Statewide Educational Advisory Board Report on Employment, Education and Training

Employment Services Practitioner Competencies

November 2002

[see Executive Summary]

1. EMPLOYMENT SKILLS

1.1 Assessment skills

• Completes and updates initial and ongoing assessments of individuals’ employment-related strengths and deficits.
• Demonstrates literacy skills and knowledge of report-writing

1.2 Planning skills

• Demonstrates understanding of and willingness to learn from individuals’ history
• Encourages the establishment of goals that address career development
• Works in collaboration with participants to develop individualized, comprehensive employment and career plans
• Monitors on an ongoing basis the individual’s acquisition of and ability to use both technical and interpersonal skills on the job

1.3 Job development skills

• Assists the individual to find job opportunities that: a) meet personal preferences; b) promote financial independence; c) are career-oriented
• Assists individuals in building skills to assist in retaining employment
• Promotes consumer-centered job development efforts that empower consumers to find jobs on their own over time
• Understands how to work in collaboration with unions

1.4 Career development skills

• Understands labor market information and how it impacts on career decision making (economic conditions; positions currently in demand)
• Understands O*NET (the Occupational Information Network), a comprehensive database of worker attributes and job characteristics.
• O*NET can be the foundation for facilitating career counseling, education, employment and training activities.
• Helps the working individual over time to regularly examine job satisfaction, decision making regarding potential job changes, and advancement consistent with individual needs and preferences and a career mobility perspective
• Helps individuals respond to job loss without retreat from the labor force
• Skill development and intervention skills
• Teaches or makes available the needed resources to ensure the acquisition of both technical and interpersonal skills needed at work
• Offers anticipatory guidance to individuals who are working to plan for and to manage difficulties and crises to permit retention of employment
• Teaches, trains, advises and/or demonstrates self-advocacy skills to assist individuals with:
  1. understanding discrimination (cause, effects);
  2. identifying or determining the presence of discrimination to proactively raise questions about perceived discrimination;
  3. learning how to negotiate salary, time, questions about perceived discrimination; accommodations;
  4. ability to develop strategies to withstand and overcome the effects of discrimination;
  5. learn how to negotiate accommodations, problem resolution, grievance procedures in employment settings

1.6 Workplace and employer-related skills

• Assists in shaping, negotiating for, and putting into place effective job accommodations that make continued work more feasible
• Assists individuals in developing the supports needed to function at work at the level of independence they wish and need
• Communicates effectively with employers, using persuasion and/or negotiation techniques as appropriate
• Identifies workplace supports within the workplace (e.g. EAPs) and supports effective use of those supports by individuals

1.7 Legal skills

• Knows and understands legal issues and laws surrounding discrimination including civil rights legislation, EEO, Affirmative Action, and Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Is able to assess an employer’s or business’ discriminatory attitudes and/or practices throughout the employment decision making process including recruitment, hiring, orientation/training, accommodation, advancement, and layoff/firing decisions
• Demonstrates ability to intervene with employers who have exhibited discriminatory practices and to provide support for employers as they attempt to change these practices
• Ability to educate employers on discrimination, the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and providing supports for employees
• Knows when to call on legal resources to persuade or negotiate/initiate formal proceedings with employers where employment discrimination has occurred
• Able to assist in problem-solving with employers and employees to resolve discriminatory actions or statements

1.8 Entitlements and Financial counseling skills

• Assists individuals in understanding the fiscal impact of employment
• Possesses knowledge of cash and medical entitlements (SSA-SSD, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare), work incentives (IRWEs, PASS Plans), eligibility issues, appeals processes
• Assists individuals in making informed decisions regarding their benefits and earned income

2. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

2.1 Interpersonal skills

• Inspires hope in the recovery process including supporting gradual achievement/small steps as well as helping people by heightening expectations for their eventual success
• Engages the individual in the rehabilitation and recovery process
• Engages individuals as full collaborators in service planning, delivery and evaluation
• Designs, delivers and documents highly individualized services and supports, including identifying specific needs of particular individuals (e.g. substance ab/use and mental illness, forensic issues, transition plans with education and employment agencies for youth in transition)

