Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) The acronym “IPS” indicates the evidence-based approach to supported employment for people living with behavioral health conditions. 24 randomized controlled trials

What you don’t see is the national members of the IPS learning community. That includes Italy, Netherlands and Spain.

High Fidelity Eight Key principles Fidelity scale used as the road map to success! Fidelity reviews are a tool to identify baseline and develop training needs for continuous improvement.

1: Competitive Jobs are the Goal Regular jobs at regular wages. Jobs that anyone can apply for, regardless of disability status. Competitive jobs are regular jobs in the community that anyone can apply for regardless of disability status. People from the IPS program earn the same wages as their co-workers in the same positions. The jobs do not have artificial time limits imposed by the IPS program. “Peer” positions are considered to be competitive because only a person who has mental illness is qualified for those jobs.

2. Employment Services and Behavioral Health Services are Integrated Employment specialists and behavioral health providers meet weekly. Teams members brainstorm strategies that can be offered to help the person succeed at his or her goals. I have found there can be different interpretations of the principles and that is why knowing the fidelity items are important.

3: Zero Exclusion Criteria Every person is encouraged to consider how work might affect his or her life. People are not excluded from IPS due to symptoms, decisions about medication or other treatment choices, work history, substance use disorders, missed appointments with mental health practitioners, hospitalization history, personal presentation or other issues. IPS uses a strengths-based approach in that practitioners help people find jobs where their strengths (related to personality, values, resources, experience, training and skills) are maximized, and possible problems are minimized.

4: Preferences are Honored Employment specialists strive to understand what preferences are most important to job seekers. Family members can add valuable information about job qualities or conditions might contribute to the person’s success. Preferences may be related to type of job, work hours, job location, …

5: Benefits Planning is Offered People are offered an opportunity to meet with a trained benefits planner before going to work and as they consider changes in their jobs. One of the main reasons people shy off from going to work or are discouraged from work is fear of loosing benefits. Employment specialists or members of the mental health team may also offer to help people monitor and report their earnings as they work.

6: Job Search Occurs Rapidly The employment specialist and/or job seeker make a face-to-face contact with employer within a month of joining the IPS program. People who want to work are not asked to complete any type of assessment, job readiness group, or other prevocational activity. Instead, the employment specialist and job seeker begin to look for work right away because that is what most people prefer. If a person is not sure about a work goal, the prospective worker and employment specialist may visit different worksites to learn about different types of jobs.

7. Systematic Job Development Employment specialists develop relationships with employers through multiple in-person visits to understand their business needs. Employment specialists do not rely on internet job searches. Instead, they visit employers to learn about the workflow of each business and the employer’s hiring preferences. They aim to make a good job match that benefits both the employer and job seeker. By visiting employers regularly, employment specialists aim to introduce job seekers before job openings are advertised. If a person does not want employers to know that he is receiving IPS services, the employment specialist can help with job applications, finding job leads, practicing interview questions, etc.

8: Job Supports are Continuous Job supports are provided for as long as the person needs and wishes to receive IPS services, typically about a year. Eventually, a mental health practitioner, such as a case manager, may be chosen to provide supports. The type and intensity of job supports provided vary by person. Job supports should be discussed with job seekers prior to starting work and planned accordingly based on current information or past work experiences. Employment specialist should be flexible but the type of support s person needs is not always clear. Job supports might include meeting someone after work to talk about her job, Giving someone rides to work for the first week or two, on-the-job coaching, help finding clothing or tools for a job, help reporting earnings to Social Security.

Cross Over Principles between SH and SE Supported Employment Mainstream job in the community. Clients choose employment options Integrated work setting/integrated teams. Ongoing supports from service agency. Most Seriously Disabled. Supported Housing Mainstream housing in the community. Clients choose housing options. Integrated housing setting/integrated teams. Ongoing supports from service agency. Most Seriously Disabled.

IPS Technical Assistance Contact Information: Lisa Bennett-Perry BEST Grant Program Manager (360) 725-3257 bennell@dshs.wa.gov