Disability Employment

COMMONWEALTH DISABILITY SERVICE STANDARDS

HDAA is one of a select number of Certification Bodies in Australia accredited to audit disability employment providers against the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards, and there are a number of key points of difference that set us apart from the rest.

The HDAA Difference

1. Easy, ongoing access to your Audit Manager - Employment through the HDAA Disability Employment Program Help Desk

Our Help Desk service is available at any time during business hours to assist with any questions you have relating to the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards, the audit process or any other general or technical questions you may have.

To access the Help Desk, call 1800 601 696 or email HDAA (with "Help Desk - DSS" in the subject line).

2. Audit teams with specialised knowledge of the Disability Employment Program

All HDAA Employment Program auditors are qualified as Lead Auditors, and all have extensive knowledge in the field of disability employment provision and quality management practices; skills in data collection and analysis; and experience in leadership and disability policy development and evaluation.

All audits are conducted by a team which comprises an experienced Lead Auditor and a Consumer Technical Expert (a person with a disability who will assist the other Audit Team members to understand the experiences of disability).

One thing about our auditors that we are especially proud of is that they are all truly passionate about supporting you to develop a high quality service.

3. A genuinely collegial approach to auditing which fosters continual improvement

We pride ourselves on our approach. We work with you as we would a colleague and with one aim in mind: to do all we can to strengthen your organisation. We are most fulfilled in our role when we can contribute to organisations so that they are supported to meet the needs of people with disability.

4. You receive a Certification Folder at the completion of your audit

Upon certification, we provide you with a high quality Certification Folder which includes your final audit report, certificate, documentation, and information about the audit program.

5. Provision of generic quality management systems training

As part of the certification process, we can provide your organisation with training in the general principles of Quality Management Systems and internal audit. This can assist you to develop your organisations Quality Management System and achieve your specific quality objectives.

6. Integrating all your certification needs

In addition to providing certification through the Disability Employment Program, we can provide certification against the:

Quality Management ISO:9001 Standards;
Queensland Disability Service Standards;
Standards for Disability Services in Victoria;
National Disability Advocacy Standards.

We are able to offer you a comprehensive service package integrating certification across all disability programs.

The Commonwealth Quality Assurance System

The Commonwealth Government's Quality Assurance System applies to three service types:
1. Australian Disability Enterprises;
2. Disability Employment Services - Disability Management Services;
3. Disability Employment Services - Employment Support Services.

The Quality Assurance System for disability employment providers was introduced in 2002 with the goal of ensuring they meet certain standards so that they offer employment assistance to people with disability in quality environments.

The System is designed to:

Give people with disability greater confidence in the quality of results services achieve for them;
Ensure all services meet a set of Disability Services Standards;
Make the assessment of quality more objective and measurable;
Treat all services equally;
Reduce government intervention in the day to day operation of services; and
Support services to continually improve.

The Quality Assurance System requires disability employment providers funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and/or the Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) to be assessed by an independent certification body. HDAA is an independent certifying body. Organisations must comply with, and demonstrate continuous improvement against, the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards:

Download a copy of the Disability Service Standards

FaHCSIA manages the auditing requirements of the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards using Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) Procedure 18. To be able to audit the Disability Service Standards, HDAA must adhere to rules set out in Procedure 18:

Download a copy of JAS-ANZ Procedure 18

The HDAA service

We provide a range of auditing services to support disability employment providers in meeting the requirements of the Quality Assurance System.

These services include:
1. Pre-Audit Preparation;
2. Certification Audit;
3. Surveillance Audit;
4. Recertification Audit.

Pre-audit preparation

The purpose of the Pre-Audit Preparation is to provide you with background information on the auditing process and the opportunity to learn about the central concepts and processes involved in the Certification Audit.

The Pre-Audit Preparation also provides you with resources and tools that identify aspects of improvement that can be taken to better prepare you for the Certification Audit. It is designed in consultation with you to meet your individual needs and requirements and provides you with a plan which you can use to prepare for the Certification Audit.

Certification audit

1. Pre-visit co-ordination;
2. Pre-review of documentation by your audit team which, as a minimum, will be made up of a Lead Auditor and Consumer Technical Expert;
3. Visit by the audit team;

Discussions with management;
Review of policies and procedures against the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards;
On-site observations;
Interviews and discussions with staff;
Interviews and discussions with service users and families;
File review of a sample of service user files; and
Summary discussion of any improvements

4. Draft audit report developed and forwarded to you for comment;
5. Integration of your comments into a final audit report;
6. Quality review of audit reports by your Audit Manager;
7. Final audit report provided to you;
8. Certification decision;
9. Summary report forwarded to FaHCSIA; and
10. Provision of certification.

Surveillance audit

Within twelve and twenty-four months of certification, disability employment providers are required to participate in a Surveillance Audit. The purpose of this audit is to assess your performance against the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards and any corrective measures identified in your Certification Audit. The Surveillance Audit will involve an onsite visit and a review of a sample of each of the Commonwealth Disability Service Standards.

Recertification audit

Certification is for a period of thirty-six months from the date of certification. A full Recertification Audit is required to maintain certification.

If you have any queries regarding your Disability Employment Certification, please contact HDAA on 1800 601 696 or email us.

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