guideline: vacancies and outcomes - docs.employment.gov.au · employment or unsubsidised...

Guideline:

Vacancies and Outcomes ParentsNext helps parents develop confidence and skills to prepare for future employment.

Providers may claim Outcome Payments for Intensive Stream Participants who complete Education

or achieve stable Employment.

This guideline sets out Providers’ requirements when sourcing and placing Participants in

Employment, and where applicable, claiming Outcome Payments.

Version: 1.1 Published on: 12 February 2020

Effective from: 9 March 2020

Changes from the previous version 1.0)

Policy changes:

Nil

Wording changes:

Update title of Concurrent referrals Guideline in the related documents and references section – page 1

Removal of reference to specific employment program provided as an example – page 4

Addition of requirement for Providers to inform Participants starting new Employment about the National Employment Standards – page 4

Removal of references to specific qualification levels eligible for Education Outcomes –page 5

Inclusion of eligibility requirements for claiming an Education Outcome for SEE training – page 5

Clarify that Providers may claim Employment Outcomes for traineeships and apprenticeships under Employment Outcomes, not Education Outcomes – page 5

References to the Department of Human Services changed to Services Australia – throughout

Clarify Documentary Evidence requirements for lodging an Education Outcome claim – page 6

Clarify Employment Outcome Periods cannot overlap and Providers cannot claim multiple/successive Employment Outcomes for Employment with the same employer – page 8

Reminder that Providers should assess whether a Participant is eligible for a stable Employment Outcome if the Provider has claimed an Employment Outcome – page 8

Updating of the example for calculating average hours – page 9

Clarify Providers must obtain Documentary Evidence for the full 12 week outcome period to support a Payslip Verified Outcome claim – page 10

Add the Single Touch Payroll income statement to the list of acceptable documents that can be used by Providers to claim a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment – page 10

Add Employer statutory declaration or statement to the list of acceptable Documentary Evidence to support a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment – page 10

Clarify that the Provider can derive information from multiple forms of evidence to support a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment – pages 10 and 11.

ParentsNext Guideline Vacancies and Outcomes

Effective from: 9 March 2020 TRIM ID: D20/192680 of 13

Related documents and references Assistance to Participants and Appointments Guideline

Participation Fund Guideline

Concurrent referrals Guideline

Transfers and Exits Guideline

Managing Relocation Assistance to Take Up a Job Guideline

Performance Guideline

Managing Wage Subsidies Guideline

Learning Centre

ParentsNext Guideline Vacancies and Outcomes


Contents

Vacancies 4

Sourcing Vacancies 4

Lodging Vacancies 4

Checking the minimum wage 5

Creating Placements 5

A Participant concurrently referred to an employment service 5

Education and Employment Outcomes (Intensive Stream Only) 5

Education Outcomes 6

Delivery of training 6

Creating Activity placements for Education or training courses 6

Lodging an Education Outcome claim 7

Employment Outcomes 7

Claiming Employment Outcomes for a Participant in jobactive or Transition to Work 7

Claiming Employment Outcomes for a Participant Employed by their Provider 7

How the Outcome Start Date is set for Employment Outcomes 8

Outcome Periods and multiple claims 8

Permissible Breaks 9

Verifying Employment Outcomes 9

Claiming an Employment Outcome based on Services Australia data 10

Claiming a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment 10

Calculating average hours 10

Documentary Evidence required to support Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payments 10

Summary of required Documentary Evidence 12

ParentsNext Guideline Vacancies and Outcomes Guideline


Vacancies

ParentsNext helps parents gain confidence and develop skills to engage in paid work. As a pre-

employment program, Participants do not have job search requirements and are not required to

accept a job. However, Providers should help Participants find suitable Employment

opportunities if they are ready and wanting to work.

Providers should be familiar with the local labour market and work with Employers to

understand their needs. Providers should only refer a Participant to a Vacancy when they are

equipped to meet the Employer’s needs.

Providers must record Vacancies and Placements in the Department’s IT Systems to track

Employment. Only Placements for Intensive Stream Participants will track toward an

Employment Outcome.

Sourcing Vacancies

Where appropriate, Providers should assist Participants to identify and apply for suitable

Vacancies. When sourcing Vacancies, Providers should:

consider a Participants’ family and personal circumstances, including child care and transport arrangements

engage local Employers to understand their needs and identify job opportunities, including those with flexible working arrangements or within school hours.

