Supported Employment Agencies Research Articles

Workplace accommodations for people with mental illness: a scoping review.

Disability discrimination legislation means that employees with a disability or mental illness are legally entitled to reasonable workplace accommodations that enable them to work effectively and safely. This scoping review aims to investigate the types of workplace accommodations provided for people with mental illness, and their costs and benefits. A literature search was conducted using five electronic databases. Peer reviewed research articles published between 1993 and June 2013 were included in this scoping review and their quality was assessed. Opinion papers, reports, and case descriptions were excluded. Nine studies explored workplace accommodations for people with mental illness. The most commonly reported work-related accommodations were flexible scheduling/reduced hours, modified training and supervision, and modified job duties/descriptions. The least common type of accommodation was physical modification to the workplace. For employees with persistent mental illness who were accessing a supported employment agency, the majority of accommodations related to support from the job coach or employment specialist, such as facilitating communication with the employer during hiring or on the job. The quality of the studies varied considerably and the benefits of the accommodations are not yet well documented. There is limited evidence that a larger number of workplace accommodations are associated with longer job tenure. Workplace accommodations appear to be important to support employees with mental illness, but more accessible information about how disability discrimination legislation applies to this population is needed. Future research should address the implementation and effectiveness of mental health-related workplace accommodations.

The Employer's Guide to Supported Employment

In 2010, 14.7 per cent of the general population of Ireland was jobless and 37 per cent of people with disabilities aged 15–64 were employed with a quarter of these were in part-time jobs. High unemployment increased barriers to employment for people with disabilities with a 48 per cent increase in the numbers applying for jobs. Highly qualified unemployed were taking on low to medium skilled jobs and accessing Government employment schemes and training programmes. It was difficult to access employers who were positive towards people with disabilities. A STEP Supported Employment project analysed barriers to mainstream employment. When faced with many barriers it was decided to create a project to access employers directly and seek a partner who had access to a large number of employers. In April of 2010 IrishJobs.ie was approached by Mary O Halloran from STEP SE. Mary had brought together a number of similar agencies and asked IrishJobs.ie if they would be interested in building a resource to encourage and support employers to hire people with disabilities. IrishJobs.ie is a leading national e-recruitment company Irishjobs.ie was approached as e-recruitment methods were mostly complex to navigate and 80% of vacancies are advertised online. The hope was by making the information more visible and more accessible employers who are interested in finding out more about hiring people with disabilities will get the guidance they require. Of course, it may also be that employers who had not thought about hiring people with a disability will consider it once they find out more via the Guide. A team was put together from other disability organisations & irishjobs.ie to identify the obstacles for people with disabilities to e-recruitment and a guide was developed to demonstrate the benefits of employing people with disabilities. IrishJobs.ie was very enthusiastic about this project. Since this IrishJobs.ie has provided backing for the National Job Shadow events with the IASE. All content on the Guide has come from Supported Employment Agencies. The expertise of IrishJobs.ie came in the design and presentation of the content. Before the Guide was launched it was reviewed and approved by a number of agencies involved STEP Supported Employment a service of Saint John of God Community Services Ltd, worked alongside IrishJobs.ie, other IASE members and Service Users to develop this user-friendly Guide.

The impact of agency organisation and natural support on supported employment outcomes

Data was collected on nine supported employment agencies over one financial year on staffing ratio, staff qualifications, job finding approach, management structure, supervision arrangement, referral and funding sources, and typicalness of jobs and job placement approaches, replicating elements of Mank et al. (1997). Data was also collected on individual client wage and hours worked outcomes. An ANOVA revealed strong differences among agencies in hours worked, wages in the extent to which they acquired Job Acquisition, Compensation packages, Work Roles and Orientation and induction and programmes that were typical for the company they were placing into. An ANOVA on hours worked, wages earned and typicalness in these key processes revealed a significant independent effects of management model and job finding approach. Stepwise regression analysis was used to quantify the impact on wage and hours worked outcomes of management model. Job coach approach, staff ratio and typicalness in these four key areas. Significant Beta coefficients were found between monthly wage and hours worked and typicalness of Compensation, Work Roles and Orientation scores. Management model impacted only on monthly wages.

Assessing motivation for work in people with developmental disabilities

Factors that might influence motivation for work have been neglected in previous investigations in the process of people with intellectual disabilities finding employment. This article describes the development of The Work Readiness Scale which was largely adapted from The Readiness to Change Questionnaire. A structured interview was conducted with 69 participants who had developmental and intellectual disabilities while at the supported employment agency or vocational training centre in a large city in England. A subgroup of 43 individuals completed the questionnaire again about two weeks later. A member of staff who knew the person well was asked to independently rate the motivational level of the individual. The questionnaire seems to have reasonable psychometric properties and may have utility in assessing individuals for work and designing appropriate training to find work.

