“ Improving Diversity through

Supported Employment ”

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New kid on the block: the relation of a job coach and

other specialists in SE model in Poland. Case

studies survey.

Rafał Dziurla, M.A.Polish Union of Supported Employment

(PUZW)University of Social Sciences and

Humanities, Warsaw, Poland

hosted by:

In association with:

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General PwD labor market data in Poland at the end of 2014

1 900 000 PwD in working age population (8,3% of general working age

population)

514 000 PwD economically active (27,1% PwD working age population)

440 000 PwD in employment

280 000 (apporx) PwD employed in the open labor market

1 400 000 (approx.) PwD – potential clients

of SE in Poland

Source: MPiPS, www.mpips.gov.pl May 18th, 2015, Sledz, 2014, 3

Supported Employment Data – estimation

12000 SE clients in Poland between 2002-2014

1500 approx. No. of SE clients in Poland in one year

50 approx. No. of organizations delivering SE service in Poland

30 approx. No. of clients per organization per year

source: estimation on the basis of Cowi, 2011; Millwardbrown, 2013;

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Employment rate of PwD in working age in 2004-2014 in Poland

employment index of PwD in working age

Source: MPiPS, www.mpips.gov.pl May 18th, 2015

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Vocational Rehabilitation model for People with disability in Poland(data at the end of 2014)

Name of the institution Quantitiy Number of PwD

Occupational Therapy Workshop (WTZ) (2013)

684 24 871

Labor Activization Enterprise (ZAZ)

89 3590

Sheltered Employment Enterprise ZPCH

1270 147 790

Social cooperative 1300 4600 (estimated value)

Supported employment 50 (estimated) 12000 (estimated)

Source: Laboratorium Badań Społecznych, 2014; MPiPS, www.mpips.gov.pl May 18th, 2015 6

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A Brief history of Supported Employment in Poland

1998 – The first article of the method of SE by Tadeusz Majewski, PhD2001 – The beginning of the SE course in Wroclaw Assembly of Disabled Persons2005 - The city of Poznań started the pilot project of SE training2005 – All Polish SE training program EU Program – Leonardo, coordinated by DGA S.A., Poznan, Poland and Norman Mackie and Associates Ltd., Manchester, UK2006 - The Polish Association for the Intellectually Disabled People the project – started The Center Calls program for people with itellectual disability2006 – The Yes Association founded SE Agency, Poznan, Poland2008 – The pilot program – Job Assistent started by PFRON (National Rehabilitation Found for the Disabled)2008 - The Polish Foundation For The Hearing-Impaired Children-ECHOstarted the SE activity2008 - The Council Board of Disabled Persons in Elbląg started the project called Hot potato age – an SE program for 45+ socially exluded persons2008 - The Christian Association of Disabled Persons and their Families – The bonfire strted SE project etc…

PUW

Z

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Polish Union of Supported Employment – September 2014

PUW

ZPolska

Unia Zatrudnienia

Wspomaganego

Article 21. The over all aim of the union is to act for disabled

people and those endangered with social exclusion to enable them to obtain and maintain paid employment in the open job market and support their vocational development.

It is being practiced by:***

b. Supporting actions of the Union members, coordinating experience exchange between the Union members, cooperation in shaping of social and vocational policy and legislation for the disabled people and those endangered with social exclusion.

***c. Promoting supported employment accordingly to the standards of The European Union of Supported Employment and Polish experience in that field.

***e. Support for the organizations acting in the field of supported employment and for the organizations starting their activity in the field of supported employment for disabled people and those endangered with social exclusion.

Articles of Association of

The Polish Union of

Supported Employment –

excerpts

www.puzw.pl

15 members in almost a year

Current Situation of Supported Employment in Poland

In majority SE service is delivered by NGOs

SE service is financed on project basis (ESF, Polish State

Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, local authorities)

SE method is not recognized by any legal regulations

There is no standard training system for the SE staff - job

coach especially

There is no common quality standards of SE service

Lack of systematic scientific research on SE outcomes

Low SE awareness among policy makers

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Current Situation of Supported Employment in Poland

There is great number of enthusiastic SE people

We have some evidence that SE works

Our clients either come back to us or send their friends in

need

More and more policy makers at different levels are interested

in the SE method

More and more academics are interested in the SE research

All types of disability are in the SE service now

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The way to 5 stage model

Deaf Blind Association

1. Help in preparation to work2. Help in job finding 3. Support at the workplace

Echo Foundation

1. Recognition2. Supporting 3. Monitoring4. Autonomy

Wroclaw Assembly of People with Disabilities

1. Entry stage2. Entry and contract signing 3. Action planning 4. Coaching in doing5. Summing up

The Government Plenipotentiary for Disabled People Office

1. Identifying the needs, abilities and difficulties of PwD;

2. Estimating of the range of appropriate support; 3. Finding and establishing the contact with the

employer 4. Helping PwD and employer at adaptation in a

workplace5. Monitoring of PwD work6. Helping in resolving the problems in the relation

of PwD-employer-coworkers

Source: Dubanik, J. in. (2012). Podręcznik Zatrudnienia Wspomaganego. Wrocław: Fundacja Eudajmonia.

Source: Dziurla, R. (2011). Zatrudnienie Wspomagane, Materiały konferencyjne. Warszawa: MPiPS.

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Towards SE definition

2011 the first attempt to formulate definition of supported employment in the Government Plenipotentiary for Disabled People Office, after the first conference on supported employment.

