Job Capacity Account services
The Job Capacity Account is administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and accessible by Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) providers to purchase short term pre-vocational services to help people become ready to look for work with the assistance of Job Network.
Downloads
- Who can be referred for Job Capacity Account services?
- What types of services can be funded under the Job Capacity Account?
- What eligibility criteria must be met for Job Capacity Account services?
- How do I get approval to conduct Job Capacity Account services?
- What will the Job Capacity Assessor consider when selecting a Job Capacity Account provider?
- Can I provide Job Capacity Account services if my organisation is a Job Capacity Assessment provider?
- How will a Job Capacity Assessor refer a client to a Job Capacity Account provider?
- What are my responsibilities as a Job Capacity Account provider?
- What can I charge for the Job Capacity Account Service?
- How do I get paid for the services I have conducted?
- What happens about Conflict of Interest?
- How will the performance of a Job Capacity Account provider be evaluated?
- Professional organisation websites
- More information
Who can be referred for Job Capacity Account services?
Any client being referred to the Job Network as a result of their JCA can be referred by a Job Capacity Assessor to a Job Capacity Account service. This also includes clients who are already connected to the Job Network. A referral to a Job Capacity Account service is voluntary for all clients.
What types of services can be funded under the Job Capacity Account?
Services funded by the Job Capacity Account are required to be short term interventions expected to last no more than 13 weeks.
DHS has provided JCA providers with a menu of services that can be funded under Job Capacity Account and these include:
| Physical Support | Social Support | Psychological Support |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pain Management | 4. Social Casework and Support* | 7. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy |
| 2. Work Conditioning* | 5. Counselling Programmes | 8. Behaviour Management and Modification |
| 3. Other Physical Support Programmes^ | 6. Other Social Support Programmes^ | 9. Other Psychological Support Programmes^ |
What eligibility criteria must be met for Job Capacity Account services?
Job Capacity Account services must meet the following criteria:
- fall into one of the categories listed above;
- have a ‘work-first’ focus;
- meet the individual client’s assessed needs;
- be accessible for the client;
- be anticipated to directly prepare the client to look for work with the assistance of JN within 13 week timeframe (please consult with the Job Capacity Assessor who referred the client to confirm this date);
- allow the client to commence the short-term intervention within four weeks of submission of the client’s JCA report (please consult with the Job Capacity Assessor who referred the client to confirm this date);
- represent value for money for the Australian Government;
- operate in accordance with industry standards and fees;
- meet any accreditation or credentialing standards and/or requirements that may be established by DHS or other professional organisations;
- not represent a conflict of interest to the referring assessor, client, Job Capacity Account provider or other interested party;
- must not conflict with or threaten the integrity or effectiveness of another service or intervention that the client is already undertaking (i.e. through ‘parallel servicing’ arrangements);
- provide the referring assessor with an Exit Report and notify them of any client absences or discontinuation of the service; and
- comply with DHS payment and invoicing requirements.
How do I get approval to conduct Job Capacity Account services?
Before conducting a Job Capacity Account service, please complete the Request for Approval of Job Capacity Account Service Form 
(158k) for New Job Capacity Account Services and forward to DHS. DHS will review your proposal to determine the suitability of the service within the Job Capacity Account services menu and provide clearance to implement the program.
DHS will also request assurance from the Job Capacity Account provider that appropriately qualified staff will be delivering the services, that fees are in line with industry standards and that the service meets the above eligibility criteria.
Please note, it is important that Job Capacity Account services do not overlap with other services already offered by Centrelink, Job Network or other relevant organisations. If clarification is required, please contact DHS via email to jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.
Once the service has been approved by DHS, new Job Capacity Account providers can commence contacting Job Capacity Assessment Providers in their local area to identify if they have a requirement for those types of services, see full list of the JCA Providers.
Providing the JCA provider with details about the types of services available and pricing structures, will allow them to refer any suitable clients when appropriate. Please note, the JCA provider will be required to undertake further credentialing processes before they commence making referrals to the new Job Capacity Account provider.
If you have any further questions, please contact DHS via email to jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.
What will the Job Capacity Assessor consider when selecting a Job Capacity Account provider?
