Negotiating Job Plans for refugee appointments at 12 weeks, and conducting circumstance reviews at 12 months 005-18101149

This appointment occurs at the refugee customer's local service centre. The duration of this appointment is 30 minutes.

If the refugee customer requires an interpreter and an onsite interpreter is not available, use the On Demand interpreter arrangements and select 30 minutes duration for interpreting services. See Contacting an on-demand telephone interpreter (Interpreter Connect).

At the appointment, the Service Officer conducting the interview must:

• Confirm address, accommodation and phone number
• Update and confirm Identity Confirmation Dashboard, see Coding identity documents
• Re-Run the Job Seeker Snapshot
• Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt), if the refugee customer:
• has an illness, injury or disability that affects the type of work or number of hours they can work has appropriate medical evidence, and
• does not already a current and valid assessment of their work capacity
• Check Tax File Number (TFN) is recorded:
• If the TFN application has been submitted and TFN not recorded, ask the customer if they have received the TFN and update the record
• If the customer has not received the TFN in the mail, tell the customer to contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and provide the TFN to Centrelink once received
• When the customer contacts the ATO, they are required to provide the ATO TFN application Receipt ID. If they do not have a copy of the ATO TFN application receipt document, locate the document in Customer First from Document Tools and print a copy for them
• If FTB status is FTB/CNP-NTC or NTP or NTB, tell the customer their FTB will be restored once the TFN is provided. See Resources page for a link to the ATO website > Foreign passport holders, permanent migrants and temporary visitors - TFN application
• Check Participation Summary page for any action and referral to Disability Employment Service (DES), Transition to Work (TtW) or Community Development Program (CDP). See Steps 5 and 6
• Code RAC - Refugee Activities on the Activity and Exemptions Summary (AEX) screen. If there is no referral to DES, TtW or CDP. See Step 7
• Negotiate a job plan with approved activity. See Step 8
• Discuss voluntary participation with a Workforce Australia provider. See Refugee customer requests referral to Workforce Australia voluntarily
• Confirm participation in Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and consider variable reporting if applicable. See Reporting requirements for customers receiving a payment with mutual obligation requirements
• Tell the refugee customer the importance of the reporting and notification requirements, such as:
• declaring employment income correctly every fortnight
• notifying changes in circumstances
• Address issues associated with reporting of income
• Discuss the impact of not taking maintenance action on customers receiving FTB and eligible to collect child support. Make necessary updates and referrals as needed. See Maintenance Action Test (MAT) for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) customers
• Check the education details for children over 16 years old. If an exemption has been coded, confirm if they are enrolled in school and update details. See Study requirements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) children aged 16 years or over
• Check the Medicare number (and IRN) have been recorded for them and no errors are displaying. See Establish a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) link for a child between Centrelink and the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
• Check the child's immunisation status is up to date via Workspace > Families Benefits > Child Immunisation Summary. See Immunisation requirements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A from 1 July 2018
• Consider a referral to specialist services:
• Social Worker
• Specialised and Intensive Services (SIS), and/or
• Multicultural Service Officer
• Discuss self service options

If the customer:

• attended appointment and the 12-week refugee post exemption review is completed. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Multicultural > Refugee Servicing > 12W post exemption appointment to record the information
• did not attend appointment, go to Step 2

Service Officers are to make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer before marking the appointment result as Did Not Attend - DNA.

If the contact number recorded on the job seeker's record is a mobile number, and the customer is:

• subscribed for electronic messaging, create a pre-call notification (SMS only) using Desktop Electronic Messaging Capability (DEMC) . Allow at least 5 minutes between sending the message and making a genuine attempt to call.
• not subscribed, attempt the call. If your contact is successful, discuss SMS pre-call notifications. See Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging.

