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Return to Work Fund

WorkCoverSA has established a $15 million Return to Work Fund to implement initiatives that contribute to the improved return of injured workers to work.

Expressions of interest for the second round of funding are now open.

Expression of interest proforma [74KB]

EOIs may be lodged up to 5pm on Wednesday 30 June 2010

The objectives of the fund are:

  • To foster innovation which finds solutions to known barriers to return to work or enhance the effect of factors that support return to work
  • To expand the retraining options for injured workers
  • To develop greater workforce participation options
  • To improve the skills of persons operating in the South Australian workers compensation scheme
  • To establish workplace initiatives which develop and implement sustainable programs to help those sectors with known difficulties in achieving successful and timely return to work outcomes

Themes of importance:

Projects which address one or more of the following themes will be given priority.

  • locality providing place-based services in areas where injured workers live or work; partnering with community groups and pre-existing services could improve return to work
  • knowledge there are injured workers from non-English speaking backgrounds and doctors from a variety of backgrounds, who need information and guidance about the WorkCover Scheme and the importance of return to work
  • attitudes doctors, in general, need to focus on what a worker can do not what they cant, and we might be able to work with their peak associations and training bodies to achieve this
  • support for injured workers by injured workers who have succeeded in getting back to work and know first hand what the challenges are
  • families making sure they are part of the return to work process and support the worker along the way and to partner with organisations like Relationships Australia to make sure the impact of injury doesnt lead to family breakdown
  • partnering there are a number of opportunities, not just those outlined above where WorkCover can partner with different organisations to improve return to work outcomes

Criteria for proposal assessment:

Short listing of Expressions of Interest (EOIs)

Eligibility Criteria

EOIs will be screened for eligibility against the following criteria. Ineligible EOIs will not progress to the assessment stage.

  • The EOI must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word and by the due date.
  • The project must be conducted for the benefit of South Australian workplaces.
  • The project must address at least one of the objectives of the Return to Work Fund and the EOI must clearly specify which objective(s) are being addressed.

Assessment Criteria

All eligible EOIs will be assessed in terms of the following criteria:

  • The assessed impact of the proposal on the Return to Work Fund objective(s)
  • Budget Is the proposed budget reasonable considering the assessed level of impact being achieved ie is the proposal value for money?
  • Proposal design - Suitability and effectiveness of proposal design (including methodology and evaluation)
  • Innovation - Is the proposal breaking new ground? (or has it been tried before?)
  • Broad relevance/applicability - How relevant/applicable are the outcomes/deliverables of the proposal beyond the site/workplace where it is to be conducted?
  • Capacity/Expertise - Does the proposer have the capability to undertake the project?
  • Timeframe - Can the timeframe realistically be achieved?
  • Support Does the proposal have the support of the stakeholders of WorkCoverSA?

Approval process:

All projects will be referred to established WorkCoverSA stakeholder groups as appropriate for comment as part of the assessment process.

All projects must be developed into detailed proposals and approved by delegated persons.

  • For projects with budgets of up to $50,000, the delegate is the WorkCoverSA General Manager responsible for the Return to Work Fund.
  • For projects with budgets between $50,000 and $100,000, the delegate is the Chief Executive Officer of WorkCoverSA.
  • Projects which have a budget in excess of $100,000 must be approved by the WorkCoverSA Board Workplace Injury Committee (BWIC).

Projects with budgets of up to $100,000 may be put forward for approval at any time subject to the availability of the appropriate delegate.

As the BWIC meets every two months, projects above $100,000 will be submitted to the next available meeting according to the schedule of the committee.

The first seven projects are:

Retraining injured workers career transition project - BSISB

The Business Services Industry Skills Board (BSISB) will prepare injured workers for retraining and/or up skilling to new careers/positions with either their existing employer or a new employer. The training will be delivered over a 12 month period with the aim of identifying employers’ needs early on in the process and training injured workers to meet current and emerging skill capability requirements. The project aims to have injured workers retained by their pre-injury employer in a new role or engaged in new employment whilst managing their return to work on a causal or contractual basis.