A University–Agency Mental Health Research Collaboration: A Case Example

There is significant documentation in the literature of barriers that may prevent research results from being utilized by agencies to inform and impact practice and policy. Such barriers pertain to several factors as follows: (a) those related to the nature of the research enterprise itself (b) those related to differences between the producers and consumers of research, and (c) barriers arising from the differences in organizational contexts of researchers and case management and supported employment agency staff. This article discusses a collaborative relationship between university researchers and agency practitioners in the context of a research project studying the implementation of supported employment, an evidence-based practice. As a case example, it provides an exemplar of the problems and issues of conducting mental health research with community-based agencies and offers strategies and case examples that address these issues.

Collaboration between Supported Employment and Human Resource Services: Strategies for Success

The article presents the benefits of successful collaboration between supported employment agencies and human resource managers when working together to secure employment for individuals with disabilities. Two case studies are presented: One involving a successful collaboration with county human resource managers in negotiating a change in the hiring process and the other discussing the results of a negotiated agreement between the state level WorkAbility Program office and a company's national human resource office. Both cases resulted in the hiring of individuals with disabilities. Also included is a perspective, from a director of human resource services in the private sector, which examines specific Americans With Disabilities Act issues that present barriers to hiring individuals with disability. Suggested strategies supported employment agencies can use for effective collaboration with human resource management are identified.

Appointment Choice and Outcome at a Supported Employment Agency

A 3-month study of 94 clients at a supported employment agency in London, Ontario, examined the significance of appointment choice in successful job placement. Clients who had been in conflict with the law were least likely to be appointment compliant, while social assistance recipients mandated to attend were the most likely to put off their initial agency visit and also most likely to terminate contact with the employment support service within 60 days. Younger clients were given more choice selecting a meeting time in the study than were older clients. Likewise, clients with a developmental delay or learning disability had more choice in selecting an initial appointment than did those with no disability, a physical challenge, or a mental health issue. It was observed that clients who were given a choice of meeting dates who selected an earlier rather than a later initial appointment did not have greater success in finding employment compared to those who opted for a later meeting date.

Starting a New Job: The Social and Emotional Experience of People with Intellectual Disabilities

Background Employment is viewed by policy makers as both a human right and as a means of changing the marginalized status of people with intellectual disabilities, with important social and emotional benefits. However, there has been little longitudinal research examining the experience of people with intellectual disabilities in the workplace.Methods Thirty‐five individuals with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities participated in this study. They were recruited from supported employment agencies in Scotland. A longitudinal approach was adopted, with the participants being interviewed around the time of starting their jobs, and again 9–12 months later.Results The content analyses of the semi‐structured interviews indicated that the participants perceived continuing benefits from entering mainstream employment, including more purposeful lives and increased social status. However, over the follow‐up period the participants reported few social opportunities that extended beyond the workplace, and an anxiety about their competence to meet employers’ demands remained a concern for some.Conclusions The discussion addresses the importance of understanding work in relation to the participants’ wider lives, along with the longer‐term role for supported employment agencies to help people achieve their social and emotional goals in a vocational context.

Service users' perceptions of the effective ingredients in supported employment

Background: The UK government is advocating the use of supported employment to help people on incapacity benefits back to work, with an emphasis on Individual Placement and Support (IPS) models. However there is little UK-based evidence on the key ingredients of effective support.Aim: To ascertain service users' views of what they found helpful about supported employment.Method: Interviews were carried out with 182 people with severe and enduring mental health problems who were actively engaged with one of the six supported employment agencies included in the study.Results: Three themes emerged: emotional support, practical assistance and a client-centred approach.Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of the quality of support, particularly through interpersonal dynamics, which go beyond the organizational features emphasized in the IPS model.Declaration of interest: The study was financed from Higher Education European Social Fund Objective 3 resources and the six partner agencies made contributions in kind.

SESAMI study of employment support for people with severe mental health problems: 12-month outcomes

In the context of UK policy to promote employment for people with disability as a means to greater social inclusion, this study investigated how people with severe mental health problems fare in existing supported employment agencies. The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with successful placement in work and to test the impact of working on psychological well-being in this group. One hundred and fifty-five users of six English agencies were followed up for 1 year (2005-2006). Information was collected about their employment status, job-seeking behaviour, perceived obstacles to work, self-esteem and hope, and the employment support received. Eighty-two per cent of those working at baseline were still in work a year later. The support agencies helped 25% of unemployed clients into work, a statistically significant increase in the proportion of clients in employment. Gaining employment was associated with improvements in financial satisfaction and self-esteem. There was a trend towards working half time. People who had been out of work longer were less likely to secure employment. No significant associations were found between getting a job and personal characteristics, the quantity of employment support given, nor the recipient's rating of the support offered. The odds of moving into work were nearly four times higher for those people who visited a job centre prior to the start of the study. Clients of specialist agencies rated their provision more highly than clients of pan-disability agencies. These results demonstrate the benefits of working for this group and support the development of employment services with an individualised, rapid placement approach, linked to job centre advice and expert mental health service input. This is consistent with the Individual Placement and Support model, and highlights in addition the importance of job centres for its implementation in England.

