The Five Stages of Personalised Employment
Stage One - Service Preparation
This begins with identifying individuals who would like to participate. This can come from self-referral or an enquiry from a family member, friend, teacher, support coordinator, support worker or anyone with personal ties to the individual.
An important component of this stage is a professional assessment, to ensure that the potential client has the capacity to engage in personalised employment and that any unknown issues are identified. The aim is to eliminate or reduce the risk to the client, employer and work colleagues and ensure a postitive outcome can be achieved.
Stage Two - Discovery
Discovery begins when the service agreement has been signed. At this point, the real work begins and the client is at the centre of everything that occurs. The service agreement contains information relating to the stakeholders, but this can change as information is gathered. At this point, the focus isn't on work, but instead is about documenting tasks, interests and pasttimes the client engages in at home and in social settings.
When the information has been gathered, a preliminary report of the findings will be presented to the client and key stakeholders. Honest feedback is required to ensure that the final report is as accurate as possible.
Stage Three - Employment Preparation
Discovery activities are wound down, but are ongoing. The focus of the third stage is to prepare the client for employment. It uses the information gathered in discovery to create a list of tasks that could be applied to a workplace. The client remains at the centre of this stage and it is important to understand that their leisure interests are not necessarily something that they would want to engage in at work.
A resume is created, along with templates for engaging with employers. Since the client will not be applying for a specific position, the layout and content of the letters will be different to a standard cover letter. The preparation includes identifying local employers and pathways to engagement with them.
Stage Four - Personalised Job Development
This stage uses the information gathered in stage three to start a conversation with potential employers. The challenge is explaining the concept of personalised employment and how it can benefit both the client and the employer. There is no expectation of an employer creating a new role within their organisational structure. It is about identifying an unmet need. An example would be assigning non-billable tasks from an employee. A hairdresser, spending time sweeping up clippings and filling shampoo bottles, is potentially losing income from providing their service to paying customers when performing these tasks.
Stage Five - Employment Support
Support continues after the client has secured employment. This is available to the client and the employer and is based on their requirements. It helps the client to maintain employment, particularly if they they are struggling or unable to complete their tasks independently or that the agreed workplace adjustments need to be amended. Internal workplace issues, such as issues involving the client's colleagues, are handled by the employer, but support is available to them if required. Completion of the service is at the client's discretion.