Period of Community Work Experience

The 4-week period of Community Work Experience generally starts immediately after the 2-week search period ends, unless the partner finds and begins a suitable position before the end of the search period.

The 4 weeks must be consecutive. For example, if the position offered is 4 weeks in total, but there is a 1-week break because the organisation is closed that week, the position would not be suitable for Community Work Experience.

A partner must complete at least 5 hours per week over 4-week period. A partner can choose to do more hours if they wish, however any extra hours must not stop them from meeting their obligations, such as being available for and seeking employment.

Any extra hours a partner completes will not count towards their Community Work Experience. The partner must complete at least 5 hours each week. Any hours they did the previous week cannot be counted towards their 5 hours for a different week.

A partner does not need to do Community Work Experience on a weekend, public holiday or regional holiday. However, they can choose to do their hours on these days if they want to.

MSD should consider upcoming holidays before imposing Community Work Experience. Many community organisations will be closed on these dates, for example over the Christmas period. If a partner is unlikely to complete their required hours due to public holidays, it would not be suitable to impose Community Work Experience. 

A partner could find more than one suitable organisation and position to help them meet the required number of hours and weeks. This could be:

• finding 2 or more organisations who offer enough hours per week between them, or
• working at 2 or more organisations, who offer back-to-back positions, for example doing the first 2 weeks with one organisation, and the next 2 weeks with a different organisation, or
• a combination of both.

The partner can secure more than one position for their Community Work Experience, as long as they are able to meet the requirements of the sanction.

The organisations and positions must all be approved by MSD before they start the community work and before the 5-day verification window has ended.