Approved activities for job seekers assessed as having a partial capacity to work (PCW) 001-09070160

Defence Force Reserves can be regarded as an approved activity and may include annual training camps, programmed courses, full time or part time work in the Defence Force.

Disability Employment Services (DES) work with job seekers who have disabilities to help them gain and maintain employment.

Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) is an approved activity that employs people with a disability, illness or injury often in a specialist work environment.

• Job seekers are encouraged to engage in part-time work as a way to maintain skills and increase opportunities to move to full-time employment. For some job seekers, part-time work at their assessed capacity can fully meet mutual obligation requirements where hours and income meet the National Minimum Wage
• Self-employment as an approved activity to satisfy mutual obligation requirements is an approved activity. For some job seekers, self-employment at their assessed capacity can fully meet mutual obligation requirements where hours and income meet the National Minimum Wage
• Self-Employment Assistance is an approved activity that assists eligible job seekers with training and support to establish a viable business. Self-Employment Assistance can only be approved by Self-Employment Assistance providers

Job seekers assessed with a partial capacity to work of 15-29 hours per week will be referred to an Employment Services Provider who will negotiate their Job Plan with them. The provider will determine appropriate activities, including job search, based on the job seeker's individual circumstances.

Job seekers who are doing sufficient paid work to fully satisfy their mutual obligation requirements may approach Services Australia about having their activity approved, so they do not have to participate in employment services and do other activities like looking for work. For more information, see Step 1 in Table 1 of Paid work as an approved activity.

Voluntary Work is an approved activity for job seekers who are 55 years of age or over, who are working with approved volunteer organisations for 30 or more hours per fortnight.

A Community Service Order can be imposed by the Court (with the offender's consent) on suitable offenders, sentencing them to perform community work for a certain number of hours instead of serving time in prison. For example, community service can be done in lieu of paying a fine.

The offenders perform unpaid work at approved organisations and are supervised during their community service. These job seekers are not considered to be in prison. A community service order is a type of Community Based Order that can be imposed by a Court.

Job seekers identified as requiring assistance with language or literacy skills can be referred to the following programs. See:

• Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP)
• Skills for Education and Employment (SEE)

Job seekers may benefit from one of the following activities that can only be approved by a provider:

• Undertaking an assessment of their present capacity or needs by a provider or organisation
• Drug and alcohol rehabilitation
• Intervention Non Specific
• Parenting Skills program
• Health Maintenance Program
• Child Care

Job seekers with a partial capacity to work of 0-14 hours per week must attend a compulsory quarterly (12 weekly) appointment with the agency. This activity must be recorded on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen.

Job seekers with a partial capacity to work of 0-14 hours can also fully meet their requirements through part-time work or self-employment. This activity must be recorded on the AEX screen.

Job seekers assessed with a partial capacity to work of 0-14 hours per week may volunteer to be connected with an Employment Services Provider and participate in voluntary activities.

Job seekers can undertake study as an approved activity, depending on their circumstances. Part-time study can be approved with additional job search.

Note: if a new claimant starts full-time study on transitional Disability Support Pension (DSP) and transfer to JobSeeker Payment (JSP)/YA(o) as being assessed as having a PCW they can continue to do full-time study in lieu of job search for remainder of the same course.

Only providers can approve:

• PSW activity code - any job seeker participating in combination of Study and Paid Work for at least 70 hours per fortnight
• PPW activity code - principal carers and those assessed with a 15-29 hr partial capacity to work participating in a combination of Study and Paid Work for at least 30 hours per fortnight

Local or State Government Transition to Work (TtW) is an approved activity for certain job seekers receiving Youth Allowance (YA) (other).

This is a separate mutual requirement to Workforce Australia - Transition to Work.

Job seekers who have commenced Local or State Government TtW, or are due to commence it within eight weeks of applying for YA, need to have TtW included as an approved activity on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen. The job seeker is not required to undertake any other activities prior to commencing TtW.

Job seekers will need to advise Services Australia of their involvement/upcoming involvement in Local or State Government TtW when applying for payment, and provide evidence of acceptance into TtW e.g. a confirmation letter.

Once the AEX screen is updated, the Job Plan item will include the requirement:

'I agree to undertake [number of hours] hours per fortnight of Activity with [Provider name] in [field] from [Start Date] to [End Date].'

Local or State Government TtW is a two year program, however Youth Activities (YAC) can only be coded for a maximum 12 month period. YAC will be required to be coded on the AEX screen. The job seeker will need to return to Services Australia at the end of the first 12 month period to have Youth Activities coded for a second 12 month period.

Participation in Local or State Government TtW will suspend a job seeker from Workforce Australia employment services.

Local or State Government TtW cannot be undertaken concurrently with Disability Employment Services (DES).

Local or State Government TtW exits and Disability Employment Services (DES)

Once a job seeker has exited Local or State Government TtW, they are eligible to commence in DES under Eligible School Leaver arrangements. They are not required to undertake an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) for the purpose of accessing DES. Job seekers will be referred to DES by:

• the DES provider through direct registration procedures
• Services Australia through the Online Diary if they have a current and valid ESAt or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) which recommends referral to DES

Note: job seekers should still be referred to an ESAt if there is a valid reason apart from a DES referral, for example to determine if they have a partial capacity to work.

Youth Activities to satisfy mutual obligation requirements allows a job seeker, up to 20 years of age, to satisfy their requirements by undertaking a 50 to 74 per cent study load or a combination of activities for at least 15 hours per week.