DFP Recruitment Services has just marked ten years as a Disability Confident Recruiter ® organisation. We spoke to Angela Sergi, National People and Performance Business Partner at DFP, about what a sustained commitment to inclusive recruitment actually means.
Why did DFP join the Disability Confident Recruiter ® (DCR) program?
DFP Recruitment Services is a leading Australian labour hire and recruitment company partnering with government and commercial clients across a wide range of industries. In early 2016, our partnership with the National Disability Insurance Agency meant rapid scaling and complex workforce needs.
Inclusion had to be woven into how we operated and joining the Australian Disability Network’s DCR program allowed us to embed inclusive practices systematically across our business. We refined our recruitment processes, implemented structured feedback mechanisms, and introduced inclusive training modules across our business. It wasn’t just about achieving status – it was about transforming how we do business.
What has been the biggest impact in achieving DCR and maintaining renewal?
The DCR framework is now deeply embedded in our operations. It has transformed how we engage with candidates, clients, and our own people.
For our candidates:
- We’ve seen increased employment of people with disability.
- Adjustment requests have increased significantly – a sign that candidates feel confident expressing their needs.
- Implementation rates match those requests.
- Time-to-hire for candidates requiring adjustments has reduced through streamlined processes and proactive communication.
For our consultants:
- There’s greater confidence in discussing adjustments and understanding support options.
- Staff no longer fear saying the wrong thing – they understand appropriate language and ask the right questions.
- That shift in confidence ripples through everything we do.
For our systems:
- We’ve built structured and continued support for candidates from application through to and beyond onboarding.
- We’ve expanded adjustments to include closed captioning, screen readers, alternative input methods, and flexible scheduling.
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans are now standard.
- Tailored scribe programs and panel training are available.
- 100% of staff are trained in DCR principles, with rising confidence ratings.
For our clients:
- We’ve enhanced our capability to advise them on inclusive hiring practices and eliminating bias.
- We’ve integrated DCR principles into digital platforms, ensuring accessible application portals and onboarding systems.
- We’ve developed inclusive leadership capabilities, training senior leaders in disability confidence and inclusive decision-making.
And culturally, we’ve built a stronger internal culture of fairness, belonging, and accessibility. We now measure these in our workplace surveys – continuously checking whether inclusion actually feels real to our people, not just looks good on paper.
What’s the biggest lesson from your DCR journey that you’d want to share with other organisations?
The DCR program taught us something fundamental: disability and workplace adjustments are deeply personal and best defined by the individual. We’ve learned to trust the person to guide what works best, rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions. That shift in mindset – from assuming we know what candidates need to asking them directly – has been transformative.
We engage with IT, OHS, and People teams to enable real support, whether it’s for permanent hires or short-term contracts. But the foundation is always partnership with the individual. The DCR framework gives us the language, the confidence, and the structure to do that well.
For organisations considering DCR, we’d say this: have an executive champion drive change across systems and culture. Don’t treat this as a compliance box to tick. This isn’t a program – it’s a paradigm shift that embeds inclusion into every facet of your business, from digital platforms to sourcing strategies to post-placement care. That’s what DCR has done for us, and that’s what it can do for you.
How has the disability inclusion landscape shifted since you achieved DCR status, and how has that affected your approach?
The landscape has evolved significantly. We’ve seen growth in affirmative measures across government and corporate sectors, and organisations are increasingly recognising that inclusion isn’t optional – it’s strategic. In 2025, we became one of the first corporate organisations in Australia to achieve Master Workplace Recognition from Mental Health First Aid International.
What we’ve realised through the DCR program is that mental health awareness deeply intersects with disability confidence in recruitment. When you’re trained to have confident conversations about one form of support or adjustment, you’re better equipped to understand them all. It’s all about psychological safety and trust.
There’s also increased emphasis on intersectionality – understanding diverse experiences of disability across gender, culture, and age. And assistive technologies and flexible work arrangements are becoming standard conversation points rather than exceptions. The DCR framework has positioned us well to lead in these areas because we’ve already embedded the thinking.
For organisations considering or renewing their DCR status, what’s your advice for building more inclusive recruitment practices?
Ten years on, DCR principles are woven into the fabric of our culture. They guide our recruitment practices, inform our induction programs, and shape our national consistency. We’ve applied DCR learnings across every recruitment model – from large-scale volume projects to short-term contracts – and we’ve become consultative partners to clients on their own inclusion journeys.
As one of our team leaders shared:
“My confidence has certainly grown. Initially, I feared saying the wrong thing. DCR helped me understand appropriate language and gave me the confidence to ask the right questions. Asking is key to understanding the support or adjustment required.”
To organisations exploring DCR: partner with AusDN for expert guidance. They’re instrumental in helping you translate the framework into practice. Recognise this as a sustained commitment, not a one-off initiative. The real value of DCR isn’t in achieving status – it’s in the systems you build, the culture you create, and the people you support as a result.
That’s what creates real change. That’s what we’ve experienced over ten years. And that’s what’s possible for any organisation willing to embed inclusion into how they operate.