Welfare to Work

Phase 2

Provincial and Territorial Updates

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NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR

Phase 2 Provincial Update

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Summary

NewfoundJOBS is about providing income support clients who are interested in and ready for work with support to meet their employment objectives. It provides both funding supports and intensive one-on-one employment and career counselling thus allowing people to identify and address the current barriers to employment they are facing. NewfoundJOBS uses social assistance funding to support people going to work.

NewfoundJOBS is designed to provide specialized employment and career counselling, in addition to financial support, to help people implement their employment plans. Once clients have completed their employment plans with the support of a Client Services Officer(CSO) and/or a Career Development Specialist, a flexible envelope of money will be allocated on an individual basis. This can be used to fund the various "steps to employment" outlined in their plans, such as short-term training, job vouchers, wage subsidies, etc. These supports will enable clients to make informed career choices based on practical experience.

NewfoundJOBS advances the province's Strategic Social Plan unveiled in August 1998.

Through NewfoundJOBS HRE will help lead the way in setting up effective partnerships with groups such as community economic development agencies to identify and facilitate employment creation.

Purpose of the NewfoundJOBS Approach

Additional Measures include:

The following programs are open to unemployed and underemployed people in general, not specifically to social assistance recipients, although recipients are encouraged to avail of these additional supports:

Linkages

Linkages is a client centered youth employment initiative which welcomes the involvement of community based agencies in helping youth from a variety of educational and social backgrounds achieve their career and employment goals. Expected client outcomes are: return to complete academic upgrading; enter skills training; continued employment; or self-employment. Eligible participants are youth aged 18-24 who have not completed post-secondary training, have not made a successful transition to the the labour force and who are currently non-EI eligible.

Sponsoring community-based agencies offer biweekly individual or group counselling sessions on such topics as preparing for the first day on the job, workplace communications, job maintenance and extended sessions on career planning. Linkages provides a 100% wage subsidy to private and non-profit employers toward the starting salary for the occupation for up to 26 weeks, a maximum subsidy of $5,150 per position of which up to $470 is provided in the form of a "Completion Bonus" to be used toward the cost of tuition, books etc. The department contracts with the community-based agencies, which find and monitor the placements.

Graduate Employment Program

This program is targeted to graduates of post- secondary training to help facilitate their entry into the workforce by providing a wage subsidy of 60% of the starting salary to a maximum of $10,000 over 52 weeks. Individuals and businesses complete a separate application process; approved applicants are then matched with approved employer placements. Income Support recipients completing post-secondary training or who have completed post-secondary training in the past 24 months are advised of this program and encouraged to apply.

Student Work and Services Program (SWASP)

This program is designed to assist students who plan to attend or return to a post-secondary institution within the next year. Students work in career-related placements in their communities while earning salaries and tuition vouchers for future education. There is no claw-back from a participant's income support eligibility. There are two components of this program:

Student Employment Program (level 1,11,111)

This provincially funded program is designed to provide employment for high school students to help them prepare for post-secondary education.

Welfare-to-Work Programs

Program

NewfoundJOBS

Description

NewfoundJOBS assists recipients of Income Support in obtaining employment. It is focused on youth(aged 29 and under) who are ready to earn - individuals who through supports and services available through HRE are more likely to make a successful attachment to the workforce.

Program Activities:

Program Design and Implementation

The Department of Human Resources and Employment will utilize Client Services Management in the delivery of all services designed to assist clients achieve self-sufficiency. It will apply the Client Services Management Approach using the following guiding principles:

Client Services Management will:

Client Management Services are directed to specific clients who meet the eligibility criteria for a given intervention including:

Anyone who meets the eligibility criteria as defined by a specific active measure will be followed under one or more of the elements of Client Services Management.

Core Elements

To facilitate the progressive movement of clients through a continuum of services, Employment and Career Services will apply a three-element system entitled Client Services Management or CSM.

The three elements will provide structure to the client flow and permit the appropriate level of supports to be targeted to clients. The elements, which are not mutually exclusive, are described as follows:

Essentially Employment and Career Services staff use these systems:

Tracking and Monitoring

Service Coordination:

Intensive Planing

Descriptors of Client Flow Elements

Below are a series of descriptors of key elements of client services and active measures. The descriptors briefly describe these elements and how they relate to Client Services Management.

Career and Employment Information Services

Career and Employment Information Services are not subject to Client Services Management as are the other elements of client flow. Individual clients who use the services provided by the Career Development Specialists at the Newfoundland and Labrador Work Information Network are not subject to tracking or monitoring. However it should be noted that a client who is engaged in Intensive Planning with a Career Development Specialist may be referred to some service or activity offered by Career and Employment Information Services and the Career Development Specialist will capture that activity as part of Client Services Management.

