Omhsas Announcement

OMHSAS ANNOUNCEMENT May 10, 2007

Employment Transformation Project Expansion Opportunity

BACKGROUND: In March 2006, OMHSAS solicited concept papers from counties interested in participating in the OMHSAS Employment Transformation Project. Six counties were selected to receive technical assistance in transforming their local employment services. In those six counties, OMHSAS has provided targeted technical assistance and consultation including: evaluation of existing internal and external vocational services and supports; assistance in the development of an advisory council; informational sessions with all stakeholders; training sessions for practitioners in the application of evidence based practices in supported employment; training for peer employment support group facilitators; on-going technical assistance, both on-site and electronically; evaluation and outcomes analysis, and; provision or assistance in securing other employment related trainings, services and supports as identified by sites.

This year, OMHSAS has identified an additional 19 counties or joinders to receive priority consideration for Employment Transformation technical assistance to be offered beginning in FY 2007/08. These 19 counties eligible for consideration either 1) identified employment as a priority for new funds in Attachment K of their FY 2007-2008 county plan or 2) applied for, but did not receive, Employment Transformation Project technical assistance last year.

ELIGIBLE COUNTIES The entire list of 19 counties/joinders identified as eligible to apply for the expanded Employment Transformation Project for 2007/08 includes the following:

Allegheny, Armstrong/Indiana, Beaver, Bedford/Somerset, Centre, Crawford, Cumberland/Perry, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin/Fulton, Forest/ Warren, Lancaster, Luzerne/Wyoming, Lycoming/Clinton, Mercer, Montgomery, Tioga, Venango, and Washington

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS In order to be considered for this expanded technical assistance project, each of the counties identified above is asked to prepare answers to a series of 6 interview questions contained at the end of this announcement and present their employment service transformation concept for consideration to receive technical assistance. The review and selection process will consist of a 1-hour scheduled interview/presentation time for each potential county project. A review panel facilitated by two national level consultants will conduct the county project interviews related to the 6 interview questions found at the end of this announcement. After all potential projects and county needs are evaluated, final selection of several county employment transformation projects will be made.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS Dr. Kate Donegan is Director of The Matrix Center at Horizon House and from 2004 to 2007 served as Director of Training and Technical Assistance for the University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration for Persons Living with Psychiatric Disabilities. Dr. Donegan has over 27 years of experience delivering and directing services to persons living with serious cognitive and emotional disabilities. Dr. Donegan’s consulting activities have focused on the application of best practices and improving rehabilitation outcomes for persons using psychiatric supports and services. Dr. Donegan is an international seminar leader/trainer on a wide range of topics and has also served as lead researcher on a number of field initiated research and demonstration projects.

Mr. Norman Council has 25 years of experience in the delivery of human services with more than 15 of those years dedicated solely to the development, implementation, management, and funding of human services and behavioral health care programs. Mr. Council has been responsible for the creation of over thirty community-based behavioral health and human service programs. The primary focus of Mr. Council’s consultation activities is the development of service systems that support effective disability management and the return of the person with mental illness to fully integrated functioning and employment in the community setting of their choice. Mr. Council has conducted workshops, conferences and technical assistance throughout the United States and Canada.

COMPONENTS OF THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO COUNTIES

Counties selected for the employment transformation project will receive the following:

. Visit to the project sites by the consultants to assess current employment programs, situation and future needs . Meeting with the employment project implementation group to begin the planning process, with development of and action plan including workplan and timeline for project implementation . Coordination of stakeholder meetings to assess employment project needs and priorities from all perspectives and to assure consistent buy-in. . Training of practitioners regarding Evidence-based employment approaches . Ongoing technical assistance/consultation for county employment service transformation, for up to 2 years, to include e-mail, list serve, phone and on-site consultation to the counties, project sites and practitioners.

2 PARAMETERS FOR SELECTED COUNTIES TO RECEIVE SUPPORT: Counties selected for the Employment Transformation Project expansion must agree to the following in order to be eligible:

1. Participate in an evaluation of existing employment and education services and supports, as well a process designed to identify the demographics of the service population and the potential service population – if necessary.

2. Form an “Employment Transformation Advisory Group” – which will agree to meet regularly (ideally weekly) in support of the initiative. This group must be representative of all stakeholders.

3. Make a commitment to examining fiscal changes in order to provide the kinds of services and support that are necessary to the success of the initiative. An example of this would be support for the existence of on – going post-employment supports.

