Return to Work Fund
Supporting workers to return to safe work as soon as possible after a workplace injury is a primary objective of WorkSafe Victoria.
The Return to Work Fund was a $10 million grants program launched in 2006 and administered by WorkSafe. Its aim was to support collaboration between employer, worker and workplace groups to increase return to work opportunities for injured workers.
Due to overwhelming interest from unions, employer organisations and other eligible organisations, applications closed in October 2007.
Projects were funded in a range of topics and each project resulted in different products. The products can be found by clicking on the project topics below. While some projects may fit into more than one topic, they are listed under the topic which represents their main focus.
Please note that return to work law changed in July 2010, so project products may not reflect current legal requirements. However, you may still find them useful and wish to use or adapt them to suit your workplace.
For more information about a specific project or product please contact the Return to Work Division by emailing rtw_networks@workcover.vic.gov.au
Project topics
Funding covered the following areas:
5. Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) workers
Evaluation of the RTW Fund
An evaluation of the program was carried out by an independent consultant in the second half of 2010. In general, the results were positive, with most of the objectives of the fund clearly met.
The evaluation showed that in general, the initiatives were very successful in achieving the objectives of the fund. All initiatives raised awareness of the return to work process, and the vast majority (approximately 90%) raised the understanding of what constitutes timely and effective return to work practices.
In terms of practical application of the initiative outcomes, approximately 90% developed methods that improved the ability of both employers and workers to initiate and manage return to work.
All the initiatives increased the opportunities for injured Victorian workers to successfully return to work, and approximately two thirds generated collaborative return to work solutions involving employers and workers that could be expanded or more widely applied.
