“ Improving Diversity through

Supported Employment ”

Quality Label for Supported Employment

(SE) Services

Ervan Rached

hosted by:

In association with:

Supported Employment in SwitzerlandInitial position

• Longstanding an successful practice of vocational integration according to SE for psychiatric patients 

• More recently: Changes in legislation and policy of the Swiss social insurance: “Vocational integration instead of social welfare”

• Increased funding of programmes and measures of vocational integration

• growing importance of SE as a model for a great diversity of target groups, such as: disabled people, long-term unemployed people, migrants, young people (supported education), people with mental disabilities

SE and the consequences of its success

•More organisations from different sectors of vocational integration are practising SE, or considering the introduction of SE.

•At the same time: pressure on costs, SE as a model not sufficiently established, danger of a degradation of the model SE and of a lowering of standards.

Project idea

• What is the understanding of SE in the institutions practising vocational integration?

• What is SE, what is not?• Supported Employment Schweiz (SES) as a national

umbrella organisation is expected to give answers.• Idea of creating a Quality Label for SE Services• The aim: durable quality assurance for SE services • Creating a practical evaluation system; “practical” means:

adapted to a diversity of target groups and local and national peculiarities

• Introduction and dissemination of a Quality Label for SE Services

Pilot studyJanuary - May 2014

• Based on interviews with experts on SE and vocational integration in Switzerland

• Needs analysis for a SE Quality Label• Information about quality standards• Finding of an adequate procedure

Results• Uncertainty about SE quality standards• Danger of degradation of the model SE• Need for practical guidelines and for quality standards• Recommendation to start the project “Quality Label for SE

Services”

The Project “Quality Label for SE Services”

Sources for SE quality standards•IPS Fidelity Scale•European Supported Employment Toolkit (EUSE)

•The Project “Quality Label for SE Services- or “the IPS Fidelity Scale revisited” , i. e. “IPS Fidelity Scale PLUS”Adapting the criteria of the IPS Fidelity Scale to diverse target groups-but interventions have to be minimized.PLUS: Additional Criteria, derived from the European Supported Employment Toolkit, which are operationalized, completing the quality labels criteria.

Process

3 subsequent Workshops

•Participants: 9 professionals, practising vocational integration (SE), representing a wide range of target groups: People with handicaps, psychiatric patients, long term unemployed people, young people, migrants

•2 project leaders•3 SE experts as consultants

•Further external experts

Revisiting the IPS Fidelity Scale- part 1

• Workshop I• Which criteria do not apply to other, diverse target groups,

and should be therefore adapted, or omitted?• Which criteria do not apply to the actual, local context, and

should therefore be adapted, or omitted?

• Workshop II• Which additions are needed in order to make the

evaluation system applicable to a diversity of target groups?

• Source for additional criteria: European Supported Employment Toolkit

Revisiting the IPS Fidelity Scale- part 2

• Workshop III and subsequent work• Reassessment and synthesis of the results of WS I and II• Creation of a prototype of an evaluation document

• Evaluation of this prototype by experts• Practical tests (“on road tests”) of the prototype by the

workshop participants within their institutions• Analysis of the results and finalisation of the new SE

evaluation system

IPS Fidelity Scale PLUS- a glimpse into the prototype

Service Providers- part 1•→The NEW level “Service Providers” includes the addition of reference values, derived from the European Supported Employment Toolkit (Swiss-German translated version).•Definition principles and aims of SE, such as: commitment to competitive employment, “first place, then train”, proactive process, individualized and long-lasting services,  individuality, respect, self-determination, informed, choice, empowerment, confidentiality, flexibility, accessibility•process following the 5 stages of SE•Sources of evidence: conception

IPS Fidelity Scale PLUS- a glimpse into the prototype

• Service Providers- part 2• Service Providers and their self-conceptionService providers have a self-conception that is based on the

principles of SE. They recognise explicitly the principles of SE as their concept and method and communicate them to the stakeholders.

Service Providers and specific target groupsThey provide a target group specific implementation

concept, respecting the reference model SE. Specifications are made transparent and are being explained.