JCA providers could meet with potential new Job Capacity Account providers to discuss:
- Proposed service type, method and duration;
- Structure and content of the Job Capacity Account Exit Report;
- Fee structure;
- Privacy requirements of the Job Capacity Account Exit Report; and
- Processes for clients who prematurely exit the Job Capacity Account service.
In addition to the mandatory eligibility criteria, Job Capacity Assessors might consider:
- Current membership or eligibility for membership of their relevant professional body (websites are listed overleaf);
- Suitability of service, ensuring the service complements any treatment the client is currently undertaking;
- Can the Job Capacity Account service provider show appropriate credentialing to offer a specific service?
- Does the Job Capacity Account service provider have a Medicare Provider Registration Number?
- Is the Job Capacity Account provider able to demonstrate supervised practice or ongoing professional development activities?
- Does the Job Capacity Account provider have professional indemnity insurance?
- Will the Job Capacity Account provider submit a statutory declaration stating that they comply with industry ethics, standards and competencies relevant to their professional group?
- Can the Job Capacity Account provider nominate referees from respected organisations?
Can I provide Job Capacity Account services if my organisation is a Job Capacity Assessment provider?
Yes. Job Capacity Account services may be provided by organisations that also conduct JCAs. When selecting a Job Capacity Account service, Job Capacity Assessors will be required to apply a conflict of interest test. For specific information on the conflict of interest test please contact DHS via email to jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.
In addition, referral patterns by the JCA provider will be nationally monitored by DHS.
How will a Job Capacity Assessor refer a client to a Job Capacity Account provider?
A Job Capacity Assessor will refer the client to the Job Capacity Account provider by providing the Job Capacity Account provider with a referral form outlining the client’s relevant details including contact details, the reason for the referral, type and duration of the services, and invoicing details.
The Job Capacity Account Provider will then contact the client to arrange the initial appointment. This appointment must occur within a four week timeframe. Please consult with the Job Capacity Assessor who referred the client to confirm this date.
What are my responsibilities as a Job Capacity Account provider?
Session Information
Job Capacity Account providers must ensure that they only conduct the number of sessions outlined by the Job Capacity Assessor at the time of the initial referral. Approval must be received from the JCA provider to increase or decrease the number of sessions from what was initially agreed.
Privacy
When a Job Capacity Account provider is engaged by a Job Capacity Assessor to provide a service, they will be given protected information about the client. The Job Capacity Account Provider must ensure this information is treated in a manner consistent with the Information Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Further information can be found from the Privacy website.
Note: A Job Capacity Assessor will not provide a copy of the JCA Report to the Job Capacity Account provider.
Client Non Attendance
As a Job Capacity Account service provider, you will be required to report to the referring Job Capacity Assessor on any instances where the referred clients did not attend their appointment. If a client fails to attend two consecutive appointments without sufficient justification, their referral will be cancelled by the Job Capacity Assessor.
Job Capacity Account providers will be expected to maximise attendance of clients in their programmes. Job Capacity Account providers should use their discretion in deciding the appropriateness of any Job Capacity Account appointment rescheduling requested by the client. Job Capacity Account provider concerns about client reschedules should be detailed in the Exit Report and ongoing contact discussions between the Job Capacity Account provider and the JCA provider.
If a client obtains employment whilst undertaking a Job Capacity Account service, the client may still continue to attend the Job Capacity Account service if they choose. If a client chooses to exit Job Capacity Account because of finding employment, this should be clearly detailed in the Job Capacity Account Exit Report. A client may choose to keep participating in the Job Capacity Account service even if they have found employment.
To maximise value for money of the Job Capacity Account service, Job Capacity Account providers should be in close contact with the client to ensure attendance. If the provider cannot contact the client, DHS would encourage the Job Capacity Account provider to issue a letter requesting the client to make contact within five days. If there is no response after five days, the Job Capacity Account provider should contact the JCA provider and cease the Job Capacity Account referral. This letter should not include any notice of pre-booked Job Capacity Account appointments without the client’s agreement. Please note, all actions undertaken by the Job Capacity Account provider to maximise attendance should be documented and detailed in the Job Capacity Account Exit Report.