If the contact number recorded on the job seeker's record is a landline attempt the call, if the:

• contact is successful, discuss the customer's access to a mobile service
• customer requests to add a mobile service to their record, complete the update and discuss SMS pre-call notifications. See Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging

If the job seeker cannot be contacted:

• Issue a Q164 letter asking the customer to contact Services Australia by phone within 14 days. Allow extra time for mail delivery
• Update the appointment result as Did Not Attend - DNA
• Complete the 12W Post exemption DNA Fast Note, - select > Auto text > use Multicultural > Refugee Servicing > DNA 12W post exemption DNA
• Procedure ends here

First contact attempt

Attempt to contact the customer using all available numbers.

If contact with the customer is made but they decline to complete Proof of Record Ownership (PoRO), the contact attempt is deemed unsuccessful. See Authenticating a Centrelink customer.

Was the contact successful?

• Yes, and the customer:
• wants to conduct the appointment, see Step 1
• requests to reschedule the appointment, go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 3

Wait 15 minutes and make a second contact attempt.

If contact with the customer is made but they decline to complete Proof of Record Ownership (PoRO), the contact attempt is deemed unsuccessful. See Authenticating a Centrelink customer.

Was the contact successful?

• Yes, and the customer:
• wants to conduct the appointment, see Step 1
• requests to reschedule the appointment, go to Step 4
• No:
• Update the appointment result as Did Not Attend - DNA
• Complete the 12W Post exemption DNA Fast Note, select > Auto text > use Multicultural > Refugee Servicing > DNA 12W post exemption DNA
• Procedure ends here

In Process Direct:

• Select Appointments
• Select
• Select Reschedule selected appointment
• Select the Refugee Appointment and save the updates
• Tell the customer or correspondence nominee they must attend an appointment
• Provide the rescheduled appointment details to the customer or correspondence nominee
• Procedure ends here

Go to the Participation Summary page and check the refugee customer's action items.

If the Participation Summary page advises the refugee customer:

• requires a referral to Disability Employment Services (DES), Transition to Work (TtW) or Community Development Program (CDP). Go to Step 6
• requires a referral for an ESAt, see Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt). Procedure ends here
• is in the BTSR measure and requires their Activity and Exemptions Summary (AEX) screen to be updated and a Centrelink Managed Job Plan. Go to Step 7

Go to the Online Diary Provider Summary page and refer the refugee to the appropriate employment services provider as advised on the Participation Summary page.

For more information, see:

• Disability employment assistance services and programs
• Workforce Australia - Transition to Work (TtW)
• Community Development Program (CDP)

Provide the refugee customer with documentation and a clear explanation of the first Employment Services Provider appointment. The refugee customer's Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) case worker or Community Refugee and Integration Settlement Pilot (CRISP) community support group's representative must accompany them when they attend this appointment.

Go to Step 8.

Refugees who are eligible for the Better Targeting of Support for Refugees (BTSR) measure must have an activity recorded on the Activity and Exemptions Summary (AEX) screen with an end date 12 months after their date of arrival in Australia.

In most cases, this will be the Refugee Activities (RAC) activity.

The RAC:

• Start date is REF - Refugee in first 13 weeks in Australia end date + 1 day (that is, the reporting date)
• End date is 12 months from arrival date minus 1 day (that is, BTSR end date in the Participation Summary > Online diary tab in Process Direct)
• The Key Information tab will display a new Action Item to negotiate a new Centrelink Managed Job Plan (if required). Once the AEX screen coding is completed and all QMA checks are completed (if applicable)

For more information on recording activities on the AEX screen for customers who are eligible for the BTSR measure, see Refugee Activities (RAC) as an approved activity.

Go to Step 8.

• Once the Refugee Activities (RAC) is updated on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen, a message advising 'this customer is eligible for the BTSR measure' will display on the Job Plan cover page
• Staff must negotiate a Centrelink Job Plan. The Job Plan:
• will automatically default the RAC activity code and activity start/end dates recorded on the AEX screen. That is, start date of Refugee in first 13 weeks in Australia end date + 1 day and end date 12 months from the date the refugee customer arrived in Australia
• item will auto-populate with the following text:
  'I agree to undertake refugee activities to help adjust to life in Australia and to increase my chances of finding work from [Start date] to [End date] to include participation in [Program]'

Quality Management Application (QMA) check

If the AEX activity coding is subject to a QMA check:

• the system will not auto-populate the Job Plan until the Quality Management Officers (QMO) check is completed
• Service Centre staff, see Team Leader for local escalation process to request an urgent QMA
• Smart Centre staff, see Urgent QMA process for Smart Centre, Face to Face Services and Service Delivery Partners

Note: newly arrived permanent refugee customers are not required to provide proof of participation in a suitable activity that is to be included in their Job Plan.