2015 wide discussion after the results of the project: Job coach as a means of increasing employment level of disabled persons

providing support to people with disabilities or other disadvantaged groups to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market

We have agreed to EUSE definition stating that the supported employment means

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Questions:

Target group – all PwD and socially excluded individualsOr- people with psychological, intellectual/developmental, ASD and comorbid disability

Questions:

Financing SE service- Local authorities- Polish State Fund for

Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons

- Central budget- ?

Current discussions:

Questions:

The role of the job coach- Works with the client through

all the process- Works with the client in

employment stages- Relation of a job coach to the

other specialists13

PwDSE 5 stages

Job coach

  

Psychologist

Employment Advisor

Occupational medicine physician

Disability specialist

An example of supported employment team in Poland

Coordinator

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An example of supported employment team in Poland

PwD1. Client engagement2. Vocational profiling

- WEP- Apprenticeship 3. Job finding4. Employer engagement5. On and off support

Job coach 

Psychologist Employment Advisor

Coordinator

 

 

 

Disability specialist

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PwD1. Client engagement

2. Vocational profiling3. Job finding4. Employer engagement5. On and off support

Job coach  

Psychologist

An example of supported employment team in Poland

Coordinator

 

Disability specialist

Occupational medicine physician  

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PSYCHOLOGISTTasks:- Supporting a job coach in doubtful situations- Transferring the basic knowledge to a job coach regarding mental aspects of human functioning ( emotions, motivation, difficult situations, stress, etc)- Psychological diagnosis of the clients with difficulties in social functioning

Supporting specialists tasks

DISABILITY SPECIALIST Tasks:- Establishing the skills to use verified tools in everyday life and within the client’s working environment- Establishing the abilities to learn new things by the client- Establishing clients’s preferable way to travel

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MEDICAL DOCTORTasks:- Diagnosis of general health state for the client- Diagnosis of a disability level and prospects for the future - Establishing potential rehabilitation range

Supporting specialists

VOCATIONAL ADVISORTasks:- Analysing the local labour market- Application of vocational preference tests- Workplace analysis

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Estimate the mean ratio spent on each step in the five-stage process in a typical individual case

Client engagement 20 % 7%Vocational profiling 40 % 43%Job finding 20 % 40%Employer engagement 10 % 4%On and off the job support 10 % 6%

Problems of team management in supported employment

Possible causes:

- Team management

model

- Financing system

- PwD characteristics

RW JC

RW- Source: Zatrudnienie Wspomagane-Prawdziwa Praca. (2015).EFS, POKL. Supported Employment-Real Work. ESF HC OP.JC -My compilation on basis: Job coach as a means of increasing employment level of disabled persons. Promoting materials. (Presented at Olsztyn Feb,.2015).

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Job coach commentary

At times I’m totally powerless – it’s really emotionally demanding job. The clients come with all their troubles and you have to listen to all their problems you know. The job coach is such a person that has to take everything on himself. And if he/she doesn’t have a good regeneration method it can be a real problem - he/she cannot be a job coach for a long time.Most of the staff here are employed just for a year. It’s tough job really.

My job attitude is flexible – I know that this job is project based and they are short-term and don’t guarantee stable employment. I think that in the future I would do something else. I probably wouldn’t be that patient as I’m now. I’m not going to work as a job coach for my lifetime, I guess.

Source: Vocational rehabilitation NGO staff interview, 2012 (material unpublished).

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I think that at the first two stage of SE psychologist work is necessary. My opinion comes from the discussions with other staff members as job coaches and vocational advisors which point at important aspect of group workshops and individual psychological support as well. It is due to clients problems related to comorbid disability, personality disorders, problems of daily functioning etc. The work of psychologist is based on reveling and reinforcing client’s strength and monitoring his weaknesses. It is not about psychotherapy but rather building self-efficacy and self-esteem.

Psychologist commentary

Source: Zatrudnienie Wspomagane-Prawdziwa Praca. (2015).EFS, POKL. Supported Employment-Real Work. ESF HC OP.

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Client engagement and Job profiling is for vocational advisor an important stage as he/she has to provide for everyone the same support but it is not always possible due to individual needs of the clients. At this stage I work solely on client’s self-esteem an his/her imagination concerning the job.Specialists should have the possibility to call medical doctor or psychologist if there are some doubts concerning client’s testimony as they are basis for next, vital decisions. The early stages are important for the whole process therefore the whole team should be included in client’s strengths and weaknesses analysis.

Vocational advisor commentary

Source: Zatrudnienie Wspomagane-Prawdziwa Praca. (2015).EFS, POKL. Supported Employment-Real Work. ESF HC OP.

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Job coach abilities:

Knowledge of the labor market

Knowledge concerning abilities of PwD

Ability of efficient application of SE method

Ability of concentration on the needs and

problems of PwD

Raising and supporting the motivation of PwD

Adequate introducing PwD skills to the employer

Readiness for changing his/her unfavorably

attitudes towards PwD

Innovative thinking and engaging into seeking of

new solutions to different problems.On the basis of Majewski, 2005

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Adam25, comorbid disability,

- Dependence on parents- Low social skills- No work experience

Job coach decisive moments:- Successful WEP - Transportation training- Adequate training

General maintenance worker

Ann37, psychological disability

- Low self-esteem- Panic attacks- Avoids new places- Long term unemployed

Job coach decisive moments:- Engaging client into active job finding- Job interview preparation- Successful job matching

Call center worker

Peter53, deaf, partly sighted

- Illiterate- Low communication skills- Low-self esteem

Job coach decisive moments:- Successful WEP in hearing environment- Adequate communication system at the workplace- Establishing the right natural support

Auto mechanic assistant

THANK YOU

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