Australians Working Together - The Consultants Reports February 2006
The Department of Family and Community Services commissioned several consultants to conduct research as part of the Australians Working Together (AWT) evaluation. Responsibility for the research transferred to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations in November 2004. Findings from the consultants' research were used in the development of the AWT Report produced in November 2005.
The research includes: the Impact on children study; the Personal Support Programme project; the Centrelink Personal Advisers study; the Service Systems study; and the Customer and Community Attitudes to Working Age Participation Requirements report.
The evaluation of the impact of activity requirements on children was conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The study collected qualitative information from sixty Parenting Payment recipients with a youngest child aged 13 years to 15 years and their youngest teenage child over two waves - June/July 2004 and March/April 2005.
The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of participation requirements for Parenting Payment recipients on their children.
Personal Advisers Study
An evaluation of the Personal Adviser measure was commissioned to inform the broader AWT evaluation. The evaluation used both quantitative and qualitative data collected through 2004, and four reports were produced by the Social Research Centre covering each of the discrete research projects.
This report summaries results from the first wave of quantitative data collected through a telephone survey in May 2004 of 3,000 people who had participated in a Personal Adviser interview.
This report summaries results from both waves of the customer survey, comparing data collected in the first wave survey (May 2004) with data collected from follow-up interviews with the wave one respondents in November 2004.
A qualitative study was undertaken in May and June 2004 to provide information on the effectiveness of the Personal Adviser intervention for prison release, Indigenous and other Better Assessment at Risk customers who had participated in a Personal Adviser interview.
This report summaries findings from a telephone survey of over 500 Centrelink Personal Advisers and Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Advisers in June 2004.
Personal Support Programme Project
The Personal Support Programme (PSP) Project was undertaken by Orima Research Pty Ltd. The study collected qualitative data through consultations with PSP providers, Centrelink specialist staff and interviews with PSP participants across Australia.
The purpose of the study was to identify if and how PSP was meeting its programme objective of enabling people with multiple non-vocational and vocational barriers to achieve economic outcomes and/or sustained engagement with the programme.
The Service System Study was conducted by Orima Research Pty Ltd. The study collected qualitative information, comprising interviews and focus groups with Centrelink staff, PSP providers, Job Network members, other Government funded services (local, State or Commonwealth), education and training services, and other organisations or individuals that assist Centrelink customers.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the operation of 10 local service networks across Australia, providing a snapshot of how these networks have responded to two key AWT measures - Personal Advisers and the Personal Support Programme.
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Survey of community and customer attitudes
The Customer and Community Attitudes to Working Age Participation Requirements Survey was undertaken by the Social Research Centre in November/December 2004, using stratified samples of 1,500 community members and 1,500 working-age income support recipients. The purpose of the survey was to gain a better understanding of community and customer attitudes towards welfare reform.
The survey asked respondents about their attitudes towards:
- the social security system
- participation requirements for working age income support recipients
- sanctions
- their awareness of specific Australians Working Together (AWT) measures.
Survey respondents were generally very supportive of active participation among working age income support customers and felt that the continued receipt of payment should be dependent on people trying to get off income support.
View the Survey of Community and customer attitudes research report part one
View the Survey of Community and customer attitudes research report part two