Building Agency and Trust in Employment Services
A pilot study to unlock person-centred case management
The challenge
Workforce Australia has long balanced competing priorities. Employment services are expected to help job seekers find work quickly while meeting participation requirements, yet they are also expected to provide tailored support that responds to individual needs and leads to sustainable employment.
In practice, these competing demands can limit frontline staff’s ability to deliver flexible, person-centred support and may undermine trust between job seekers and providers. While person-centred practice is widely promoted in policy, there is limited evidence on how to implement it consistently and effectively within existing employment services.
The BAT pilot
The Building Agency and Trust (BAT) pilot tested a practical approach to addressing this challenge, building on our earlier Reimagining the Employment Services System research.
Over six months, the pilot implemented an operationalised, person-centred case management model within existing Workforce Australia settings to assess whether it could improve outcomes for job seekers while remaining feasible to deliver.
The pilot was evaluated through a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial using an impact and process evaluation. Delivered in Australia in 2025-26, the evaluation combined quantitative and qualitative insights to understand both what worked and why.
Why it matters
This report provides practical recommendations for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), employment service providers, and other system stakeholders.
It goes beyond theory to identify the real-world conditions required to make person-centred practice work at scale. It contributes to ongoing reform efforts by showing how employment services can become more effective and adaptive.
Find out more
- Download the full report
- Download the Executive Summary only
- Download the supporting Technical Appendix
- Download the one-page snapshot (co-developed with job seekers)
Download the training materials: Coaching Toolkit and Poster.
If you need any additional supporting documents, such as training facilitator guides, please get in touch.