- 8 disability support organisations involved
- 299 applications received
- 53 candidates progressed to two assessment centres
- All 8 organisations reported the approach added data, insight and value to recruitment
Finding the right people for disability support
Disability support organisations need people with more than the technical ability to perform a role. Values, resilience, interpersonal sensitivity and a commitment to person-centred practice also matter.
A peak body had secured funding to trial and evaluate values-based collaborative assessment centres as a recruitment approach for disability support workers.
The challenge was to determine whether a more structured, evidence-based process could help organisations identify candidates with the behaviours, values and capabilities required for the work.
Davidson Strategy & Performance collaborated with eight disability support organisations in NSW to design, deliver and assess the recruitment methodology and two assessment centres.
Building evidence into each hiring decision
The methodology combined the client's existing workforce development resources with Davidson's evidence-based assessment design.
Rather than relying on a single recruitment method, candidates progressed through four stages. Each stage examined a different aspect of suitability for disability support work.
The first stage used values-driven advertising and pre-screening against core role requirements. This included eligibility for working with children and Federal Police checks. The campaign attracted 299 applications.
Candidates then completed a values assessment focused on strengths and values relevant to disability services, including commitment to person-centred practice. 182 candidates completed the assessment, followed by 147 phone interviews exploring motivation.
The third stage added a validated psychometric diagnostic designed for the sector. It assessed capabilities including flexibility, resilience, teamwork and interpersonal sensitivity.
Of the candidates progressing through the process, 102 completed psychometric assessments and 72 were shortlisted.
Testing capability in realistic situations
The final stage brought the evidence together through two collaborative assessment centres.
Davidson worked with the disability support organisations to adapt existing values-based recruitment resources into an objective assessment process.
Candidates completed group activities, individual exercises including a case study, and one-on-one interviews. This allowed organisations to observe candidates across different situations rather than relying on interview responses alone.
53 candidates attended an assessment centre.
The result was a recruitment process that gave participating organisations multiple sources of evidence when assessing suitability for disability support roles.
Greater confidence in candidate selection
Feedback from all eight disability support organisations supported the value of the approach.
Every participating organisation concluded that the initiative added data, insight and value to recruitment.
They also described the experience as enjoyable and satisfying.
Importantly, the organisations reported that the assessment centres accurately assessed the behaviours and values required for the roles and validated their recruitment process.
There was also early evidence from the workplace.
Within their first month of employment, managers rated the newly appointed disability support workers highly across the required role competencies. The employees demonstrated resilience, emotional intelligence and interpersonal sensitivity, as well as professionalism and effective collaboration.
Making values-based recruitment more evidence-led
For disability support organisations, hiring decisions directly influence the capability of the workforce delivering services.
This trial showed how values assessment, psychometric evidence and observed behaviour could be brought together within one structured recruitment methodology.
For the eight participating organisations, the approach provided greater evidence for candidate decisions and validated the behaviours and values being assessed.
It also demonstrated a practical way to look beyond experience and interview performance when identifying people suited to disability support work.
