Activ closing seven work sites

Western Australia's largest charity is undergoing a major restructure with the closure of seven work sites, affecting more than 700 supported employees.

Activ Foundation will be closing seven large-scale industrial work sites it has run since the 1950s in favour of more individual-focus support.

The not-for-profit organisation provides services and supported employment for people with disabilities.

In a statement released today, Activ will close its sites in Bentley, Osborne Park, Rockingham, Bunbury, Busselton, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton, starting in July this year.

"Activ is in formal consultation with approximately 90 staff and over 700 supported employees," the statement said.

Activ chief executive Michael Heath said the focus had shifted to more targeted and personalised support, tailored to the individual needs of people with disability.

“When Activ established our first large-scale work site in the 1950s, it was a ground-breaking innovation, providing new work and social opportunities for people with  disabilities who were often locked away in institutions or kept behind closed doors. We’re proud to have led that push,” he said.

“However we recognise that the community’s expectations – and those of people with disability – have changed a great deal in the last 70 years.

“That change has been reinforced by new Government funding models that make it clear to service providers that we should move away from large-scale supported employment.”

According to Activ's latest annual data lodged with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the organisation has about 2,500 employees with most listed as part-time.

Mr Heath said the formal consultation with staff and supported employees might include transfer to smaller, community-based work sites, access to the new Academy service or transition to non-Activ services.

“This is a big change, and we understand it may be unsettling for both Activ staff and the people we support,” he said.

“We are committed to making this transition as easy as possible and will work closely with each affected person to identify the best available options to meet their needs. 

“We are working with the NDIS and federal government officials to build up our new services as quickly as possible to provide new and better choices for people with disability."

National Disability Services chief executive Laurie Leigh said the decision made by Activ was partly due to financial pressures and was a clear example of the fate many more providers would face if the federal government did not support the disability employment sector through the transition. 

"Without the option of supported employment for people with disability, many will go without employment altogether as we saw in the UK in 2012 after its government closed a number of supported employment services leaving 1,700 people with disability without a job," Ms Leigh said. 

“Supported employment provides social, caring communities for those who would otherwise miss out and ensuring this support is financially viable into the future is critical." 

Minister for Disability Services Don Punch said he expected Activ and the NDIS to fully support the participants and families in accessing alternative services in their communities.

"I acknowledge the concerns of Activ Foundation Inc. regarding its ability to sustainably transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Pricing Framework for Supports in Employment," he said.

"I expect that this must have been a difficult decision for Activ to make and understand Activ has supported a large number of people with disability and their families over many years. 

"The WA government has raised concerns with the commonwealth and agreed that any disability employment support model must focus on the individual needs and goals of people with disability.  

"We would like to have seen the commonwealth government to have allowed for a longer transition period for supported employment providers for the implementation of new funding models as part of the transition from the Commonwealth Department of Social Services to the NDIS."

Mr Punch said the state government would continue to advocate for the NDIS to provide employment opportunities and appropriate related supports for people with disability, following the results of the federal election.