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Employment Support Program
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The ultimate goal for Mercy Centre and for the people whom
it serves is independence realized through a job in their community.
Mercy Centre Employment Support Program provides opportunities for adults
with developmental disabilities to maintain successful competitive job
placement. People in the Employment Support Program are paid
minimum wage, or the established rate for their job. Our goal is to
assist people achieve meaningful employment within the community,
appropriate to their choices, abilities and preferences. These
services are provided primarily at the Participant’s place of employment
or at supervised work sites in the community. Limited services are
provided in the facility.
Individual Supported Employment
Supported employment services are designed to assist people
to choose and achieve vocational and employment goals and objectives,
appropriate to their wishes and abilities. People are competitively
employed at local businesses, and receive ongoing supports from this
program. The Mercy Centre support services range from the initial job
coaching to long term follow-up and job maintenance support. This
process is very individualized and there is no time limit to follow-up
supports. Long term follow-up supports include face to face contact
with both the employee and the company contact person, at least
monthly. The Case Manager also contacts the person’s parent and/or
guardian, on a monthly basis, in order to assure continued satisfaction.
Community Work Sites: Group
Some people work at supervised supported employment work
sites in their community. They are integrated into these local companies,
and receive fulltime supervision due to safety, medical or behavioral
issues. Community work sites are also for people who choose not to be
competitively employed but enjoy working in the community. People in the
Employment Support Program work outside the facility at least three days
per week. The Program provides transportation to and from their
community work site. All participants are paid for the work that they
perform off-site. Time studies are performed on all off-site jobs in the
community. Sub-minimum wages are paid in accordance with the
Department of Labor.
Facility Based Services
Some people who work competitively on a part time basis
choose to work at Mercy Centre on their days off. These people have
the option of performing subcontract work in the facility or working at
an established community work site. Some people who work at supervised community sites choose to work in
the facility one or two days per week. The work area in the
facility is supervised fulltime.
Job Coaching Services
The Job Coaches work directly with the program participants
in the community. They do 1:1 job training or provide fulltime
supervision at community work sites. Job Coaches participate in time
studies and task analysis. They also complete vocational evaluations. Job
Coaches transport, train, supervise and provide ongoing employment
supports for program participants.
Case Management Services and Job Development Services
The Employment and the Job Specialists provide job
development services and case management services. Job Development
Services include administering various assessments, initiating job tours,
assisting in the application and interview process, and helping the
Program Participant develop relationships with co-workers. Case
Management responsibilities include record maintenance, completion of
State required documentation, participation in the annual ISP, goal
tracking, liaison between Mercy Centre and parents, guardians,
residential providers, Community Health Link Counselors and Department of
Mental Retardation. Case Managers keep in touch with parents and
guardians, prepare annual vocational and safety assessments, generate
non-intrusive, positive based behavior plans and provide any other support
necessary to the people whom they serve.
Access to Services
Employment Supports is for people with developmental
disabilities who need assistance with vocational training or employment
services. Program Participants must want the service, need the
service and have a desire to work in the community, with an
individualized level of support. Potential program participants are
treated with dignity and respect throughout their contact with the
organization, and receive a thorough assessment of their employment needs
in relation to the services offered by the Mercy Centre Employment
Support Program.
Community Based Day Supports (CBDS)
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The CBDS Program provides
opportunities for personal growth which enhances the Participant’s
self-esteem, independence, encourages interactions with peers and
community members, offers opportunities to develop increased competence
in group situations as both members and leaders and provides individual
opportunities to solve problems actively.
Goal
Employment is not the primary focus of CBDS.
The CBDS Program provides supports and
opportunities for people to enrich their lives by developing personal
skills, participating in a full range of community activities and
developing a network of caring relationships. Supports are based on
individual preferences and needs, with an emphasis on self-determination
and individual control.
Criteria
CBDS is
for people who have chosen to have work take a less important role in
their lives. CBDS is also for people who are
medically fragile or are experiencing other significant issues that limit
their ability to be engaged in full-day work activities.
Alternative Activities
Alternative activities available in CBDS
include: communication skills, using community resources, health and
nutrition, safety skills and safety awareness, survival skills, money,
time and telephone skills, cooking and cleaning, grooming and hygiene,
therapeutic recreation, human rights and assertiveness training, social
and leisure skills and community access.
Vocational Services
People in CBDS can participate in
work or volunteer activities for up to 50% of their time. There are
part-time volunteer opportunities every day. People in CBDS who volunteer in their communities truly are
valued contributors to society.
Staffing
The CBDS Program Coordinator
provides case management services for people, supervises the CBDS staff and relates all activities to the ISP
goals. The CBDS Activities of Daily
Living (ADL) Instructor provides skills training
in the area of communication, health, and nutrition, human rights and
assertiveness, money and time, grooming and hygiene, cooking, cleaning
and therapeutic recreation. The CBDS
Community Access Instructor provides skills training in the area of safety,
community awareness, recreation and leisure, utilizing community
resources, community membership, social and socialization skills. The CBDS Vocational Instructor provides vocational
training in the facility, at community job training sites and at local
volunteer sites.
Each person participating in the CBDS
Program is involved in planning the weekly activities. People can
participate in work/volunteer activities for up to one-half of their
time, either at the facility or in the community. Participants will spend
at least half of their program time on alternative activities that best
suit their needs, abilities and preferences.
Day Habilitation Program
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The Mercy Centre Day Habilitation program provides adults with
developmental disabilities with a variety of activities that stimulate
senses, teach functional skills, provide meaningful recreation, and
further develop physical abilities. The Day Habilitation program helps
people grow socially and physically and focuses on social integration
within the community.
The Mercy Centre Day Habilitation Program which opened in
July 2009, offers an alternative model for
people who are medically fragile or are experiencing significant issues
that limit their ability to be engaged in full day work activities.
This program provides each person with the following:
- Skills training programs
in a supportive, therapeutic setting
- Restorative services, as
ordered by the person’s physician
- Nursing care and
assistance in daily living
- Speech/language therapy,
occupational therapy, physical therapy and behavior management
Skill training is provided in the following areas:
- Self-help Development
- Sensorimotor
- Communication Development
- Social Development
- Independent Living
Development
- Affective Development
- Behavior Development
Individualized case management, nursing and behavioral
supports as well as therapeutic services to people who benefit from
structured learning and recreation are all
components of this program. Speech, behavioral, occupational and physical
therapies enhance people’s abilities to function independently, relate to
others, make choices, and advocate for themselves. Activities of daily
living such as cooking, cleaning, maintaining personal hygiene and
exercising build a foundation for the expansion of opportunities and the
growth of self-esteem.
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