.au.
Email disAbility e-news if you'd like more information on a particular issue or program in disAbility e-news or to let us know what you think of the newsletter.
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Your contributions to disAbility e-news are welcome. Do you want to let others know about your successes? Or how you engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities for people with disabilities? Email your story idea to disAbility e-news.
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