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consumers do not need to go from one placeto another to receive information and services.Involving stakeholders from vocationalrehabilitation can help streamline procedures thathelp generate additional revenue for SE programs.Furthermore, representatives from the SocialSecurity Administration can help you identifyresources for benefits counseling and routinetraining on the impact of work on benefits.Local advisory groups can serve as liaisonsbetween the community and participatingmental health agencies. Community stakeholderswith an interest in the success of SE programsinclude representatives of the following: Local consumer organizations; Local family organizations; Agency administrators; and Local vocational rehabilitation agencies.Additionally, many communities have found ithelpful to establish a Business Advisory Councilat the local level.“It has often been said that the employment of peoplewith disabilities is mostly a matter of opportunity andsupport. The quantity and quality of opportunity,however, depends on how available, interested, andinformed employers are. Furthermore, as studies onemployer views of disability illustrate, the target of thesupport should be as much the employer as the jobseeker.” (Luecking, Fabian, & Tilson, 2004).Forming a Business Advisory Council will allowyou to engage and elicit feedback from localemployers. Use the forum to educate employersabout the benefits of hiring people with mentalillnesses. Inform them of the benefits of acollaborative working relationship includingthe following components: A pool of interested and qualified applicants; Prescreening of potential applicants to assesstheir skills and strengths for available positions; Short-term, onsite job coaching to help newemployees become situated; Guidance about reasonable accommodations; and Information about the Work Opportunities TaxCredit that reduces employers’ federal incometax liability.From the beginning, you need to lead youradvisory groups in understanding and articulatingwhat SE is and how it is going to be developed inyour mental health service system. For trainingmaterials that you can use to help stakeholdersdevelop a basic understanding of SupportedEmployment, see Using Multimedia to IntroduceYour EBP in this KIT.Advisory groups should continue to meet well afteryour SE program has been established. We suggestthat they meet about once a month for the firstyear, once every 2 months for the second year, andquarterly for the third year. By the second and thirdyears, advisory groups may help SE programssustain high fidelity by assisting with fidelityevaluations, outcomes monitoring, or translatingevaluation data into steps for continuous qualityimprovement. For more information on the role ofadvisory groups, see Getting Started with EBPs inthis KIT.Planning your SE initiativeWith a vision firmly in place, the process ofunfolding SE programs across the service systemcan begin. Carefully planning this process will helpensure a successful outcome.Implementing SE programs first in pilot ordemonstration sites may be useful. Working withpilot sites can help you manage problems as theyarise and give constituents the opportunity to seethat SE works.Multiple pilot sites are preferable to just one.When only one site is used, idiosyncratic thingsTips for Mental Health Authorities 12 Building Your Program
can happen that misrepresent the model. On theother hand, when systems do a system-wide“rollout,” it is difficult to adequately train all SEstaff. In that case, system problems that may havebeen resolved easily on a smaller scale with a fewSE programs can cause havoc.Establish program standardsStudies of agencies that have tried to replicateevidence-based models have found that if agenciesdid not achieve positive outcomes, it was oftenbecause they failed to implement all of model’scomponents (Becker et al., 2001; Bond & Salyers,2004). As a mental health authority, you have thecapacity to ensure that the system has incentives toimplement SE. Attention to aligning theseincentives in a positive way (such as attachingfinancial incentives to achieving higher competitiveemployment rates) is vital to successfullyimplementing SE.States have the authority to adopt regulations thatgovern services to consumers. These regulations setstandards for the quality and adequacy of programs,including criteria that govern these areas: Admission and discharge; Staffing; Service components; Assessment and treatment planning; Consumer medical records; Consumer rights; and Supervision and program evaluation.Support the implementation of SE by explicitlyreferencing SE in licensing standards and otherprogram review documents (for example, grantapplications, contracts, requests for proposals, andso forth). It is also important to review currentadministrative rules and regulations to identify anybarriers to implementing SE. Work closely withagency administrators to ensure that mental healthauthority policies support high-fidelity SE practice.Address financial issuesEach state is different. In many cases, while yourSE initiative can be mounted with little or noadditional appropriations, it is important to reviewfunding streams to ensure that they support SEimplementation.What does SE cost?The cost of providing SE services varies from stateto state, ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 perconsumer per year (Clark, 1998; Kregel et al.,2000). The cost figures vary according to manyfactors, including the following: Severity of disability for consumers served; Local wage scales for employment specialists; Indirect costs; and Costs of clinical services.How is SE funded?Funding mechanisms vary from state to state. Forthe most part, funds are used from these sources: Rehabilitation services administration (orvocational rehabilitation); Division of mental health; and Medicaid.Work with leaders from these state agencies todevelop a mechanism to pool monies that can beused to reimburse the services of SE programs.State Medicaid rules may allow reimbursement forselected SE services. Consider contactingadministrators from other states who havesuccessfully worked out a plan to gather usefulideas and strategies.Building Your Program 13 Tips for Mental Health Authorities
Page 1: BuildingYour ProgramSupportedEmploy
Page 4 and 5: AcknowledgmentsThis document was pr
Page 6 and 7: This KIT is part of a series of Evi
Page 9 and 10: Building Your ProgramWhat Is Suppor
Page 11 and 12: SE staff participate regularly in c
Page 13 and 14: No evidence of negative effectsPrac
Page 15 and 16: Building Your ProgramTips for Menta
Page 17: Be involved in implementingSupporte
Page 21 and 22: For at least the first year a new p
Page 23 and 24: Building Your ProgramTips for Agenc
Page 25 and 26: working can obtain competitive jobs
Page 27 and 28: Some evidence shows that consumers
Page 29 and 30: Develop a collaborative relationshi
Page 31 and 32: Sample Supported Employment Program
Page 33 and 34: In addition to group supervision, e
Page 35 and 36: Sample: Vocational ProfileVocationa
Page 37 and 38: Vocational ProfileCurrent adjustmen
Page 39 and 40: Vocational ProfileWork skills conti
Page 41 and 42: We strongly encourage you to adapt
Page 43 and 44: Develop a training planDeveloping a
Page 45: Office space should not be separate

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