Providers must not refer or place Participants into Unsuitable Employment, which includes:

volunteer or unpaid work

a position, including a retail position, involving nudity or in the sex industry

a job that involves taking up employment in another country, regardless of whether the salary is paid in Australian dollars or by an Australian company

a job involving illegal activity

a job involving income or funds from gambling deemed to be inappropriate by the Department

Employment or Unsubsidised Self-Employment which is Recurring, or

any other position advised by the Department.

(Deed reference: Section B1.4)

Lodging Vacancies

System step: Providers should record Vacancies, including those found by a Participant, in the

Department’s IT Systems. Providers may be eligible to track an Employment Outcome for an

Intensive Stream Participant once they have created a Vacancy and Placement.

System step: Providers must enter a job description, employer details, hours and salary when

entering a Vacancy in the Department’s IT Systems. Providers also need to select a Vacancy type

from the following options:

Apprenticeship

Commission

Pre-existing Employment

Normal position

Graduate

Seasonal

Traineeship

Self-Employment.

(Deed reference: Section B1.4 and C1.3)



Checking the minimum wage

Providers must ensure any Vacancy they source meets the minimum wage set out in the

relevant Award or Enterprise Agreement. If there is no Award or Enterprise Agreement that

applies to the Employment, the National Minimum Wage applies. Providers only need to verify

the minimum wage when recording a new Vacancy.

Providers are not required to check the applicable minimum wage for Vacancies sourced by

Participants. However, Providers should inform Participants starting new Employment about the

National Minimum Wage and the Fair Work Ombudsman, including:

details of the latest National Minimum Wage rates

how to access the Pay and Conditions Tool (calculate.fairwork.gov.au) and information about changes to the National Minimum Wage

the Fair Work Ombudsman contact details, including how to access the Fair Work Ombudsman’s National Employment Standards webpage.

The Department’s Minimum Wages Fact Sheet for Job Seekers is on the Provider Portal.

(Deed reference: Annexure A1—Definitions and Section B1.4)

Creating Placements

Providers should create a Placement for each Participant who starts Employment (including an

apprenticeship or traineeship) in the Department’s IT Systems. A Placement is created when a

Participant’s details are recorded against a Vacancy. Placements are required to track an

Employment Outcome for Intensive Stream Participants.

Providers must record the date the Participant started Employment in the Department’s IT

Systems.

System step: The start date must be recorded within 56 days of the Participant commencing

Employment or Unsubsidised Self-Employment.

Once a Placement for a Vacancy is created, the only fields that can be updated are:

position

contact details

occupation category.

Providers can only create a Placement for Employment that starts within a Participant’s Period

of Registration.

(Deed reference: Section A2.3, Clause 76)

A Participant concurrently referred to an employment service

If a Participant is concurrently participating in an employment service while in ParentsNext,

both Providers should create a Vacancy and record a Placement in the Department’s IT Systems.

(Deed reference: Section A2.3, Clause 76)

Education and Employment Outcomes (Intensive Stream Only)

Intensive Stream Providers can claim a $300 Outcome Payment for Intensive Stream

Participants who achieve an Education or Employment Outcome.



Education Outcomes

Providers can claim an Outcome Payment for Intensive Stream Participants who successfully

complete any of the following:

Certificate III (or above) course (including language, literacy and numeracy, and university qualifications)

the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program*

Year 12

Providers may claim more than one Education Outcome for a Participant, as long as the

Education attained is a higher level than the Participant’s previous Education, including

Education attained prior to Commencing in ParentsNext.

Providers must not claim an Education Outcome for education that commenced prior to the

Participant Commencing in ParentsNext. A Participant must be Commenced on a Provider’s

caseload on the date they started the relevant Education to qualify for an Education Outcome.

(Deed reference: Clause 109 and Annexure C1—Outcomes, Outcome Payments and Participant Fund Credits)

* Providers may claim an Education Outcome for a Participant who successfully completes 650

hours of SEE training, or who transitions into employment or further education, regardless of

the number of hours of training completed, and:

for Participants transitioned to further education, the further education is at a higher level than the Participant’s previous education, including recognised overseas qualifications, or

for Participants transitioned to employment, the Participant has declared their earnings to Services Australia, and

the Provider has retained Documentary Evidence to confirm that the Participant has commenced education or employment.

