Post by valerie on Apr 6, 2016 19:23:51 GMT
How do We Embed Education into a work First Environment?
The great Malcom X states that, “Education is the passport to the future…” I am a firm believer that if people are trained, skilled and are educated they are likely to keep their job. Education helps to build self-esteem and people will feel as viable members of society. Work first argues that if people are connected to jobs first, that those jobs will sustain them and boost self-concept, therefore enabling them to move towards better paying jobs, possibly more education and other skills building education and training. I therefore believe that to see long term retention we need to implement an educational component that goes hand in hand with employment.
Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation assessment gives a breakdown on our pts. We need an IPE that focuses more in-depth on short term skills training, GED, or higher EDU. That, however, should still be linked to( possibly) part time employment( the idea that participants cannot do multiple tasks is not necessarily true for all). So The IPE can be a very interactive process between the evaluator and the customer. The customer then has some feedback about their life plan in the process. ( note also that some of our customers need guidance and have no clear vision for their future). so what does the DVE assessment tell us about the pts skill area, strength ability and likes, ? What does the pt tell you about his or her own likes, or passion and how do we navigate the participant towards this?
For customers who need adult basic skills, we can link to a program but we also provide them with an internship program( note the language is gentler, softer, more inviting and there is no stigma attached and I think this is key. There are many who cannot read or write, many are people who migrated to the USA and never got basic education in their country- many are motivated to work but may not have the skills. An internship program( very different than WEP) provides needed work skills. With WEP you have to have certain skills to work in certain WEP areas( clerical) but if we provide those on the job skills then the individual can learn something new. ( I also believe that we stretch by getting out of our comfort zone and learning something new). This type of on the job training is more structured and has a deadline. There is also an expectation for outcome.
What Innovative Tools Have proven To Be Effective And What Web Based Tools Should Be Developed: what is missing?
The Fedcap Sys is instrumental in the way our program connects and conduct QA. I think it has reduced 99 % of the blindness that we felt when attempting to look at code compliance and outcomes. I think we need to find ways that allows our pts to have more and better access to us, meanwhile providing them with a level of personal autonomy. This self- service( portal/ database ), is a more interactive and engaging process. A participant portal will link the medical, DVE/ IPE/ Education and employment together. The pt profile is aggregated, and each time the pt logs in or call in, he or she will be connected to all available jobs and or education that is available based on IPE findings. Pt can choose any job in their profile bank and the job developer/ job prep and placement coordinator then follows up. This will reduce the likelihood that people have not been given job referrals but it requires more team work. The Assessment tool ( DVE) must be fully comprehensive and will also include the VALPAR as we must then create a grid which includes types of education and training, types of employment. Each time the customer develops a new skill it can be added to the database and the options for employment increases.
Note we will need to revamp(strict attention to customer abilities) how our medical assessments are done through training.
How Do We Build an Innovative Internship Program?
-Form partnership with other community organizations( have meeting).
-Have real work assignments( recall that many of our customers have never had on the job training)
-Have a team who oversees the type of work and who does the matching of customer and work
How Can We leverage our Business Relationships in More Creative Ways? How can Program Partner Better?
I thought about the process of our business partnership and really everything I thought of seemed so disjointed, how could we reduce the silo and partner in ways that allow us to connect as one and yet retain autonomy and identity? How could we possibly do something that can be so complex and make it so simple that anyone can understand it and access it. How can we have every service at the drop of a fingertip? Everything that I thought today came together when I met Rachael Contizano from Food Bank New York City www.foodbanknyc.org/tentracker . Rachael is an AmeriCorps Vista TEN engagement specialist who works with local communities to get companies to partner with them and each other. She helps to trouble shoot, train and navigate partners through their database and array of services. There is also a lot of partner input through community meetings in the 5 boroughs. She shared that there is a database call the TEN ( Tiered Engagement Network)Tracker who has partnered with over 500 companies and when pts are given a referral they have access to food, clothing, taxes, legal, medical, SNAP assistance, education and training etc. What to me was beautiful about this was the autonomy for services, the simple way in which partnerships are formed, the array of services and the idea of a One Stop Shop.
Taking A Program Model Initially Designed for a mandatory Population and redesigning it to acuhieve the same Outcomes for a Non- Mandated Population
I think that much of the answers given within this assignment can be utilized to change outcomes. Looking at our assessment process from the BPS phase, the IPE, the way we partner and those partnerships, how we service pts with multiple diagnoses, our ability to change the way we instruct in the classroom and the content of information/ curriculum can have a definite impact.
What Methods Can We Implement To Ensure Our Programs Are Meeting the Needs of Multiple Barriers?
"The opposite of addiction is connection" -Johann Harri, Ted talks. Mr. Brown walks into our program for orientation. It is his first day in WeCARE but we are not able to service him. Pt appears to be under the influence of substance and he, according to his BPS was dx with bipolar disorder currently unstable. He is also diabetic. How do we ensure that Mr. Brown is connected to the services he needs, services that provide him with feedback and concrete direction?
-Harm reduction -ensure we teach safety to those with Substance misuse concerns and show how this can connect to employment and lead to self- sufficiency by reducing drug use, managing their lives.
-A comprehensive Service plan that connects to needed services.
-Mandatory case conferences with care providers (form a network for services i.e medical, SA, and other community workers)
-individual support for self-care-medication use, monitoring sugar levels, nutrition, and exercise
Teach employment skills but format to include self-care. Include doctor and or social worker visit once a month to talk about health issues and how to work through medical and mental health barriers. In addition, teach self-care. This allows pts to learn more but gives confidence in asking questions regarding their health.
How Can We Do It Better? What haven’t We Thought Of?
I arrive early to work each day and no matter how early I am, there are the same faces waiting outside our doors. Winter comes and they huddle in their coats fighting against the frigid air, spring brings its rain and summer its heat and yet this group arrives loyally, dressed and ready for a day with us. I then ponder why is it so difficult to place this group in employment. A sub group within WeCARE that does not require a wellness plan, they do not qualify for SSI but are not able to find work independently, nor sustain it for any period of time due to behavioral concerns. This group is sometimes called “sabotagers” as they go from interview to interview and will blurt out what is wrong with them and why they can't work. Sometimes, they exhibit bouts of anger and frustration, sometimes exhibit low impulse and control. How do we motivate this group towards employment? How do we give them the intense one on one that a case manager nor classroom instructor can give? How do we help them to identify how to reach out for help so they can keep and sustain employment?
A specialize or support worker can be instrumental in offering more concrete and individual support and coaching. The worker teaches the pt about self care-reminding him or her to take their meds and delicately guides the participant through the interview process, holding their hands and giving feedback and positive reinforcement. When the pt becomes employed, worker checks in daily until pt is able to navigate his or her job and control his or her emotions. Calls are reduced to once a week. When pt seems fully able and self reliant then the worker separates