WorkCover's Access and Equity Strategy was formally adopted in 1997 to help ensure that the injury management system is responsive to the needs of a diverse population.
In 2006 the unit focused on a number of activities, such as:
- providing policy and advice
- working with stakeholder committees
- providing publications, promotions and information sessions
- providing information workshops for Safe Work 2006.
Strategic partnerships and networks
WorkCover continued to convene the four access and equity stakeholder committees, comprising 40 peak, state government, federal government and community organisations that represent access and equity groups (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, disability, multicultural, women) within South Australia.
Based on feedback from the committees, the groups were renamed ‘stakeholder committees’ instead of ‘focus groups’, and in 2006 met quarterly instead of bimonthly. Committee memberships were reviewed, with some organisations no longer participating and others joining.
The work of the four access and equity stakeholder committees is guided by a strategic plan and currently all committees are working on the implementation of their second strategic plans.
Highlights
- In conjunction with the Equal Opportunity Commission and our Disability Stakeholder Committee a resource was developed for both employers and workers, including information about how to handle disclosure of previous workers compensation claims when seeking work and how employers can request relevant medical information required to carry out the job. View this resource on the Equal Opportunity Commission website.
- In July 2006 the four committees came together to report on the progress of their strategic plans and the achievements of their projects and to share information and network.
- WorkCover’s General Management Team endorsed a policy that appropriate Aboriginal acknowledgement statements be included in all WorkCover public events and presentations. A Kaurna acknowledgement statement and a statement for outside the Adelaide region are available to all staff and a set of guidelines on the use of the statements was developed.
- SafeWork 2006:
- Women’s Committee held a forum – 'Age and work'
- Disability Committee contributed to a session on an OHSW resource kit developed in 2004-05 to promote its use and collect feedback
- Two information sessions on the South Australian occupational health, safety and welfare and workers rehabilitation and compensation system were held for African and Middle Eastern communities, delivered in the relevant community languages and in English
- A session on access and equity resources and practices was held.
Access and equity national comparison
- A national comparison of access and equity activities was undertaken examining all workers compensation authorities in Australia including ComCare. The last comparison was undertaken in 2002.
SafeWork SA
- In line with WorkCover's January 2006 Service Level Agreement, consultancy services and advice were provided to SafeWork SA on information development, translation and dissemination of occupational health and safety and industrial relations information products.
- Training sessions were organised for frontline staff on working with interpreters.
Policy and advice
- Implementation of WorkCover’s second Disability Action Plan continued. In 2005 WorkCover released its second Disability Action Plan and was named as a finalist in the inaugural State Government Awards to acknowledge exemplary achievements against the Promoting Independence Strategy. An Access & Equity unit consultant continued to be a member of the whole of government Promoting Independence steering committee.
- All WorkCover externally advertised positions were sent to Disability Works and Turkindi Aboriginal employment and information network.
- Access and Equity Unit resources, policies and procedures were updated and re-released to enhance the management of claims.
- A new access and equity information resource was developed for claims managers and will be included in the claims management manual.
Information and skill development sessions
Topics
- How to work with interpreters
- Access and equity in the workers rehabilitation and compensation system
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness
- Managing complex cases – focus on CLDB claims
- Afghan culture
- African cultures
- Cultural competencies for human services in a multicultural society
- Disability awareness, and the Disability Discrimination Act
- Brain injury awareness
- Equal Opportunity Act
Participants
- Claims managers
- Rehabilitation providers
- WorkCover staff
- Staff of the Workers Compensation Tribunal
- Ethnic community workers and leaders
- Interpreters and translators