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 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

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.