Peter Smith
Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice
Abstract
Background: Discovery is a core practice within Customised Employment, intended to identify the strengths, interests, and support needs of people with disability to inform meaningful employment pathways. Despite strong evidence that families influence employment outcomes, their role within Discovery remains informal, inconsistent, and largely untheorised.
Aim: This paper examines the role of families within Discovery and proposes a structured model for embedding family involvement as a core component of inclusive employment practice.
Methods: Drawing on the Equilibrium Systems Model of Employment (ESME), international literature, and applied practice experience, the paper develops the Family Discovery Model as a conceptual and practice-informed framework. The model is examined in relation to co-production theory, Customised Employment fidelity, and contemporary disability employment policy contexts.
Results: The Family Discovery Model positions families as system actors who contribute through narrative building, network mapping, and collaborative reflection. These functions strengthen employment planning, improve alignment between participant goals and service delivery, and enhance system coherence. Practice-based vignettes demonstrate how structured family involvement can support school-to-work transitions, movement from segregated employment, and pathway development for individuals with complex support needs.
Conclusion: Embedding families as co-producers within Discovery offers a practical and scalable mechanism for strengthening rehabilitation practice and advancing inclusive employment systems. By operationalising family involvement within a structured framework, the model supports improved employment outcomes, greater fidelity to Customised Employment principles, and stronger alignment with contemporary disability policy objectives.
Keywords: customised employment, family involvement, disability employment, co-production, systems theory, rehabilitation
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