“Supported Employment in the Nordic countries” Øystein Spjelkavik Work Research Institute, Oslo [email protected]

“Supported Employment in the Nordic countries”

Øystein SpjelkavikWork Research Institute,

Oslo [email protected]

Status of SE in the Nordic countries

• SE in the Nordic countries is a successful approach• SE is still not a large proportion of all work-related

measures; the sheltered sector and train-place’ prevail• SE is typically provided as an “add-on” service by

agencies that financially and skills-wise are based on traditional forms of pre-vocational training, sheltered workshops and municipality day care activities

Challenges• SE operates in a principal–agent system,

purchased by public adm and performed by sheltered sector service providers– Tendency to “cherry pick” when pressed to improve job

outcome; do not promote place – train for clients with much support needs

• Public administration– Lack the necessary expertise to know what to look for

or what to expect; are not aware of place-train for clients with much support needs

• National organisations of EUSE– Not confident that clients with much support needs can

utilise place–train, little political influence, employed in train-place organisations

SE (?) eligibility criteria – a Norwegian example

• Clients are as a main rule eligible when they have undertaken work experience placement

• Clients who have not been in work practices can also be considered for admission along the following criteria: – clarified professional desire, relevant updated health

information, history of work experience with no violations, motivated and stable, not dependent on drugs

What to expect of SE?• Everybody can work, given the right

professional support– Job coaches blame clients or employers for

failure– providers and case workers claim clients must

be ‘job ready’ – quality SE standards seldom used– lack of commonly accepted definition of skills

& actions to be expected of a job coach

SE does not develop as a bottom-up process

• A strong evidence-base• Reluctance in mainstreaming and no pressure from the

bottom• SE on a widespread basis require strong policy support. • Policy, caseworkers and national EUSE must:

– address the domination of the traditional vocational rehabilitation model

– define the particular inclusion skills competence to be expected by the professional job coach of SE

– Increase competence in, and formally adopt to, international standards

Michael Kamp, MCC

“Supported Employment in the Netherlands. New

challenges for integrated

employment”

New challenges for integrated employment

• Historical overview• Government policy• Future development• Reflection


Historical overview• Till 1985 strong focus on sheltered

employment (change due to costs and growing attention for integration)

• 1994 subsidy for job coaching • Regulations by law (wet REA); new

law 2006 WIA


• First idea to bring Supported Employment under the framework of the law for sheltered employment (WSW)

• Intervention in parliament: now 2 regulations:

- a. persons who needed personal support/job coaching to get a job on the open labour market apply for this facility (REA)

- b. persons with disabilities who are indicated for sheltered work can choose for a job on the open labour market with support of a job coach from the sheltered workshop.


Number of persons working through Supported Employment

_______________________________________________ Results Supported Employment Supported

Employment REA/WIA Sheltered workshops ________________________________________________ 1994 150 2003 3708 2006 7000 1800 2009 11500 5295


• Distinction Skill – Support dimension• Skills related to work itself (Ministry

of Employment)• Support related to the person’s

disability and the individual tailored support needs (Ministry of Health)


Government policy• Decreasing numbers working in

sheltered workshops• Increasing employment in the open

labour market• Productivity 33 – 75% (with support:

job coaching)


• Strong focus on employers (e.g. pilot project job coaching provision by employers/ co-workers)

• Sustainability (keeping the job): tasks analysis within companies; (re)design jobs, creating jobs for persons with disabilities (pilot Slotervaart Hospital)

• Agreements at national level: hiring persons with disabilities


Reflection• Old systems in the Netherlands are not a

stimulation for employing many disabled persons on the open labour market

• Focus on employers is a positive development (e.g. project Slotervaart Hospital

• Baseline government policy, including recognition of job coaching, can contribute to increasing numbers of persons with disabilities working in the open labour market


• Introduction of productivity criteria can block possibilities of more severe disabled persons in finding and keeping a job on the open labour market

• Decreasing government spending: more becomes a responsibility of the private sector

• Arising awareness among employers and co-operation with employers is becoming more important


• Changing role of Supported Employment organisations (e.g. specialist/ advisor to companies

• More responsibility for municipalities (are also responsible for sheltered workshops)

Supported Employment in Germany

Kirsten HohnGerman Association of Supported Employment

Development of SE in Germany

• 1990s Model projects and SE services for specific target groups

• 1994 German Association for Supported Employment – BAG UB

• 2001 Book IX of the Social Code

→ nationwide system of vocational integration services

• 2009 Individual vocational training measure: “Supported employment”

Book IX of the Social Code: Rehabilitation and participation

• Sheltered workshops: 297.000 persons*

• Integration firms: 9.225 severely disabled employees*

• Vocational integration services: 100.000 people*

• Personal assistance at the worksite: 2.400 people*

• Supported employment: 3.000 people*

• Personal budget (entitlement since 2008)

* 2012

Employment situation

Unemployment rate:

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%

totaldisabled people

Funding of support in work-life

Funding giver Level content

National Employment Agency

national First vocational education, SE-measure

Integration Offices states („Länder“) Long-time support of employment

Social integration assistance

regional Sheltered workshops & day activity centers

…. …. ….

BAG UB• Representation of interests of vocational integration Services

• Training of professionals in SE

• Technical support for SE providers, counselling, evaluation, project development

• Main topics and projects:– Personal Budget– Transition from school to work– Transition from sheltered workshops to the general labour market– Further development of SE (concept & measure)

• Journal: „impulse“

Vocational integration services• 2001 – implementation of a nationwide system

• One service in each region

• One service for job seekers, employers, schools, parents, sheltered workshops etc.

• Placement, training, securement

• Transitions (school / sheltered workshops → employment)

• Current problem: tendering of the services

„Supported employment“ (measure)

• Vocational training measure inside companies• 1 project day per week• Duration: 24 months • Client-staff-ratio: 5:1• mainly participants with cognitive disabilities (> 70 %)• Qualification & ongoing support• EUSE quality standards in legislation and quality

assurance

Current discussion points• Quality and costs / tendering system

• Nationwide Vocational orientation for all disabled students

• Disentanglement of benefits from the institution to the person

• Permanent compensatory payments for severely disabled people with high support needs

• Promotion of the personal budget

• Implementation of core methods of SE, e.g. personal future planning

Documents

“Supported Employment in the Nordic countries” Øystein Spjelkavik Work Research Institute, Oslo [email protected]