Identification and Referral

Includes all processes that identify potential clients for the programs and services offered by Employment and Career Services.
These processes include:

These forms of identification and referral occur primarily during intake when information is gathered for determination of eligibility for Income Support. For Employment and Career Services these types of initial client contacts fall under Tracking and Monitoring.

Enhanced Screening and Assessment

The Enhanced Screening and Assessment(ESA) is a process which:

Collaborative Action Planning

Collaborative Action Planning (CAP) is a process which:

Range of Active Measures

The range of active measures describes the various interventions that Human Resources and Employment will deploy to assist clients achieve financial independence from Income Support.
These measures include;
All the above active measures (except the SWASP, Graduate, Seasonal and Employment Generation Programs which will use review committees as the primary method of determining the appropriate of the client and employer match) require that an Enhanced Screening and Assessment be completed.
All active measures are subject to coordination of services and are the primary responsibility of Client Services Officer.

Transitional Phase

After participating in one or more of the various active measures, a successful client will obtain gainful employment without any subsidy from Human Resources and Employment. At this point the client has entered a transitional phase.
For many clients long term success is dependent upon their first couple of years experience in non-subsidized employment. It is essential that Human Resources and Employment encourage clients to avail of its services when they experience problems in maintaining their job. The duration of the transitional phase will depend on the level of client need and Human Resources and Employment involvement will be guided by the particular maintenance issue.
The transitional phase is a part of service coordination.

Independence From Income Support

When a client has been employed in a non-subsidized placement for a period of two years he/she is deemed to have successfully completed the transition and are independent of Income Support. This particular outcome is significant for accountability purposes as savings to the Income Support Account can be calculated through effective tracking and monitoring.
In order for Client Services Management to be truly effective, the guiding principles and key elements must be communicated to community partners who serve mutual clients. This will promote the use of a common language in the coordination of services to clients.

Within the range of active measures funded by Human Resources and Employment, the Employment and Career Services Division contracts with a variety of third party agencies to provide counselling services, pre-employment training and employment measures. Client Services Management must be applied to these contractual relationships in a way that reflects the specific services offered and the intended outcomes for mutual clients. Due to the variance in these relationships and the clients served it will be necessary to define who is the primary manager of Client Services. A good rule of thumb would be to base this decision on who originated the referral to the community service and whether the referral is part of a larger plan. In all instances Human Resources and Employment and the agency must establish a relationship that is reflective of the Guiding Principles of Client Services Management outlined above.

Funding and Program Costs

Funding is available for the following program components:

Short-term Training

Generally, a person would have conducted a job search and identified an employer who will hire them but they need a short term training course in order to secure the job, eg., first aid training or a survival course.

NewfoundJOBS Short Term Training Component Guidelines

I. Definition of Short Term Training

Short term training relates to training that is not covered under the Student Loan Program. Training must be directly linked to immediate employment needs of the individual. Normally a person would have conducted a job search and identified an employer who will hire them. The individual needs some special training in order to secure the job. For example: a two day Red Cross Life Saving Course; or a two week Survival Course needed to qualify for work in the off shore marine or oil industry.

As the Student Loan Program does not normally fund training of 12-weeks or less, requests may be received for such courses as truck driver training and heavy equipment operator. These courses are expensive and labour market statistics show an excess of trained truck drivers and heavy equipment operators.

Each case will have to be considered on its own merit taking into account

II. Expenses Related to the Commencement of Training

The following items may be included as eligible items which can be approved as part of an individual's return to work plan:

Work Supports

These type of supports would be directly associated with the client's work placement. Examples of general items which would be covered under work supports include:

*Note: Out of province mobility assistance may be approved by Regional Manager, information on any approvals must be forwarded to the Director of Employment and Career Services.

Wage Subsidies

A flexible wage subsidy is available for clients; however, the wage subsidy should not normally exceed 50% of the hourly wage rate for private sector employers and 60% of the hourly wage rate for non-profit employers.

The period and the percentage of the subsidy will be negotiated between the employer and Human Resources and Employment officials based on the following:

NewfoundJOBS - Wage Subsidy Component Guidelines

I. Introduction

NewfoundJOBS (Wage Subsidy) is a flexible, client centred subsidy that is available to assist income support clients find suitable employment.

The decision to assist the client with the use of a wage subsidy may be arrived at in one of two ways:

During an Enhanced Screening and Assessment a client indicates that an employer has a position that is consistent with the client's employment goal; or

II. Subsidy

A flexible wage subsidy is available for clients; however, the wage subsidy shall not normally exceed:

50% of the hourly wage rate for private sector employers

60% of the hourly wage rate for non-profit employers.

