What is an Employment Services Assessment?

Employment Services Assessments (ESAts) recommend the most appropriate employment service assistance based on an assessment of the job seeker’s

• Barriers to finding and maintaining employment (this may relate to the impact of a person's disability, injury, illness, or other disadvantage), and
• Work capacity (in hour bandwidths).

Assessors use available information about the job seeker, including current and past medical/disability status, and prior participation and employment history to assess work capacity and barriers. Assessors can also liaise with treating doctors and other relevant health professionals as required.

ESAts may also be used by Centrelink to inform decisions regarding income support payments and to determine the level of participation required for activity tested job seekers in accordance with the Social Security Act 1991.

Types of Employment Services Assessments

There will be two types of ESAts from 1 July 2011. These are

• Medical Condition ESAt
  A Medical Condition ESAt is an assessment of the job seeker’s circumstances to determine work capacity and the most appropriate service, where one or more medical conditions are identified. ESAts are similar to the previous Job Capacity Assessments (JCAs) for potentially highly disadvantaged job seekers with disability, injury or illness. In a Medical condition ESAt the assessor must rely on the available medical evidence.
• Non-Medical Condition ESAt
  A Non-Medical Condition ESAt is an assessment of the job seeker’s circumstances that determines the most appropriate service, where no medical condition is identified — for example, a young person at serious risk of homelessness. A non–medical condition ESAt is normally less complex than an ESAt for a job seeker with disability, injury or illness, and will be streamlined to meet the individual’s needs.

There is flexibility in the new process. Depending on the circumstances, a non-medical condition ESAt can be extended to a medical condition ESAt by the assessor at the same appointment, where medical evidence is available.

Assessment Interviews

Wherever feasible, an ESAt will be conducted through a face to face interview. Where a face to face assessment is impractical for the job seeker (for example, due to geographic isolation or extreme weather conditions) or the job seeker has a medical condition or barrier which restricts them from attending a face to face interview, a video or phone assessment will be arranged.

Who conducts an Employment Services Assessment?

All ESAts are conducted by qualified health and allied health professionals, such as a Psychologists and Registered Nurses employed by a single Government Provider under the Department of Human Services portfolio. All Assessors must be eligible for membership of their professional Board or Association and meet all requirements to practice in the State or Territory in which they work.

Referral for an Employment Services Assessment

Centrelink most commonly refer customers for ESAts. This includes

• Fully Eligible Participants with a Job Seeker Classification Instrument (JSCI) that indicates they face serious or multiple barriers, to determine the person’s work capacity and the employment service most suitable to their needs.
• Customers requiring an assessment of their work capacity for the purposes of income support or activity test decisions.

Employment Service Providers may also refer Stream 4 or Disability Employment Services (DES) job seekers for an ESAt where

• Information of a significant change in the job seeker’s circumstances becomes available that affects their work capacity and/or employment assistance needs, and/or
• A program review is required such as a Stream 4 Service Review or DES program review.

For further information on Employment Services Assessment refer to the Centrelink website.