(Deed reference: Clause 109 and Annexure C1—Outcomes, Row 4)

Providers cannot claim an Education Outcome for a Participant in an apprenticeship or

traineeship. Providers may claim an Employment Outcome where a Participant’s apprenticeship

or traineeship meets the requirements for an Employment Outcome. Refer to the Employment

Outcomes section for more information.

Delivery of training

Where vocational education and training (VET) is being delivered directly by, or under the

guidance/support of, a Registered Training Organisation, that organisation must be approved to

deliver the specific course at identified at training.gov.au.

(Deed reference: Annexure A1—Definitions)

Creating Activity placements for Education or training courses

System step: Providers must enter the Activity (course) and placement details into the

Department’s IT Systems within 28 calendar days of a Participant commencing in the Education

or training, and include the following:

Activity details full name of the course and course or unit code certificate/degree level weekly hours of details of the training institution and the name of the contact

person/s.

Activity placement class contact or full-time study as defined by the training institution whether the Participant is attending full-time or part-time



whether the training placement was arranged by the Provider or the Participant (refer to Participation Plans and Activities Guidelines).

Lodging an Education Outcome claim

Prior to lodging a claim, Providers must ensure the Education Outcome tracking in the

Department’s IT systems is eligible for an Education Outcome claim, including confirming the

Education commenced after the Participant was Commenced in ParentsNext.

Documentary Evidence: Providers must retain Documentary Evidence (in electronic form or

hard copy) in support of each Education Outcome at the time of submitting the claim.

Acceptable forms of Documentary Evidence include a:

statement of attainment or an academic transcript issued by the training provider (Registered Training Organisation or university) confirming the participant successfully completed the Education course or training, or

signed and dated written statement or email from the training provider or university confirming the Participant successfully completed the Education course or training.

The Documentary Evidence must include:

Participant’s name

details of the training provider or university

course/unit code (for VET courses this is as identified on the training.gov.au website)

confirmation the Participant has successfully completed the Education course or training

start and end date.

(Deed reference: Annexure A1—Definitions; Clause 109)

System step: Providers can upload Documentary Evidence in support of an Education Outcome

into the Activity Management section of the Department’s IT Systems.

Employment Outcomes

Providers may claim an Outcome Payment when an Intensive Stream Participant remains in

Employment, Unsubsidised Self-Employment, an apprenticeship or a traineeship, for

12 consecutive weeks, excluding Permissible Breaks (see the Permissible Breaks section of this

Guideline), for an average of at least 15 hours per week (30 hours per fortnight). Providers need

to create a Vacancy and Placement in the Department’s IT Systems to track an Employment

Outcome.

(Deed reference: Section B1.4)

Claiming Employment Outcomes for a Participant in jobactive or Transition to Work

If a Participant is Commenced in ParentsNext and jobactive or Transition to Work, both

Providers may claim an Outcome Payment if the Participant is placed into Employment that

meets the requirements for an Employment Outcome under each deed. Each Provider must

enter a Vacancy and Placement into the Department’s IT Systems to be able to claim an

Outcome.

Claiming Employment Outcomes for a Participant Employed by their Provider

Providers can claim Employment Outcomes where a Participant achieves stable Employment in

their Own Organisation. Providers must ensure the Employment Outcome meets all relevant

requirements before claiming the Outcome Payment.



How the Outcome Start Date is set for Employment Outcomes

The Department’s IT Systems sets the Outcome Start Date to be the first day of a Participant’s

first full Services Australia fortnight on or after the job Placement date. The Department’s IT

Systems continues recalculating the Outcome Start Date until the Participant remains in the

Employment for 12 consecutive weeks (excluding Permissible Breaks) and works on average at

least 15 hours per week (30 hours per fortnight). The Outcome Start Date recalculates for a

maximum of 52 weeks. Providers need to re-enter the Placement after 52 weeks if an

Employment Outcome is not achieved.

Note: multiple Placements contribute to the one Employment Outcome. The first Placement will

set the Employment Outcome Start Date. Subsequent Placements will then contribute to the

tracking of an Employment Outcome.

The 12 Week Period must be continuous with the exception of Permissible Breaks. A Permissible

Break is a period of time during which a Participant has a break in their Employment due to a

situation beyond the Participant or Provider’s control. Permissible Breaks extend the 12 Week

Period.