Human Resources and Employment officials will:

    1. the employment action plan;
    2. the employer needs;
    3. the funding available;
    4. the value the work experience will offer the client;
    5. how much time the employer needs to determine suitability of the individual and to hire them full-time without subsidy;
    6. the local prevailing wage rate; and
    7. new, incremental jobs;

III. Eligible Employers

Profit and non-profit employers are eligible.

The wage subsidy is client driven, however, employers may contact Human Resources and Employment with any available job opportunities for clients.

Placement Support Allowance (for clients involved in pre-employment community partnership initiatives and/or training programs in excess of 8 weeks duration.)

Other Supports

Program Funding

Funding is on an annual budget approval basis.

Subsidized Child Care

Child care subsidies are available to program participants through the Income Support Program.

Program Participants

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for service or funding through NewfoundJobs an individual must:

While not a requirement, priority will be given to youth age 29 or less with a minimum education level of high school completion.

Eligible participants will be identified through the Income Support Program. Client services officers(CSO) will identify/screen potential participants of the program and refer the name to a Career Development Specialist(CDS). The CDS will contact the potential participant to arrange an initial meeting at which time the CDS will assess the commitment of the individual and determine whether the person, through some short-term intervention(s), is likely to be able to return to the workforce within a 12 month period

Caseloads

For the fiscal year 2000-2001 the following information is provided on the NewfoundJOBS program:

Average cost per client - $5000

Nature of Participation

Participation is encouraged, but not obligatory. Recipients are encouraged to participate and retain their income support eligibility while participating in interventions under NEWFOUNDJOBS.

Orientation and Follow-up

Identification of participants:

All Income Support clients taking part in NewfoundJobs programming must participate in the Enhanced Screening and Assessment process.

Through the Enhanced Screening and Assessment process Human Resources and Employment staff, in cooperation with the client, will determine the programming route that is best suited for the client.

During the Enhanced Screening and Assessment, consideration will be given to the full range of services and programming available to the client. Some examples of considerations and options include:

Appeals Process

There is no formal appeal process. Individuals can bring a complaint through normal organizational channels.

The Community

The Employment Base

Program Design Cons iderations

NewfoundJOBS is applicable province-wide; however, the full range of employment services is not readily available everywhere in the province. Through partnership arrangements and co-location of services with HRDC, accessibility is improving.

Programs are designed in keeping with the province's strategic economic plan. Partnership with labour market partners has brought that perspective to the table, and attempts are made to target human resource development initiatives to areas of economic growth.

Community Services

Human Resources and Employment will continue to partner with a number of community agencies to assist with the delivery of NewfoundJOBS. When identified as a partnering agency, an individualized protocol will be signed with the agency. This protocol will clearly indicate the relationship between the two organizations including both roles and responsibilities.

Program Evaluation

The evaluation of NewfoundJOBS is both formative (primarily qualitative) and summative (primarily quantative).

The purpose of the formative evaluation is to provide information to improve the ongoing activities of NewfoundJOBS. Some of the typical questions that would be asked within the context of formative evaluation include:

The purpose of the summative evaluation is to assess whether the program is meeting it's objective. Some of the typical questions that would be asked during the summative evaluation include:

Consultants are currently completing the first formal evaluation of NEWFOUNDJOBS.

Labour Market Development Agreement

The Labour Market Development was signed on March 24,1997. It provides for a co-management arrangement in which the governments of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada share responsibility for the design, management and implementation of labour market development programs and services.

Planned Changes / Directions

The Department of Human Resources and Employment is continuing with it's redesign project which to date has resulted in more dedicated employment and career services staff at the front line and a streamlined service to clients.

Index of Acronyms

CAP - Collaborative Action Planning
CDS - Career Development Specialist
CSM - Client Services Management
CSO - Client Services Officer
EI employment insurance
ESA - Enhanced Screening and Assessment
HRDC - Human Resources Development Canada
NLWIN - Newfoundland and Labrador WorkinfoNET
SWASP - Student Work and Services Program

Contacts

NAME:

Sharon Knott

TITLE: Director of Employment and Career Services

ADDRESS:

Department of Human Resources and Employment

PO Box 8700

3rd Floor, Confederation Building, West Block

St. John's, NF

A1B 4J6

E-MAIL:

sharonknott@mail.gov.nf.ca

TELEPHONE: (709) 729-3118
FAX: (709) 729-0767
WEBSITE: http://www.gov.nf.ca/hre


Last Revised: Mon, Dec 17, 2001

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