2.2 Relationship building skills

• Evidences understanding of biological, behavioral and emotional aspects of psychiatric disability
• Behaves and speaks empathically
• Is supportive without being patronizing
• Demonstrates ability to value individuals for their potential
• Is able to let go, provide what is needed, allow individuals to learn to decide what is needed, and respect those decisions (empowerment)
• Recognizes the value and actively works to enhance the availability of role models and mentors for people with psychiatric illnesses
• Willingly serves as a role model for consumer staff
• Where relevant, includes family members and caring others in all aspects of service planning, delivery and evaluation

2.3 Human Resource skills

• Actively recruits consumers as desired staff at all levels
• Able to assist or lead in creating program and system responses to meet individual needs
• Understands program evaluation methods and contributes to program evaluations and organizational priority-setting
• Is supportive to co-workers and supervisors
• Assists in recruitment and staff retention efforts
• Undertakes performance evaluations
• Provides information and resources to support staff career development
• Supports and facilitates staff training
• Engenders a "team player"/collaborative approach to staff interactions
• Conducts activities in a professional and ethical manner
• Able to analyze problems and develop creative solutions

3. ADVOCACY SKILLS

3.1 Advocacy skills

• Is able to access advocates and advocacy organizations concerning discriminatory practices such as the EEOC, mediation services, union grievance services, human relations agency services
• Is able to assess through direct observation or analysis of written and verbal information whether or not individuals may be experiencing discrimination in employment settings
• Advocates for needed funding support for individuals
• Advocates for full citizenship and community integration

3.2 Resource development and community resource networking skills

• Demonstrates working knowledge of DOL One Stop Delivery System, Ticket to Work and Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
• Is knowledgeable about how to negotiate access and funding for State and local vocational rehabilitation services
• Knows about and is able to help individuals access public and other transportation options to get to and from work
• Is knowledgeable about and works in collaboration with the criminal justice system, including probation, parole and other criminal justice providers
• Is knowledgeable about and works in collaboration with educational systems and other agencies serving youth seeking employment
• Assists the individual in developing a social life that supports a career
• Researches, develops and maintains information on community and other resources relevant to individuals’ needs
• Works collaboratively within and across the service system (e.g. with other professions, interagency teams, VESID, managed behavioral healthcare organizations, etc.)
• Is well versed about clinical issues related to living with mental illness
• Actively supports and participates in integration of employment and mental health services within and between agencies

3.3 Education and information skills

• Informs individuals about the operations of and assists them in using available career related programs including employment and educational services within and beyond the mental health system; e. g. clubhouses, universities, and courses, VESID-sponsored training services, One Stop Career Centers, employment agencies, college placement offices, etc.
• Is familiar with and refers individuals to supported education programs as a means for career development and employment
• Is knowledgeable about learning styles, literacy, learning deficiencies and learning disabilities as they impact on employment

4. CULTURAL COMPETENCY SKILLS

• Understands, is committed to, and promotes individual empowerment, self-help, and recovery
• Recognizes the importance and relevance of person-centered planning in addressing individuals’ unique needs
• Creatively and flexibly designs helping techniques that are consistent with individuals’ cultural backgrounds, experiences and values
• Understands how personal strengths, family and cultural strengths, religious/spiritual affiliation, historical perspective, affect attitudes toward employment and discrimination
• Understands the effectiveness of multiple strategies for dealing with and combating discrimination
• Understands the impact of discrimination on functioning, attitudes towards education, and employment
• Demonstrates understanding of how level of acculturation impacts the individual’s ethnic/cultural identity, relationship with persons within and outside of the group and the dominant group; how acculturation and these relationships affect stable employment
• Mobilizes and promotes peer support groups and networks

[see Executive Summary]