Department of Human Services (DHS)

Conduct focus groups with Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipients

This assignment required conducting focus groups of people who receive the Disability Support Pension (DSP) to gather feedback on the role of Participation Interviews with the Department of Human Services in increasing awareness and use of support services, including employment services. The research included three distinct groups of DSP recipients to ascertain the implementation, effectiveness and potential broader application of Participation Interviews.  The three groups were determined using the following criteria: 1) DSP recipients under the age of 35 who had attended participation interviews and were registered with an Employment Services Provider; 2) DSP recipients under the age of 35 who had attended participation interviews but were not in Employment Services; and 3) DSP recipients aged 45 years or over and out of scope for Participation Requirements. Focus groups were held across four states including both metropolitan and regional locations.  A total of 257 participants provided feedback into this research.