What Services Does Job Focus Provide?

 

Job Focus provides:

 

• Support to get ready to working
• Support to decide what kinds of jobs are best suited to your interests and abilities
• Job searching to find the right job
• On the job training and support so that you learn your new job and settle in
• Ongoing support, and retraining if required, to keep your job
• Becomming a Job Focus Client
• What is Job Focus doing for me?
• Can Job Focus tell me what to do?
• What about interpreters?
• What about using an advocate?
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Having a say about Job Focus

 

Getting ready for work

 

Job Focus helps job seekers to get ready for working. Having a job is challenging for everyone, and often quite demanding. Because of this, we take time to get to know your interests and abilities before we recommend what types of jobs are best suited to you.

 

We can also give job seekers and young adults who are still at school free advice about what courses and training to do to best prepare for a rewarding and satisfying working life.

 

Deciding on the right job

 

We believe that it is important to find a job that is suited to you - work that you can do successfully and that you enjoy. We start by making a plan together. The plan describes what steps we need to take to get the right job. Those steps include the job searching that we will do and anything that you will do.

 

First we talk to you about your interests and assess your skills and abilities. Then we agree on what kinds of work to look for, including the types of jobs, the days and hours, and suitable locations.

 

Getting the right job

 

Job Focus approaches employers on your behalf with a view to negotiating suitable jobs. We have a large network of employers and will carefully match you with job vacancies that become available.

 

We also help you to work out what you can do to find yourself a job; for example, some clients are able to find suitable employers themselves which we then approach on their behalf.

 

Learning your new job

 

Once we have found the right job for you, Job Focus can work alongside you to support you to learn your new job and settle into the workplace. We make sure you understand what your employer wants you to do, and that you are introduced to your co-workers. It is also important to get to know about health and safety in your work place, who to contact if you are sick and to whom you report accidents.

 

Once you are doing your job successfully, we fade into the background to encourage you to become more independent of us.

 

Keeping your job

 

We keep in contact with our working clients for as long as they want or need us. Somtimes this is for a couple of months, sometimes we keep in contact as long as you have your job.

 

We also support clients to cope with changes to their job or work place, to learn new jobs, or to find a new job. Even if we are no longer in contact with you, you or your employer can always contact us for our assistance again.

For more tips for keeping your job, click here.

 

 

How do I become a client of Job Focus?

 

Contact us and we will tell you the best way to apply to become a client of Job Focus, or go to your nearest Centrelink office and ask the Disability Officer to refer you to us.

 

How do I know what Job Focus is doing for me?

 

When you first start with Job Focus, we agree on a plan of action - an Individual Employment Plan (IEP).

 

The plan describes the steps that we will both take to reach your goal of employment, and we will give you a copy of the plan.

 

Our progress toward achieving your goal is reviewed every 3 to 6 months.

 

If you are having trouble following your steps in the plan, we can change it to suit you better. Your plan can be changed at any time, just ask your case worker.

 

Can Job Focus tell me what to do?

 

No, we can only suggest what we think you should do to get a job. We tell you which jobs we think you can do successfully, but you always choose whether to accept a job or not.

 

We cannot stop your pension or unemployment payments; we are not part of the government.

 

Interpreters

 

If we need an interpreter to talk to you, we will arrange to have one at meetings and interviews. Please let us know about this when you first contact us.

 

Advocates

 

You can use a friend or a family member to support you at any time, except at work when you get a job. Just bring them along to any meetings and appointments you have with us.

 

What about my privacy?

 

Job Focus keeps a lot of information about each client. We keep your file locked in a filing cabinet when it is not being used, and our computer database is protected by a password. We do not tell anyone anything about you unless we have your permission.

 

We treat all personal information as confidential. Job Focus policies and procedures comply with the Privacy Principles of section 14 of the Commonwealth of Australia Privacy Act 1998 and our staff act in accordance with these principles at all times

 

How can I have a say about Job Focus?

 

1. Join the Client Representative Committee and attend their meetings. Let the Manager know if you would like to join this committee.
2. Join the organisation that runs Job Focus - Western Port Employment Support Service Inc. Ask the Manager for details about joining.
3. Put your suggestions in the office mailbox, either to the Client Representative Committee or to the Manager.
4. Join in the Self Assessments and Planning Days held each year, where we review Job Focus over the past year and make plans for the coming year. These events are attended by clients, staff and committee members.
5. Come to our Annual General Meeting, held in September each year, and join in.