Build autism capacity in health workforces

What we will do:

  • Design and deliver professional development for general practitioners, nurses and select allied health workers and mental health workforces. This work focuses on improving clinicians’ skills to care for people with autism.

Lead division: Disability, Fairness and Emergency Management

Deliver the Regional Disability Worker Scholarship Program

What we have done and continue to do:

  • Ensure ongoing communications support for disability worker programs to ensure the sector continues to support a pipeline of new workers.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Ensure the lived experience of staff with disability is core to policy, programs and services. This will improve business practices for the communities we serve

What we have done and continue to do:

  • Develop actions for the Diversity and inclusion framework with staff with disability. This will include responses from an all-staff Diverse Workforce Survey.
  • Develop a tool to assess diversity, inclusion and equity impacts. This will guide and inform staff on diversity and inclusion best practices.
  • Use feedback to improve recruitment processes and ensure consistency. This includes making sure:
    • processes are simple to follow
    • candidates can access specialised support
    • information about workplace adjustments is clear, including request timeframes
    • the right people are responsible for workplace adjustments. This information will be shared in policy, resourcing and interview guides
    • candidates have questions before the interview. The questions could also be shared in writing in the interview.
  • Deliver training to build capacity of staff to support people with disability. This includes supporting career progression.
  • Use feedback from the Enablers Network [1]
  • Work with employee networks, including Enablers Network, for relevant policies and programs.
  • Develop annual actions for the Diversity and inclusion framework with staff with disability/ We will use responses from our Diverse Workforce and People Matter Survey. 

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Ensure the department’s leadership profile, governance structures and workforce reflect the diversity of the community. All staff will be accountable for creating an inclusive workplace

What we have done and continue to do:

  • Launch the mandatory Leading with Impact series for all non-executive people leaders. This includes a module titled ‘Leading diversity and inclusion’
  • Ensure all staff regularly complete the ‘Compliance essentials’ eLearning modules. This includes a module titled ‘Disability inclusion matters’
  • Monitor staff experiences of inclusion through the People Matter Survey.
  • Ensure inclusive consultation with the department’s workforce. This is important for key periods or decisions that could impact people with disability.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Empower the voices of our diverse workforce and value diversity of thought. Create a workplace where all staff are supported to develop and progress their careers

What we have done and continue to do:

  • Ensure internships and employment pathways for people with intellectual disability. This includes hosting people from Australian Disability Network Internship program and Youth Employment Scheme (YES) trainees with disability.
  • Develop neurodiversity resources. We will work with neurodiverse-confident services to coach and train staff. This will be using a strength-based approach.
  • Offer Neurodiversity Support, a specialised service through the Employee Wellbeing Support Program. It is available for neurodiverse staff and their managers.
  • Promote the Victorian Public Sector Commission Neurodiverse Toolkit. This includes strategies to help people leaders better support neurodivergent staff.
  • Provide information on how to access workplace adjustments during staff induction. This will cover the diversity of disabilities.
  • Resolve requests for workplace adjustments in an appropriate, timely manner.
  • Consider flexible working arrangements for staff with disability. This includes working hours and hybrid work.
  • Celebrate International Day of People with Disability and Neurodiversity Week.
  • Support and promote the department’s Enablers Network [2].
  • Remove barriers to accessing information technology (IT) and workplaces. Establish processes and policies to ensure IT services and new workplaces are accessible.
  • Deliver training on workplace adjustments to people leaders.
  • Coordinate training in ADHD and autism for people leaders.
  • Build staff capability and confidence in intersectional approaches. This will improve outcomes for anyone experiencing discrimination and marginalisation.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Embed safety into workplace culture, systems and practices as the norm. We will make sure work environments are accessible and safe

What we have done and continue to do:

  • Launch a Safe to Speak Up Hub [3] on the staff intranet.
  • Develop an accessible workplaces checklist.
  • Deliver sessions to build capacity of people leaders to provide a safe environment for staff to request workplace adjustments.
  • Address other IT accessibility barriers.
  • Provide Safety to Speak Up education sessions to Enablers Network.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Ensure inclusive recruitment practices

What we will do:

  • Contribute to developing accessible recruitment practices (led by Corporate and Delivery Services). This will embed disability perspectives in:
    • advertising, employment forms and interview processes
    • workplace adjustments processes.
  • Highlight employment practices that support neurodiversity. This includes publishing information about neurodiverse workforces.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Uplift workplaces to be more accessible

What we will do:

  • Engage with Accommodation Services to install a Changing Places [4] facility at 50 Lonsdale Street.
  • Organise rooms to meet different needs at office locations. We may consider:
    • air purifiers
    • ergonomic furniture
    • office or pods with environmental controls (such as sound, temperature, light).
  • Improve accessibility to align with our accommodation standards and framework. We will continue to develop these standards.
  • Encourage supports for people with disability to be applied to all staff, regardless of status. This could include mandatory and consistent requirements for inclusive meetings and events.

Lead division: Corporate and Delivery Services

Footnotes

[1], [2] The department’s Enablers Network is an employee-led group for people with lived experience of disability, carers and allies.

[3] Safe to Speak Up Hub is a central guidance point for all departmental employees and leaders on how to speak up about inappropriate behaviour and other issues in the workplace.

[4] Changing Places toilets are larger than standard accessible toilets. They are suitable, safe and private bathrooms for people with disability and high support needs.