• Sources of evidence: conception

IPS Fidelity Scale PLUS- a glimpse into the prototype

• Service Providers-part 3 Service Providers –professionalism and quality• Service Providers dispose structures and resources

meeting the requirements of SE.• Evidence-based assessment and development of SE• Yearly management-review – providing the operating

figure and defining the need of action• Sources of evidence: quality management systems,

management review

Staffing- part 1

• Mainly following the IPS Fidelity Scale-but:•  →Additions to “Staffing”: Profile of qualification for job

coaches, with high self- and social competence and methodological expertise: counselling, assessment, career planning, data management, training and development, broad knowledge about social security (law), education, labour market, acquisition, marketing, negotiation, mediation

• Practical experience with different fields of functions, ideally target group specific knowledge

• Importance of a good “team-mix” (target groups)• Continuous professional training• Sources of evidence: conception, human resource strategy,

job profiles

Staffing- part 2

• Case load• A maximum of 20 simultaneous cases (annual average

for a 100% operating level)• One job coach per client for all five stages of SE • A monthly minimum of six hours spent for/with a client• For particular tasks- internal or external support is

possible- but:• Overall responsibility and decision-making power remain

with the job coach.• The job coach is the attachment figure • Sources of evidence: conception, internal controlling,

management review

Organisation-part 1

• Conceptualised cooperation with all players• The service provider secures continuous cooperation

(stages, needs) with all players.• Optimal use of inter-institutional and interdisciplinary

cooperation, and of the cooperation with employers.• The definition of this cooperation (all relevant aspects

included) is part of the service provider’s conception.• Sources of evidence: conception, cooperation agreements,

management review 

Organisation-part 2

• Cooperation within the job coaching team

• Joint consideration, i. e. supervision, discussions within the team

• Standards are defined in the conception. Structures and resources to meet them are being provided.

Organisation-part 3

• Zero exclusion criteria

• All individuals interested in SE have access to SE stage 1, “Engagement”…

• but if…• A funding is not guaranteed• B lack of working capacity, or vindicabelness• ...exclusion is possible, with alternative measures being

recommended.

Organisation-part 4

• Clarifying work practice• an extra step may be introduced:• Clarifying work practice…..if there are doubts about a

client’s working capacity, or vindicabelness• Indications and general framework must be clearly

defined.• Coached work practice, preferably in the general labour

market (max. 4 weeks)• Sources of evidence: conception, written agreements,

statistics, collection of alternative measures, management review

Services- part 1

• Introductory practice• an extra step may be introduced:• introductory practice (“a first glimpse”) during stages 2

and 3 of SE, i. e. during “vocational profile” and “job development”

• in the general labour market only• clear indications, defined in the conception• Duration: not more than 3 days• No payment required• Sources of evidence: conception, practice agreements

(between all players), statistics, management review

Services- part 2

• Operative practice• Operative practice duration: up to 3 months• in case, a permanent employment may be expected: up to

6 months• An operative practice must be paid by a regular,

performance-linked wage.

Services- part 3

• Job search and starting work

• Job search must be initiated within one month (stage 3, “Job development”) after the action plan agreement (stage 2, “Vocational Profile”).

• Any conceptual divergence has to be described and explained.

• Job coaches need the clients approval (from stage 3 on) to contact the employer.

 

Services- part 4

• The service provider’s strategic aim is long-term employment in the general labour market.

• Exceptions: Practices (clarifying work practice, introductory practice, operational practice)

• No fixed term employments of less than 6 months are accepted. Clients with fixed term employments are proactively supported by the job coach to find a solution.

• In case of job loss- support by the job coach, if desired by the client.

• Sources of evidence: conception, assessment of employment sustainability, , statistics, management review

Services- part 5

• Sustainability of vocational integration by operative and external support

• SE provider promotes the sustainability of vocational integration, i. e.: preservation of employment and vocational development

• First year of employment: min. 6 contacts between job coach and client (job coach initiated)

• Second to fifth year of employment: one interview per year, assessment of the integration’s sustainability

• If asked by the client, or the employer, the job coach becomes active.

The Project Quality label for SE Services

Work in progressOngoing practical tests of the current prototype-leading to a finalized prototype (Summer 2015).

The future label will monitor the observance of MINIMUM STANDARDS of SE for a diversity of target groups, answering

the question: “Is it Supported Employment- YES/NO?”It is not an evaluation, like the IPS Fidelity Scale, answering

the question “How well is SE practised”?

Obrigadissimo!Thank you!

Quality Label for Supported Employment (SE) Services

a project by

Swiss national organisation for Supported Employment

Project team: Claudio Spadarotto, Ervan Rached (project managers); Annelies Debrunner, Marco Dörig, Hans-Ulrich Nydegger (consultants)