The Victorian Public Sector Commission has chosen five service providers for public sector employers to use to better support neurodiverse employees in the public sector.
These services will help the public sector develop neurodiverse-confident managers and teams and assist neurodiverse employees to have a positive experience at work.
If you identify as neurodiverse, or you are a manager supporting a neurodiverse employee, this panel of service providers is approved for use now, through Buying for Victoria.
The Victorian public sector is committed to ensuring inclusive and safe workplaces across the state. By equipping our workforce to be neurodiverse confident, we are creating more inclusive workplaces in line with Victorian Government’s public sector disability employment action plan, Getting to work.
Who is eligible for neurodiverse confident services?
If you are a public sector employee and identify as neurodiverse, you can access neurodiverse confident services. This includes if you are employed on a fixed term contract, secondment or casual basis.
Victorian public sector people managers looking to uplift their team’s awareness on neurodiversity and support their neurodiverse employees can also access training services.
These services are funded by your employer. A manager or Diversity and Inclusion representative will manage any financial approval processes, while keeping your information completely confidential.
Who provides neurodiverse confident services?
The neurodiverse confidence services are delivered by a panel of five providers approved by the Victorian Government. They are:
- Amaze
- Aspergers Victoria
- Specialisterne
- Untapped Holdings Pty Ltd
- Vermont Consulting – Achieve Your Potential
Each service provider is an approved supplier listed on the Buying for Victoria website.
What services do providers offer?
The approved service providers have tailored offerings for people managers, neurodiverse employees and their teams to build their understanding and confidence about neurodiversity.
Services include:
Workplace enablement training for neurotypical line-managers, colleagues, and teams on neurodiversity awareness, including:
- inclusive recruitment
- manager and team readiness training
- autism and inclusive employment
- autism and anxiety at work
- mentoring opportunities.
Counselling for neurodiverse employees to navigate:
- challenging workplace situations
- day-to-day work activities
- communicating reasonable workplace adjustment requirements
- career development opportunities
- recruitment processes.
We recommend using this service during the first 12 weeks of employment at an organisation for a smooth on-boarding process. However, the service can also be used on an ongoing and as-needs basis.
How are neurodiverse confident services delivered?
Counselling sessions and workplace enablement training is available online or on-site across the state of Victoria.
What is the cost of services?
Your Diversity and Inclusion Team have a detailed list of services and prices. They can also download the Services and Fee Schedule from the BuyingVic website by logging into the confidential section.
Information for neurodiverse employees
How to access the services
You can speak to your manager, your Diversity and Inclusion Team, or your HR representative to access these services.
You can make a time to have a confidential conversation about the services that are available and they can book these services confidentially on your behalf.
In some cases, your manager, the Diversity and Inclusion Team or HR representative may need to speak with a branch manager or a finance team member to have the funds approved, but they will not disclose who will use the service. Your personal information remains confidential at all times.
Your manager can access these services as well, to learn how they and your team can better support you. They may not be aware these services are available, but you can share this page with them if you are comfortable to do so.
Information for people managers
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity refers to normal variations in how different people think and interact in their daily life.
Currently, neurodiversity is an umbrella term that includes:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (or ADHD)
- Schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder
- Dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia
- Tourette syndrome
- Speech disorders
- Intellectual disability.
What is neurodiversity confidence?
Neurodiversity confident managers and teams understand the benefits that neurodiverse employees can bring to their workplace. This means they:
- have the skills and capability to recruit and retain neurodiverse employees;
- put policies into practice to ensure neurodiverse employee feel included;
- identify ways to remove barriers to successful employment, including career development and promotion for neurodiverse employees.
Being a neurodiversity confident employer can help you attract a wider pool of job applicants and play a leading role in changing community attitudes.
Your obligations
People managers have an obligation to support employee wellbeing. Neurodiverse confident services are an important tool to help all employees thrive.
Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010, managers must take steps to accommodate an employee’s disability and support them with adjustments to perform their role.
Like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or workplace adjustments, accessing the neurodiverse confident services providers is confidential.
The employee is not required to disclose any health information to access these services.
You can approve the funds for these services as they are requested without an employee disclosing their personal and private health information. Check with your business area to confirm available funding.
Where to access the services
Follow the steps on Buying for Victoria’s website to join and use the neurodiverse services contract.
Following these steps will:
- maintain the privacy of neurodiverse employee health information;
- ensure neurodiverse employees know who has access to their health information at all times;
- provide neurodiverse employees equitable access to the neurodiversity services panel regardless of their public sector employer;
- acknowledge and respect neurodiverse employees and their understanding of their individual workplace adjustment and/or support requirements.
If you have questions
Contact your organisation’s Diversity and Inclusion Team.
For questions or feedback related to the panel of suppliers, please contact Elizabeth Parkinson, Principal Adviser, Equity, Leadership and Capability branch by email to elizabeth.parkinson@vpsc.vic.gov.au