Moving Employment First Forward in Maine

Betsy Hopkins, Director, DVR, MaineDebbie Gilmer, Executive Director, Syntiro

Gail Fanjoy, CEO, KFI, Maine

National APSE Conference, Philadelphia, PAJune 23, 2015

Maine has a strong foundation• 2000 DHHS Vocational Policy developed• 2001 DHHS and VR require Employment

Staff Certification• 2000-2008 reduction, then elimination of

funding for sheltered workshops by DHHS• 2006 Legislation to create Section 29 waiver

for Developmental Services• 2010 Employment for All conference

sponsored by Maine APSE

Maine foundation• 2010 DHHS sponsors Employment Summit unveiling

updated Employment Policy• 2010 Maine Business Leadership Network launched • 2010- ongoing DHHS and DOL BRS meet quarterly

focused on employment outcomes for all people with disabilities

• 2011 diverse Maine group attends Alliance for Full Participation Summit in Washington DC

Our Vision: EVERYONE can work!

Maine is committed to supporting career development and meaningful employment for all working aged individuals with disabilities.

Employment is part of the natural course of adult life and provides opportunities for economic gain, personal growth and contributing to one’s community.

“Employment First Maine Act” • The Act (LD 1352) defines:– Customized Employment– First and preferred service or support option– Integrated community-based employment

• Processes for program monitoring and quality assurance• First and preferred service or support option• Coordination of efforts and information• Establishes the Employment First Maine Coalition• Passed into law, June 22nd, 2013!

Who is the Coalition?

• Representatives from :– State Agencies, Providers, Advocacy organizations,

Individuals with Disabilities, Business Groups, Commissions, Councils, etc.

– Anyone who has an interest in supporting and promoting the work of the Coalition and EFM

The Coalition Shall..

• Promote coordination and collaboration among state agencies;

• Review state policies, plans, programs and activities in order to determine whether these policies, programs, plans and activities effectively meet the employment needs of persons with disabilities to acquire integrated, community based employment or customized employment;

• Serve as a conduit for information and input to aid in the implementation of the Act for advocacy groups, commissions and councils that focus on issues facing persons with disabilities in Maine;

The Coalition Shall:

• Make recommendations to the Governor, the Legislature and state agencies regarding ways to improve the administration of employment services and employment outcomes for persons with disabilities;

• Review and comment on proposed legislation affecting the employment of persons with disabilities; and,

• Propose and promote rules and policies to state agencies that provide services and supports to persons with disabilities to improve integrated, community based employment and customized employment of persons with disabilities

Since passage…• Solidifying the Coalition – expectations of

members, meeting dates, and other organizational role coordination

• Outlined specific project plan process• Wrote and approved by-laws, established

work groups and regular meeting schedule• Elected chair and vice-chair of the Coalition

and work group chairs

High-Performing Framework

Coalition Work Groups

• Legislative/Policy • Data and Outcomes• Transition of Youth• Capacity Building/Systems Development• Business Engagement• Communication

Legislative Policy Work Group

• The charge: To review and make recommendations for changes to rule, regulation and/or statutes that eliminate barriers to integrated, community-based and customized employment– To date: Drafted and submitted legislation to phase out the use

of sub minimum wage (14c in the Fair Labor Standards Act) in Maine

– Submitting a 1915 (i) waiver application that includes employment services for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Data Work Group

• The Charge: To obtain existing data from stakeholders that is aligned with the tenets of the EF Maine and make recommendations based on review of this data– To Date: Formed some baseline data collection points– Consulted with National SMES to assist with this goal – DHHS, DOL and DOE ensure that individuals with disabilities

are on pathways to employment and barriers are addressed in person-centered planning process using quality data indicators

Transition Work Group• The Charge - Determine and address needs of youth, educators,

families and others in order to improve better transitions to and outcomes in competitive, integrated employment by collaborating with DHHS, DOE and DOL to recommend and support best practices in employment– To Date: Maine DOE to use the “Discovering Personal Genius”/Career

Planning model in transition– In collaboration with DHHs, developing new transition handbook based on

Massachusetts Rehab Commission’s “Family Guide to Transition Services in Massachusetts”

– Using research on “Barriers to School-to-Work Transition (Riesen et al, 2014) to frame recommendations to go to DOE, DOL and DHHS Commissioners