For example, four weeks of Permissible Break extends the Outcome Period to 16 weeks. (Refer

to Permissible Breaks section of this Guideline)

System step: To track an Employment Outcome, Providers must record a Vacancy in the

Department’s IT Systems and record the Participant’s Placement start date.

The Department’s IT Systems capture the Participant’s earnings and hours information as

declared to Services Australia. This information is used to track the Employment Outcome.

Outcome Periods and multiple claims

Outcome Periods for Employment Outcomes cannot overlap and Providers cannot claim more

than one Outcome Payment for employment with the same Employer. Providers may claim

multiple Outcome Payments for a Participant if:

an Outcome for employment with the same Employer has not previously been claimed, and

the relevant Outcome Period does not overlap with another Outcome Period.



The Provider should assess whether a Participant meets the requirements for a stable Employment Exit if the Participant remains in Employment with the same Employer beyond the 12 week Employment Outcome. Refer to the Transfers and Exit Guideline.

(Deed reference: Section C1.3)

Permissible Breaks

Where a Participant is working towards an Employment Outcome, a break or breaks

(Permissible Break) in Employment can include:

up to two fortnights

an additional Permissible Break of up to eight weeks (four fortnights) over the long school holiday.

Permissible Breaks must meet the following requirements:

the break is outside the control of the Provider or the Participant

after the break, the Participant returns to the same Employment with the same Employer

the break would otherwise result in the Participant not meeting the requirements of an Employment Outcome.

Acceptable Permissible Breaks include:

Christmas breaks and shutdowns

other Employer initiated shutdowns

breaks due to a Participant’s illness or major personal crisis

child care or caring emergencies

natural disasters as declared by the Australian Government

culturally significant events for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons.

Providers must not record Permissible Breaks to account for periods of unapproved leave or

absences due to circumstances within a Participant’s control.

System step: Providers must enter Permissible Breaks on the Outcome Details screen in the

Department’s IT Systems. The minimum Permissible Break period is two weeks, even if the

Participant’s break was for a shorter period.

(Deed reference: Annexure A1—Definitions)

Documentary Evidence: Providers must retain Documentary Evidence (in electronic form or

hard copy) of each Permissible Break. Documentary Evidence must contain information

provided by a Participant or Employer, which confirms:

the Permissible Break in Employment, including the reason for the Permissible Break

the duration of the Permissible Break, including the start and end dates

that the Participant is employed in the same position following the Permissible Break.

All of the above information must be contained in a signed and dated written statement or

email from the Employer or Participant.

Verifying Employment Outcomes

Employment Outcomes are verified in two ways:

Information from Services Australia. Participants declare their Employment earnings and hours to Services Australia each fortnight. The Department’s IT Systems use this information to calculate when an Employment Outcome is achieved, or

Documentary Evidence through pay slip verification. Providers may claim a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment where a Participant has met all requirements for an Employment Outcome, but Services Australia information does not support this. Providers must notify



Services Australia of any changes in the Participant’s circumstances, including in relation to claims for a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment.

(Deed reference: Section C1.3)

Claiming an Employment Outcome based on Services Australia data

System step: the Department’s IT Systems will automatically make Employment Outcomes

available to claim when the Employment Outcome requirements have been met.

The Department’s IT Systems prevent Providers from claiming Employment Outcomes where a

Participant has stopped receiving an income support payment for a reason unrelated to

Employment, such as unapproved overseas absence or permanent departure overseas.

Documentary Evidence: Providers do not need Documentary Evidence for Employment

Outcomes verified by Services Australia in the Department’s IT Systems.

(Deed reference: Section C1.3 & Clause 109)

Claiming a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment

Providers need to claim a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment where Services Australia data

does not accurately reflect the details of the Employment Outcome or where the Participant is

in Unsubsidised Self-Employment. In this instance the Provider needs to encourage the

Participant to report their updated income and earnings to Services Australia.

Calculating average hours

For a Participant receiving a salary or wage (including for an apprenticeship or traineeship),

Providers need to calculate the average hours worked per fortnight by adding the number of

hours the Participant worked over the relevant period (12 weeks) and dividing the figure by the

number of fortnights in that period (six fortnights over a three-month period).

