IPS Fidelity Newsletter Vol 13

Celebration time!

In March and April 2025, two CES Project host agencies were selected by DHHS-OBH to engage in the first two evidence-based IPS Reviews in our state. In the coming months, DHHS-OBH is planning to walk through this process with two more of our CES host agencies. We are thrilled and proud that our CES host agencies are at the forefront of employment-related, evidence-based practice in Maine! 

Since 2022, relative to IPS, we have learned together, uncovered barriers, sought solutions, and considered how to reengineer services and processes. Everyone has "rolled up their sleeves" and made tweaks, shifted internal processes, and/or made significant adjustments toward this effort.  

Thank you for your commitment to recognizing the value of employment as a healthcare driver, and to continuing this journey toward improving employment outcomes for the Mainers we collectively serve. 

To paraphrase Helen Keller, "...., together we can do so much".  

Why are fidelity reviews worthwhile?

Why do we need them?

Improves Service Delivery:

Fidelity reviews are worthwhile because they help programs improve the quality of services, which in turn, improves the lives of people receiving those services.

Evidence shows there are better employment outcomes in IPS programs that have higher fidelity to the IPS model.

Improves Quality of Services:

Fidelity reviews are the single best way to improve quality of services. By giving specific feedback on how to improve program fidelity, employment specialists and their supervisors can make changes to align with this feedback. Based on large-scale studies of IPS, programs can achieve high fidelity if agency leaders are committed to making positive changes.

Demonstrates Pathway to Continuous Quality Improvement:

A reason for agency leaders to endorse the fidelity review process is that it is part of a broader commitment to continuous quality improvement. Leaders who use data to make decisions and who monitor program activity work toward excellence and high standards.

The fidelity scale is a tool to measure the level of implementation of an evidence-based practice.



Click the buttons below to access content:

Fidelity Scale Spotlight:

#7 Agency Focus on Competitive Employment

What is competitive employment?

Competitive jobs are those that any person can apply for regardless of disability status. Workers earn minimum wage or higher (or their wages are commensurate with co-workers who have similar training and experience). Seasonal jobs may be considered competitive, but jobs that are designed to be short term as a way to ease someone back into the working world are not competitive. Likewise, jobs that have limited duration because they are designed to be assessments or to teach good work skills are not competitive. The number of hours worked each week does not affect whether a job is competitive, for example, a job working two hours a week could be competitive. Peer specialist positions are competitive because only a person with a lived experience of mental illness is qualified for those positions. Self-employment is considered to be competitive employment provided taxes are filed.

This indicator under Organization in the fidelity scale is about how the mental health agency promotes competitive work through multiple strategies and goes on to offer agencies a variety of strategies to support this goal. When all bulleted strategies in the fidelity scale are utilized, the fidelity rating for this indicator is 5/5.

Let's look at how CES agencies can increase this rating:

• Use the Need For Change self-rating scale at intake and at every 90 day tx plan update. Make this a consistent practice for all case managers.

• Display the employment posters provided by the CES project, in public locations such as lobbies, hallways, meeting rooms, and public restrooms. Keep the employment stories binder(s) in the lobby.

• Add a yes/no tick box to all 90 day tx plans that asks if client is working. Track that data.

• Support clients to share their work stories with other clients and staff. Can be done through peer support groups, in-service training, agency newsletters...

The CES Team is here to help you!

"Earn while you learn!"

Apprenticeships can be a life-changing opportunity for people looking to upskill or find a new career. Many don't need the intensive services of an employment specialist -- they need to know their options and the resources

available to them.

Case managers and Care Coordinators are well-equipped to share these exciting opportunities with people served.

Did you know that Maine offers a variety of apprentice programs throughout the state coordinated by

Maine Department of Labor?

CLICK HERE

FMI

Check out this new pre-apprenticeship program designed for people curious about healthcare professions.

Lots of opportunities!



CLICK HERE

FMI

Learning opportunities:

FMI, click on the links

Center for Learning: Domain 8

$275, Begins 8/26. Click link for other domains and dates

Benefits Navigator Training

$25, 9/26 in Portland

IPS: Mental Illness and Recovery

$100/pp, on-line, seven-week course for tx teams

and families

IPS 101: Practice Principles

Free, 90 minute virtual webinars

Self-care as Ethical Practice

$5/pp, on-demand, for caregivers

IPS Non-Practitioners Course

$20/pp, 2-hour virtual course

My Living and Working with SMI...

Free, 1 hour virtual course

Five Stages in Recovery...

Free, 1 hour virtual course

Motivational Interviewing:

What it is and what it is not

$5/pp, on-demand, for behavioral health practitioners

For a deep dive into the IPS review process, rationale and materials, click the button below.

Welcome to the MaineHealth Vocational Services, Community Employment Services newsletter. This newsletter will be distributed quarterly and will provide resources and information pertaining to the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment for people living with psychiatric disability. The purpose is to educate stakeholders on how to adapt their agencies to reach and maintain high fidelity to the model. The secondary purpose of this newsletter is to inform stakeholders of valuable employment-related resources in order to enculturate vocational conversations within mental health agencies and with the people served by those agencies.

Disability Employment has been a focus of MaineHealth's Vocational Services for over 40 years. We serve both job seekers and businesses, while also offering vocational rehabilitation services through ACT teams and mental health agencies. The DVS mission is to bridge the gap between employment and people with disabilities.

The most recent iteration of the CES grant (2022) introduces the IPS Fidelity Scale, the role of IPS Trainer and Liaison, and technical assistance and training to agencies as they learn to implement the principles and evidence-based practices of IPS. DVS would like to recognize our partnership with DHHS Employment and Workforce Development, and DOL Vocational Rehabilitation for their work in making this grant possible.

To reach Nancy Litrocapes, IPS Trainer and Liaison, please email: nancy.litrocapes@mainehealth.org.