Capacity Building/Systems Development

• The charge: To review systems and make recommendations regarding the professional development and training needs of the provider community in order to realize the goals of EF Maine– To Date: Developing an Employment First 101 curriculum

and widely disseminate – Establishing a Job Coach credential – Designing a mentoring program to support agency leadership

in their transformation to employment

Employer Engagement• The Charge: - To gather information that

informs recommendations to expand the engagement of companies and the outcome of employment for people with disabilities – To Date: Employer survey informing efforts to

expand and strengthen Business engagement across Maine, including Maine Business Leadership Network

Communication• The charge: To establish, coordinate and maintain a clear,

consistent and accurate message about Employment First Maine and the work of the coalition by promoting coordination and collaboration among state agencies to advance integrated, community-based employment and customized employment– To Date: Monthly meetings and support of Coalition action items.– Ongoing communication activities, including news blasts and

maintenance of dynamic Employment First Website

One Provider’s Perspective • Hired a Customized Employment Coordinator to

supplement KFI’s existing employment staff• Made employment everyone’s business at KFI• Involved ALL managers at KFI to participate on

teams of people focused on employment outcomes• Geographically selected Lead DSP’s for

employment-related training & certification; involved other staff who showed interest and commitment to employment on behalf of people they support

• Ensured person-centered plans addressed employment in ways that participants were encouraged to begin or continue on a path to employment.

One Provider’s Perspective: Looking Back• We were committed to the end result even if we didn’t know how to

get there.• We were comfortable not knowing all of the answers.• We were willing to take risks.• Relationships were messy…but always respectful.• We never knew when an opportunity was going to emerge; they don’t

wait for systems to catch up with forms and policies.• Employment doesn’t happen in a vacuum or in a neat orderly fashion.• Sometimes we felt challenged to answer the question, “What is work?”• Working with two systems can be challenging, but ALL of the players

wanted the best outcome for the people who would become employed.

One Provider’s Perspective: Looking Ahead

• KFI will begin supporting high school kids with intellectual disabilities to have paid work experiences

• KFI wants to gain experience supporting someone to develop a “business within a business” or a “resource ownership” opportunity

• We want to experience writing a successful PASS plan • KFI looks forward to being a resource to more people and

providers in Maine and around the country• “Work is on the mind.” There’s a “buzz” about people working

– it’s contagious; we look forward to more people wanting something more than a leisure life.

One Provider’s Perspective: Lessons Learned

• Understand that change takes longer than you anticipate.• Paying better for the things you want than for the things you do

not want incentivizes change; i.e. higher salaries for staff involved with employment, change in allocation of resources.

• Ensure attitudes, policies, forms, etc. make it easier to achieve the desired outcomes and not re-enforce the old ways.

• Decentralizing service delivery, supporting the needs of the whole person, paying attention to where people live and how much control they have over their daily rhythms and routines are critical to successful employment outcomes.

• Consider aligning all business practices to be community-based versus adding one service to a facility-based model.

Employment First Maine: Looking Back…

• We have undertaken a significant amount of work: both policy and practice (i.e. capacity building, adding Career Planning/DPG to all the waivers, 1915 (i) SPA)

• We are grateful to ODEP’s EFLSMP support• This is hard work and requires the steadfast commitment of

all parties• Not everyone shares the same urgency• Work with those most willing to change first• Not everyone shares the same beliefs that everyone can work• We need to work with families and schools at a much earlier

age

Employment First Maine: Looking Ahead…

• We are leveraging resources (i.e. BIP) to expand our capacity building efforts

• We are planning a MAJOR statewide event for November that will continue to tackle the challenging issues of bringing providers and others along consistent with our vision

• We will continue to collaborate with ODEP to assist with our policy and practice changes

• We will continue to put forth policy and legislative changes consistent with our vision

Employment First Maine: Lessons Learned

• Clear Communication is the KEY to keeping Coalition work moving forward

• Not everyone will agree on process - That’s okay but we still need to figure out how to reach our goals

• It is easy to feel “stuck” so it is important to celebrate even the baby steps when we can – success stories, one person at a time, etc., look at the big picture!

• We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go before we truly realize the goal of EF first in Maine!

High-Performing Framework

Employment First Maine Information

www.employmentfirstmaine.org

QUESTIONS?Presenter Information: Betsy Hopkins, Director, Maine DOL Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Betsy.Hopkins@Maine.gov, 207-623-6745Debbie Gilmer, Executive Director, Syntiro, 207-852-0992 debbie@syntiro.org Gail Fanjoy, CEO, KFI, Mainegfanjoy@kfimaine.org, 207-723-9466