“ Improving Diversity through Supported Employment ”

Main findings of the NextStep project A Leonardo da Vinci partnership Grete Wangen & Øystein Spjelkavik hosted by: In association with:

Partners Work Research Institute, Oslo, Norway (coordinator) Universidad de Salamanca. Instituto Universitario de Integración en la Comunidad, Salamanca, Spain University of Lapland, Finland Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, Cardiff, UK Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment, Belfast, UK Optima arbeidslivsmestring Grete Wangen, Oslo, Norway Salva Vita Foundation, Budapest, Hungary Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszaw, Poland KARE - Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Newbridge, Ireland Misa AB, Solna, Sweden Kiipula Foundation / Vocational Rehabilitation Centre, Turenki, Finland

The project The project has been aimed to identify how the 5-Stage process, as developed by the Leonardo Partnership 2008 – 2010, works after it has been implemented in various local, regional and national settings: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the 5-Stage process model after 5 years in operation? Identification of lessons learned and exchange of experiences - identification of improvement procedures Each partner has carried out a case study of the implementation of the 5-stage supported employment project in their country, describing: The organization and resources of any agency acting as a case study The processes operating in relation to the 5-stage supported employment model The client groups and employers served in the case study The work and personal outcomes delivered for the clients and employers involved in the case study. The national and local policies and legal frameworks that underpin the success of the case study

Main findings 1.The EUSE 5 stage process is well known and service providers use it 2.Perceived as a guide for performing Supported Employment in Europe 3.Lacks clearcut measurable quality criteria – service providers can do almost as they wish and still call it Supported Employment 4.Main activities appear at stage 2, which indicates that service providers focus on pre-employment activities rather than activities directly at the work place 5.There has been very little attention to how Supported Employment performed according to the EUSE 5 stage process works with and supports employers, and how the work place is used in partnership with employers for training purposes and job development 6.Also very little attention has been paid to develop natural and on-going supports

What happened to «place then train»? Why does stage 2 of the Five Step Process take so long? Has the old regime of «train then place» returned into SE: o Training o Other issues than work o The job readiness paradigm Shouldn’t stage 2 be rather short according to the place-train principle? Why does it happen that clients of Supported Employment following the EUSE 5 stage process are seen as not “job ready”? Is it up to individual employment specialist to judge whether a client is “job ready”? Should SE be «work focused» or «whole life focused»?

What happened to «place then train»? Is there a difference between a placement in Supported Employment and “place and pray”- placements? In what way does the EUSE 5 stage process make this difference visible? Is SE about «job development» or «recruitment of labour for employers»? What competencies should funders expect from a job coach?