(1)   What provisions exist within Centrelink to cater for the special needs of clients with minor or severe disabilities.

(2)   Are there any Centrelink officers who specialise in working with disabled clients; if so, (a) in what way(s) are they specialised, (b) what training have they received, and (c) how many such officers operate in (i) South Australia and (ii) the federal electorate of Hindmarsh.

(1)   To facilitate equitable access of people with disabilities to payments and services, Centrelink has in place a range of policies and targeted servicing arrangements that cater for the special needs of these customers. These include, but are not limited to, providing: - people with disabilities with safe and equitable access to and within Centrelink premises that meets all Australian standards in relation to physical access; - flexible nominee arrangements enabling family members or other nominated person(s) to act on behalf of people with disabilities when dealing with Centrelink; - information to people with disabilities in alternative formats, including audio tapes and discs, large font printed material and radio; - sign language interpreters for deaf and hearing impaired customers; - free TTY services to enable deaf or hearing or speech impaired customers to contact Centrelink; and - assistance to complete Centrelink forms. More detailed information about these and other services is available on Centrelink’s website at www.centrelink.gov.au under publications. The two major publications containing this information are: - “Centrelink Information - A Guide to Payments and Services”; and - “Are you ill, injured or do you have a disability”.

(2)   Yes. The main groups of officers who provide assistance to people with disabilities are Senior Customer Service Advisers, Social Workers and Allied Health Professionals employed as Job Capacity Assessors. People with disabilities also have access to other specialist officers - more information about these is available on Centrelink’s website.

(a)   Senior Customer Service Advisers, formerly known as Centrelink Disability Officers, specialise in assisting customers with disabilities by providing information on medical eligibility for disability-related payments and linking them to services in their local area. They can also assist people with disabilities to participate in the labour market. Social Workers work in Customer Service Centres and Call Centres across Australia. They can help with some of the difficult situations experienced by people with disabilities and their carers. They can discuss customers’ situations and identify assistance options available to customers. Centrelink also employs a range of Allied Health Professionals who work as Job Capacity Assessors. These assessors conduct Job Capacity Assessments of customers with an illness or disability. These assessments may be used to refer customers to the most appropriate form of employment assistance and/or community support agencies.

(b)   Centrelink has ongoing Disability Awareness Training for its Senior Customer Service Advisers. This training focuses on providing an awareness of different disabilities and the impact they have on customers. Knowledge of the impact of disabilities is part of Social Work curriculum at schools of social work at universities across Australia. Centrelink Social Workers have access to a comprehensive online library containing topics specifically related to working with people with disabilities. In addition, Centrelink Social Workers have professional responsibility to maintain their knowledge on all aspects of social work, including working with people with disabilities. They continuously improve this knowledge through professional development activities and working with the disability sector. All Allied Health Professionals employed as Centrelink Job Capacity Assessors, including Centrelink Psychologists, undergo intensive induction training and are required to maintain their professional skills by attending conferences, specific skills training workshops and participating in other professional development as required by their relevant Professional Body and/or State Registration Board.

(c) (i)   In Area South Australia there are: - 25 Senior Customer Service Advisers (this is an average level for this year); - 44 Social Workers; and - 51 Allied Health Professionals.