Surveying Supported Employment in Finland: A Follow‐up

Abstract The longitudinal status of supported employment in Finland was examined via a 2003 nationwide survey sent to job coaches involved in supporting workers with intellectual and other disabilities. Sustained supported employment, defined as “paid work in integrated settings with ongoing supports that contained at least two on‐site visits per month at the worksite” was identified at 22 organizations that supported 52 workers. The results of the current survey were compared with those gained from similar surveys conducted in 1998, 1999, and 2001. Comparison of data over a 6‐year period showed a decline in the provision of intensive employment supports and appeared to reflect both a change in European public policy on employment supports, and a conceptual shift in supported employment from a paradigm for people with significant disabilities to a technical tool for the employment of people with limited support needs. Along with this change, supported employment agencies in Finland were found to have progressively barred people with significant disabilities from being their customers.

Psychological Factors Associated with Obtaining Employment

Background Less than 10% of people with intellectual disabilities are employed. The aim of the present study was to investigate what psychological factors might predict employment outcome for people with intellectual disability who had received a placement in a supported employment service.Method Sixty people were interviewed whilst they were in the supported employment preparation agency and where possible 3 and 9 months after leaving. The structured interview included a number of psychological measures. Those who subsequently gained employment were compared with those who did not.Results Those who gained employment were significantly more motivated by status aspiration, and judged themselves significantly less happy than those who did not gain employment, at the first interview.Conclusions It is possible that people who are more dissatisfied with their life might be more motivated to change their circumstances. Supported employment agencies might consider using a measure of motivation as an entry criterion or as a way of identifying who needs help with developing motivation.

Factors affecting the likelihood that people with intellectual disabilities will gain employment

The study aimed to identify factors that may affect the likelihood that people with intellectual disabilities will find employment through a supported employment agency. A retrospective analysis of the files of the last 200 individuals to use such an agency was carried out. Variables were identified that may influence outcome, such as demographic factors, job preferences and identified support needs. A specific rating of staff assessed client motivation was developed from written comments made by staff. Staff assessed motivation after two weeks on the scheme was found to be the only significant predictor of employment outcome. Motivation levels decreased for all groups of participants while at the agency, irrespective of work outcome. This study highlights that a greater emphasis on motivation within employment agencies may increase the chances of people with intellectual disability finding work.

Financial Costs and Benefits of Two Supported Employment Agencies in Wales

The costs and financial benefits accruing from two employment agencies were analysed over the two years of their operation. The analysis determined the net costs for society as a whole, the taxpayer and the supported employees, when reductions in welfare benefit payments and costs to previous day services, and increases in tax were taken into account. The results indicated that supported workers generally benefited financially as a result of their uptake of paid work but that costs outstripped financial benefits for the taxpayer and society as a whole. There were significant differences in net costs between the two agencies. The results also indicated that the cost‐benefit performance of the two agencies was improving overtime, suggesting that the financial benefits of providing the service could ultimately outweigh the costs involved. This is in line with the general trends found in research in the USA, but progress towards a break‐even point was much slower.

A.N.G.E.L.S. Inc.: A consumer-run supported employment agency.

A.N.G.E.L.S. Inc.: A consumer-run supported employment agency.

Use of Social Security Work Incentives by supported employment agencies and consumers: findings from a national survey

This article reports findings from a sUlVey of 385 supported employment provider agencies on their use of two Social Security Work Incentives, the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) and Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE). Results indicated that PASS and IRWE use by supported employment consumers exceeds that of the SSA beneficiary population. PASS and IRWE approval rates were reported to be high, and respondents generally reported few problems in accessing these supports. Set-aside funds were predominantly used to purchase transportation, supported employment selVices, work equipment and supplies, and other needed supports and selVices. Findings are discussed in light of reports by the U.S. General Accounting Office that have found mismanagement and misuse of SSA Work Incentives.

Is Supported Employment Cost-Effective in Minnesota?

This paper reports on the application of a benefit-cost accounting framework to evaluate the economic outcomes of supported employment in Minnesota. Data were collected on the costs and economic outcomes of 1,892 individuals being served in 11 supported-employment agencies offering programs in habilitation training, on-site employment, and community-based group and individual supported employment. From these data net benefits and benefit-cost ratios were estimated to explain possible efficiency effects resulting from the programs. The results reported in this study generally support the policy assertion that supported-employment programs yield financial benefits for society and taxpayers, as well as individuals with disabilities.