Published in the BC Centre for Ability’s Newsletter Ability Express in July 2011
Person-centred approach empowers clients to get employed
The ERCPD Team
Staff at the Employment Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities (ERCPD) in Surrey have achieved an important goal.
On June 21, they met their target of helping 222 adults with disabilities find full or part-time work – nine months before the ERCPD program contract ends in March 2012.
It’s the quickest that the program has hit its target in its six-year history, Vocational Program Manager Nicola Oliver notes. And it comes during a time marked by a difficult economy and staffing challenges.
Nicola cites the capabilities of her staff, including Employment Specialists Rod Embree and Ann Miller and Social Worker Shannon Todd, for the success of the ERCPD, which is a program of the BC Centre for Ability.
“The team has a lot of skill and they work well together. We’ve made efficiencies with some of our processes, and we were able to more readily meet the needs of our clients through one-to-one counselling meetings and providing group sessions to allow for clients to connect with staff during busy times,” Nicola says.
Rod adds that staff bring much experience to clients who are highly motivated to find work.
“When we have that (motivation) to begin with, a lot of other things can fall into place,” Rod says.
Of the 222 clients assisted, 55 per cent secured part-time employment – often preferred by clients to supplement income assistance and manage their disability – and 45 per cent found full-time work.
One out of five, or 20 per cent, got a job in retail, cashier or customer service. About 17 per cent are working in restaurant food service, followed by the labour and construction trades at 11 per cent.
The ERCPD’s success also comes as significant changes in employment service delivery are set to start in British Columbia in April 2012.
Until then, the ERCPD program plans “to keep facilitating clients to get employed and to keep doing really great work,” Nicola says.
“(Reaching our target) is a really huge outcome for us. It shows that there’s a definite need in this community for programs such as the ERCPD, and it’s a boost to the team because they know they’ve managed to surpass the expectations of the program outcomes ahead of time with limited resources,” she says.
Based in one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, the program offers a range of services utilizing the Centre’s mandate of a person-centred approach. This means support to clients is tailored to individual need, based on their unique strengths, and staff view the client as central to making decisions about their future success.
Staff take a collaborative approach and provide information and guidance to clients so they are empowered to make their own choices.
The ERCPD is a Vocational Program with a social worker on staff in the Surrey area. Shannon provides support to overcome non-employment related barriers. She assists with debt management, stable housing, access to low-cost food and income assistance, counselling, and health and mental health support.
“To be able to even contemplate work, you really need to have those basic needs covered,” Shannon says.
In their work, ERCPD staff have seen clients become empowered and progress toward goals, e.g. strengthening community attachment through recreational activities or reaching the ultimate goal of paid employment.
Employment has enhanced the client’s lives in many ways, from financially to psychologically, staff say.
“Even those who haven’t found work have expressed gratitude for the ERCPD program support,” Nicola says.
“We are able to give clients a chance to unpack where they’re at in their lives and discuss their fears about going back to work and their hopes about one day having work,” she says.
The team is keen to continue serving the clients in Surrey and surrounding areas, and looks forward to the next few months as they plan to start a small research project and review data for program evaluation.