Work hardening project – Business SA

Business SA will approach employers to source and provide work hardening/work placement opportunities for injured workers, providing an alternative pathway into new employment. Work hardening placements provide opportunities for workers to fulfil their rehabilitation and return to work plan and offer an alternative pathway into new employment. This 18 month project will identify workplaces that are willing to provide placements to injured workers and match those needs to individual workers’ capacity and skills.

Pathways to work – Interwork Limited

Interwork Limited will create ‘whole of life’ action plans for injured workers, taking them through five stages to employment, including:

  • Induction and pre-employment assessment
  • Job search skills/employer expectations
  • Pre-employment programming
  • Employment opportunity
  • Post employment support.

This six month program will draw on Interwork’s experience achieving employment outcomes through the Job Network and Disability Employment Network schemes. It will use the job network model and its associated payment structure by offering incremental payments on reaching each milestone and an employment outcome.

Next Step training and employment program - DFEEST

The Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology (DFEEST) will run their 'Next Step' training and employment program for injured workers. This 12 month program will provide participants with the opportunity to take part in a self-paced project-based training activity with the option to undertake certificate level training.

Improving return to work outcomes for small employers – Business SA

Small employers are often the least well equipped to support the return to work process and they often face greater challenges in finding alternative duties. Understanding this, Business SA will deliver a two-year program educating small employers in injury management. This will enable them to better manage any injuries that may occur, understand their pivotal role in the return to work process and minimise barriers that may discourage injured employees from returning to work with their pre-injury employer.

This project will sit alongside the work undertaken by WorkCover’s Return to Work Inspectorate and Support Unit that supports employers who have appointed a Rehabilitation and return to work coordinator.

Change your mind... Change your life - ProActiv Life Solutions

Attitudes and beliefs have a strong role to play in the return to work process and for some workers these can be obstacles that are too hard to overcome. The 'Change Your Mind... Change Your Life' coaching offered by ProActiv Life Solutions seeks to challenge negative beliefs and attitudes, helping to restore a positive mental approach to the issue of returning to work.

Injured workers will take part in an eight-week coaching and training program with the aim of assisting them to overcome any perceived obstacles in their path to recovery and the 'fear cycle' of return to work.

Re-training injured workers for employment - SA Unions

SA Unions will pilot and implement a system for the inclusion of training as an effective part of the rehabilitation and return to work of injured workers. The aim of this 15-month project is to increase both employers' and injured workers' awareness of the training programs available to injured workers as part of the rehabilitation process.

These should result in:

  • an increased focus on return to work by all SA workers, employers and worker groups
  • increased skills and capability of all SA workers, employers and worker groups to assist in returning injured workers to the workplace
  • closer alignment of WorkCover to proactive solutions that improve rehabilitation and return to work rates
  • the development of employer, worker and rehabilitation networks to share resources, skills, opportunities, experience and knowledge in addressing return to work issues
  • enhanced community awareness of and increased engagement in the benefits of return to work
  • enhanced corporate knowledge in return to work strategies, the barriers to successful return to work outcomes and options for overcoming them.

Project outputs

Outputs from projects will be located here as they become available.
The report from the first completed RTW Fund project is now available. WorkCoverSA was interested to learn the lessons from relevant labour market programs conducted for the long term unemployed and the possible applicability to the workers' compensation environment.

View the report from the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies.

Further information about the fund can be obtained from:
phone: (08) 8233 2933
email: rtwfund@workcover.com

Discussion paper

The return to work of an injured worker is influenced by a range of factors -  some that relate to the worker, some to the environment outside of the workplace, and some to the workplace itself. This discussion paper provides an overview of research findings related to return to work and some guidelines, practical tools and examples considered to be most useful, from those reviewed, for organisations seeking to improve return to work following injury or illness. It has been prepared by the Australian Institute for Social Research (AISR) which has been engaged by WorkCoverSA as independent evaluators of the outcomes of the Fund and its projects.

View the Discussion paper.