Class Exercise 1
The clubhouse program where you have been a staff member for three years has just been notified that funding to develop supported employment (SE) services is going to be available soon. The director would like to apply for this funding and has brought together the staff members who are primarily responsible for the transitional employment (TE) program to design the SE program. It became evident immediately that there are many different opinions about how to structure the new SE program.
Some think that SE should be completely separate from the rest of the program so that members who want to can access SE without being involved or associated with the clubhouse aspects of the program. Others want to use SE as the next step after TE. Their reasoning is that people have to demonstrate commitment, motivation, and good work behavior before you can convince an employer to hire them. Still others want to develop a multistep program, in which members spend eight weeks in a work unit demonstrating attendance, punctuality, good grooming, adequate productivity, ability to work as a team member, and ability to accept feedback from a supervisor. At the same time, members will attend a work-readiness group where they will discuss reasons for wanting work. This will be followed by three months on a TE placement and then the individual can go into an SE job.
1. Considering what you have read about predictors of vocational success and quality vocational services, evaluate the options presented.
2. Describe a SE program design that incorporates what you have learned about vocational issues and quality services.
Class Exercise 2
Your residential program runs a cleaning crew service. The crew employs residents of the program who, under the supervision of a counselor, clean the group homes. The crew members are paid a small stipend. Originally the cleaning service was conceived of as a step toward jobs in the community, but almost no crew members have gone on to other employment.
1. In what ways is this cleaning service different from SE?
2. What are some likely reasons that the crew members rarely go on to regular employment?
3. What would need to be done to change the cleaning service to an SE program?