Exit Report
The professional who conducted the Job Capacity Account service, will be required to prepare an Exit Report and submit it to the referring Job Capacity Assessor, at the completion of the service. The Exit Report will contain information about the client’s participation in the service, outcomes and recommendations about job readiness which may assist the Job Network member and further help DHS and the JCA provider track the effectiveness of Job Capacity Account services.
Whilst, there is no set format for a Job Capacity Account Exit Report, it is expected that the following be included at a minimum:
- client details including Job Seeker Identification Number (JSID), the details of the Job Network Member and other personal details;
- Job Capacity Account services provided including dates attended;
- outcome/s of the Job Capacity Account service;
- what barriers to work have been addressed;
- what additional barriers to work have been identified during the Job Capacity Account service; and
- which existing barriers to work need further attention.
The Exit Report should be written with careful consideration and professionalism given that the client or other parties may have access to this report (eg. Job Network member, the client or an advocate).
A Job Capacity Account provider should also submit an Exit Report to the Job Capacity Assessor even when the client does not commence the Job Capacity Account service or fails to attend on two occasions without reasonable excuse. This is important as relevant information is contained in this report concerning barriers that were not able to be addressed or other issues that the assessor may see relevant to the client’s Job Network member.
Other
DHS will assess the performance of the JCA provider, in part by examining how successfully clients are engaged in Job Capacity Account programms. In turn, it is likely the referring JCA provider will closely the monitor your performance of Job Capacity Account providers.
It is important to note that Job Capacity Account services should not include further assessment, testing or diagnosis of the client. The Job Capacity Account provider should clearly show how their services have addressed the client’s pre-vocational barriers or issues and comment on how this has prepared the client for Job Network.
What can I charge for the Job Capacity Account Service?
In determining the costs for Job Capacity Account services, Job Capacity Account providers must ensure the rates are in accordance with industry standards. Before approving the implementation of a new Job Capacity Account service, DHS will ask for confirmation that your charges are in line with industry standards and may ask for evidence.
Job Capacity Account providers must provide JCA providers with a copy of the pricing structure outlining their charges for:
- each session;
- the Exit Report;
- any other costs associated with offering the services.
Agreement should be reached about what the Job Capacity Account provider should do when a client does not attend (DNA). This should involve agreement of liability for costs related to DNAs, the process for notifying the JCA provider of DNAs and what level of effort will be required by the Job Capacity Account provider to re-engage the client.
How do I get paid for the services I have conducted?
As the JCA provider requests the services to be conducted, Job Capacity Account providers will be required to invoice the organisation that referred the client.
Whilst, there is no set format for an invoice, it is expected that the following be included at a minimum:
- Job Seeker Identification Number (JSID);
- type and date of service;
- whether the client attended (where the client did not attend (DNA), it must be clearly outlined);
- session sequence (eg. Counselling 1 of 6);
- Job Capacity Account provider ABN; and
- date of the invoice.
The details for where the invoice is to be sent will be included on the initial referral form prepared by the JCA provider. If this is not provided, please contact the JCA provider to obtain those details.
What happens about Conflict of Interest?
Assessor referral patterns to Job Capacity Account will be monitored by DHS at individual site level, Employment Service Area (ESA) level and compared with national data. It is important to note that an assessor is an allied health professional and should be referring to the broad spectrum of JCA interventions, for example, social workers can refer to cognitive behaviour therapy and psychologists can refer to social case work. In some instances, the Job Capacity Assessor may consider that their own organisation is best placed to provide a Job Capacity Account service. This should not be seen as a conflict of interest as all Job Capacity Assessors are instructed to declare any actual or perceived, professional or personal, conflicts of interest prior to referral to Job Capacity Account providers.
If you are concerned that a Job Capacity Assessor in your area is not fairly considering your Job Capacity Account services you should contact the Department of Human Services via email to jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.
How will the performance of a Job Capacity Account provider be evaluated?
The performance of Job Capacity Account Providers will have an impact on Key Performance Indicators for the Assessor. DHS will monitor Exit Reports to measure how the Job Capacity Account interventions increase clients’ readiness for the Job Network.
Professional organisation websites
More information
For more information please email the Department of Human Services at jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.
Notes
- To view PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- To recieve this information in a different format please email jca.feedback@humanservices.gov.au.