Principal Carer Social Worker Exemption Service Update for review of family and domestic violence or Relationship Breakdowns exemptions 102-01130030

When a principal carer of a dependent child in receipt of Parenting Payment Single (PPS), JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YAL) job seeker or Special Benefit (SpB) is granted an initial exemption from their mutual obligation requirements due to family and domestic violence or a relationship breakdown in the last 26 weeks, the maximum period of 16 weeks can be applied.

The Principal Carer Social Worker Exemption Service Update should:

• occur before the exemption period ceases, and
• prompt the Service Officer to consider:
• the job seeker’s circumstances
• their ability to participate, and
• if they require further social work support (including if a further exemption period is required)

This Service Update facilitates contact with the job seeker, through the following actions:

• Service Officers can send a manual letter, up to 21 days before the exemption end date
• Job seekers are automatically sent an ‘end of exemption’ notification 7 days before their exemption end date. This informs them their exemption is due to end. Job seekers may contact as a result of receiving the end of exemption letter

A Service Officer may be required to contact the job seeker to review the need for a further exemption period and/or manage the Service Update, including:

• conducting the review over the phone (if phone contact is not likely to place the job seeker at further risk), or
• organising a phone or face to face interview to discuss the job seeker’s current circumstances

The process and the actions involved are outlined in the relevant Service Profiling Update Workflow. By selecting the Workflow via the workspace page in Customer First, the Service Component on the job seeker’s Service Strategy (PQSS) screen will be completed when the workflow is finalised.

Job seekers selected for a Principal Carer Social Worker Exemption Service Update can be identified by searching for not started (NST) Service Components (ID No. 211) via the Component Search (PQCS) screen.

If a family and domestic violence or relationship breakdown exemption is no longer required as a part of the Service Update, the Job Seeker Snapshot should be reviewed. A referral for an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) may be required if barriers relating to disability/medical factors are identified. The ESAt will be used to:

• determine the impact of these employment barriers, and
• recommend interventions that may assist the job seeker

The Service Officer should always check if there is a current and valid ESAt on the job seeker's record when considering whether to make a new referral.