Gary Hall, Chief Operating Officer of RISE Ventures, hosted a Post-Placement Support Conference in Alice Springs for Employment Providers delivering the Community Development Program (CDP) across Australia.
The Community Development Program is a government-funded employment and training program for First Nations people living in remote Australia. Post-placement support is a critical element of the program for ensuring aspirants are supported and successful once employed.
Colleagues from across the Angus Knight Group attended including Real Futures, Rise Ventures, Nyirrunggulung-RISE and RN Employment. They were joined representatives from across the Northern Territory and the north of South Australia.
Gary spoke about how providers can achieve post-placement support excellence including:
- What quality case management and support looks like
- Creating a tailored schedule and communication plan between provider, employer and aspirant
- Developing innovative solutions to barriers if they arise
- How to facilitate appropriate, tailored activities to aspirants and their community
- Employment goals to be aiming for
- How to upgrade an aspirant from their initial role to more hours or responsibility
The conference was designed to be flexible, with Gary creating lots of space for questions and diving deeper into specific topics or processes.
Of particular importance was regular, accurate and detailed reporting to meet government requirements and demonstrate a provider’s aptitude and credibility.
It was helpful to hear how everyone approaches post-placement support, what is working well and what challenges there are. The delegates learnt a lot from each other and it was great to connect with others in the CDP space.
Professional development for our staff is extremely important, especially as CDP is being adapted and improved.
Our thanks go to Gary for the time, energy and expertise it takes to create and deliver such an in-depth and valuable conference.