If a refugee customer requests to claim a student payment for participation in AMEP, Services Australia may consider this if:

• it benefits the customer, and
• all eligibility criteria for a student payment are met. See Participation in Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP)

Do not book a 12-month refugee circumstance review appointment for the refugee customer. The system will automatically book the 12-month refugee circumstance review appointment at 11 months from date of arrival in Australia. Tell the refugee customer they will receive notification about the appointment from Services Australia, and that attendance is important.

Go to Step 9.

• When a refugee customer requires assistance for complex issues, contact the local MSO
• When AMEP hours have been completed, the Service Officer will discuss next steps and information, including possible referral to Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program
• Discuss Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) if appropriate

A 12-month refugee circumstance review appointment:

• Is automatically:
• booked at the refugee customer's local service centre
• created for refugee customers who are eligible for the Better Targeting of Support for Refugees (BTSR) measure. Its main purpose is to refer the refugee customer to employment services at the end of the BTSR measure, once they have been in Australia for 12 months
• Is only created if the refugee customer has not already been referred to Workforce Australia
• Refugee customers are usually sent a letter with their appointment details one month in advance of the appointment

If this appointment fails to book automatically, a ZRFG Appointment Required Review MFU is created for staff to manually action.

Manual action required to create an appointment for the first business day after their 12-month anniversary in Australia

See Booking appointments in the Centrelink Appointment System.

When the appointment is booked greater than 5 business days in advance:

• The appointment letter is generated overnight and sent to the refugee customer
• Notify the refugee customer verbally if the appointment is booked within 5 days. Tell the refugee customer:
• Time
• Date
• Location
• What will happen if they do not attend
• Record details on a DOC. Include the information provided verbally to the refugee customer

Once the appointment is successfully booked at the refugee customer's local service centre:

• In Process Direct:
• Manually cancel the MFU from the Activity List (AL) screen
• In Customer First:
• Select the WAP/Manual follow up activity from the AL screen
• Manually complete the activity via the Assessment Results (AR) screen

If the refugee customer requires an interpreter and an onsite interpreter is not available:

• Use the On Demand interpreter arrangements
• Select the 30 minutes duration for interpreting services

See Contacting an on-demand telephone interpreter (Interpreter Connect).

At this appointment, the Service Officer conducting the interview must:

• confirm address, accommodation and phone number
• make sure the refugee customer is registered for self service options
• review and re-run the Job Seeker Snapshot, if required
• check if ESAt has been completed. If:
• completed, refer the refugee customer to the recommended employment service provider
• not completed, request an ESAt
• consider a referral to specialist services:
• Specialised and Intensive Services (SIS) and/ or
• Multicultural Service Officer
• use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Generic > Appointments > 12-Month Refugee Circumstance Review to record the information

Note: if the refugee customer Does Not Attend (DNA) the appointment, make 2 genuine outbound attempts 15 minutes apart, during the 30 minutes appointment time slot. Send a pre-call notification if customer is registered for electronic messaging.

If contact is:

• Successful:
• Reschedule the appointment and tell the customer the new appointment details
• Unsuccessful:
• Issue a Q164 letter asking the customer to contact Services Australia by phone within 14 days. Allow extra time for mail delivery
• Document unsuccessful contacts
• Payment will be suspended if the job plan is not completed in 28 days

• If a refugee customer needs help for complex issues, contact the local MSO
• When AMEP hours have been completed, the Service Officer will discuss next steps and information, including possible referral to Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program
• Discuss Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) if appropriate