If a Participant is in Unsubsidised Self-Employment, commission or piece work, Providers can

either:

add the number of hours the Participant worked over a relevant period (12 weeks) and divide the figure by the number of fortnights in that period (six fortnights over a three-month period), or

divide the amount earned over a reference period (12 weeks) by the National Minimum Wage or relevant award, if this is known, to get the number of hours worked during that period (the current National Minimum Wage amount is at the Fair Work Ombudsman website). Then, divide this figure by the number of fortnights in the reference period (six fortnights over a three-month period) to get an average amount of hours worked per fortnight.

For example, if a Participant earned $4,300 for ongoing casual work over 12 weeks, calculate

$4,300/$19.49 = 221 (equivalent hours worked over 12 weeks) and divide by six fortnights =

average 36.8 hours per fortnight. In this case, the Employment Outcome is claimable.

System step: Providers are required to enter the total hours for the 12 Week Period. An

Employment Outcome will be claimable if the Department’s IT Systems finds this to be 15 hours

per week or 30 hours per fortnight on average.

Documentary Evidence required to support Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payments

Documentary Evidence: Providers must obtain Documentary Evidence for the entire 12 week

outcome period to claim Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payments. Acceptable documents include:

pay slips or a print-out from the Employer’s payroll software



Employer payroll summary or Single Touch Payroll income statement

Statutory Declarations or statements from, or with the authority of, the Participant’s Employer. Employer declarations or statements must include the Employer’s ABN and be sent from the Employer’s business email address.

Documentary Evidence can be derived from multiple documents if necessary. The document/s

must contain the following information:

Employer’s and Participant’s name

Employer’s Australian Business Number (ABN) (if applicable)

payment period

date of payment

gross and net pay

if the Participant is paid an hourly rate: the ordinary hourly rate the number of hours worked at that rate the total dollar amount of pay at that rate.

Pay slip

A pay slip is an Employer generated record of the Employer’s payment to a Participant in

relation to the performance of work, which satisfies the requirements of the Fair Work Act 2009

and Fair Work Regulations 2009.

Employer payroll summary or Single Touch Payroll income statement

An Employer payroll summary is a record of a Participant’s official payment history, generated

by the Participant’s Employer, not a spreadsheet or tracking tool implemented or prepared by

the Provider.

A Single Touch Payroll income statement is generated for an employee if their Employer reports

its employees’ income to the Australian Tax Office through the Single Touch Payroll system. An

income statement is the equivalent of a payment summary. It shows year to date salary and

wages, the tax that has been withheld and the super amounts the Employer has to pay for the

employee. If a Participant’s Employer reports via Single Touch Payroll, the Participant can access

their income statement via their MyGov account.

Deriving information

Providers can derive the following information from a single or multiple acceptable documents

without seeking supplementary information from an Employer:

hourly rate— where the document shows the number of hours worked and wages earned for that period

gross amount—where the document shows the hourly rate and the number of hours worked for that period

net amount—where the document shows the gross amount, tax payable and other deductions for that period

payment period—where the document shows the payment date and frequency of payment (that is, fortnightly, weekly etc.)

date of payment—where the document shows the payment period and the frequency of the payment (that is, fortnightly, weekly, etc.).

System step: Providers should upload all Documentary Evidence for Pay Slip Verified Outcome

Payments for the entire 12 week outcome period into the Department’s IT Systems at the time

of making the claim.

Documentary Evidence: Providers must retain pays slips, payroll summaries, income statements

or Employer statutory declarations or statements where information derived from these have

been used to claim a Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payment.



If an Employer name or ABN on a pay slip does not match the information on the Vacancy

screen in the Department’s IT Systems, Providers should use an ABN look up function to confirm

the Participant’s Employer. Providers must upload evidence of the Participant’s Employer when

they make a claim if there is inconsistent Employer information recorded in the Vacancy.

(Deed reference: Section C1.3—Clause 109 and Section A2.2, Clause 11)

Summary of required Documentary Evidence

Documentary Evidence: Providers must retain Documentary Evidence for:

Permissible Breaks—a signed and dated written statement or an email from the Employer or Participant.

Pay Slip Verified Outcome Payments—relevant documents include pay slips, Employer payroll summaries or income statements, and Employer statutory declarations or statements for the entire 12 week outcome period.



All capitalised terms in this Guideline have the same meaning as in the ParentsNext Deed 2018–2021 (the Deed).

This Guideline is not a stand-alone document and does not contain the entirety of ParentsNext Providers’ obligations. It must be read in conjunction with the Deed and any relevant Guidelines or reference material issued by the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business under or in connection with the Deed.

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