4. Make a commitment to understanding the knowledge that informs effective and best practices and agree to fully assess existing practices and projects that may not be yielding positive outcomes in competitive employment with the goal of changing those practices or projects. These may include such things as long- term, prerequisite driven, “pre – vocational” programs such as transitional employment with no progression to independent employment; long-term traditional sheltered employment; and long-term non-functional assessment procedures

5. Agree to implement the Supported Employment (SE) Toolkit, including the fidelity measures.

6. Agree to participate in a full day training session, for practitioners, on the SE Toolkit, and what supports its implementation.

7. Agree to organizing an Informational Session for all other stakeholders in the employment initiative, to review why the initiative is important, and overview of the SE Toolkit.

8. Agree to the development of a Consumer Support Culture – including providing resources for consumer certification as Peer Specialists, WRAP facilitator training, and related opportunities. Include consumer

3 representation in all transformational activities. Begin to initiate the use of WRAP, Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) Implementation Toolkit and related disability management content into all day program content.

9. Begin collaborative relationships in the community with providers of needed services such as: Adult Educational Centers (GED); Supported Education, Community Colleges; and other services as identified by stakeholders as supportive of the initiative.

10.Conduct Public Relations, Public Education (stigma busting) and general outreach to the community.

11.Secure on going, individualized Benefits Counseling – and insure that it will be available in the long run for consumers who are working and managing benefits.

12.Be open to other culture and programmatic changes and restructuring that may be necessary, based on the environment, available resources, and the decisions of the Project Advisory Group.

SELECTION PROCESS: Counties interested in being considered for employment transformation technical assistance should complete the following:

1) Send a confirmation email to: Carol Ward-Colasante at [email protected],us no later than June 1, 2007, indicating your county/joinder’s interest in being considered for the Employment Transformation Initiative. (See attached template of information to be included)

2) OMHSAS staff will coordinate/schedule a one hour interview time for your county to present your concept to the review and selection team which includes the consultants (see attached questions, and potential dates for interviews). Interviews can be conducted by videoconference at select sites around the state, or as schedules permit, face-to-face interviews in Harrisburg. Your presentation team can suggest suitable dates in the month of June and OMHSAS staff will coordinate a scheduled time and location mutually agreeable to the County Team and the reviewing consultants.

3) Come to the interview prepared to answer the attached questions and carry out related discussion.

TIMELINES:

4  By June 1, 2007 - Eligible Counties identified in this announcement must email confirmation of interest to apply, submitted to OMHSAS as per instructions above.

 Month of June - Conduct face to face interview or videoconference or teleconference appointments between counties, review and selection team and consultants. NOTE: (OMHSAS can arrange videoconference capabilities for County teams from all four OMHSAS regional field offices or from all of the State Hospital locations. Additionally, if counties have access to another videoconference site OMHSAS may be able to create bridge conference capability with that site. ) Note: 1 hour interview reservations will be accepted for the following dates: June 18, 21 or 22. Please indicate your preference for date and time (a.m. or p.m.) on the email confirmation information form.

 By June 30 - Final selection of Counties to receive Employment Transformation technical assistance. There are no cash awards.

 August/September - Consultants will do initial telephone technical assistance contact with each selected county project to arrange onsite assessment of needs and project design

SEE EMAIL CONFIRMATION FORM AND INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ON NEXT TWO PAGES

5 E-MAIL – CONFIRMATION INFORMATION

OMHSAS EMPLOYMENT TRANSFORMATION PROJECT

NAME OF COUNTY, JOINDER:

______

COUNTY MH/MR ADMINISTRATOR:

______

ADDRESS: ______

______

CITY, ZIP-CODE: ______

PHONE:______FAX:______

E-MAIL: ______

LEAD PERSON FOR PROJECT COORDINATION:

______

PHONE:______FAX:______

E-MAIL:______

PREFERRED TIME & LOCATION OF INTERVIEW 1ST CHOICE ______TIME PLACE

2ND CHOICE ______TIME PLACE

PERSONS THAT WILL PARTICIPATE IN INTERVIEW/AFFILIATION: ______

6 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

1) What Employment services are currently offered in your county or counties? Are post-employment supports available for persons who are currently working?

2) What employment opportunities do consumers want that are not currently available to them? Is there a particular employment service redesign that consumers and family members want in your county or counties? How did you gather this information?

3) What is currently working and not working in your employment services? Please explain: is your proposed employment project “starting from scratch” or is your proposed project a “retooling” or redesign of an existing employment program?

4) Describe the anticipated consultation or technical assistance needs in your County MH system in order to successfully transform an employment component or components.

5) Identify the provider agency (ies) that will be directly involved in the transformation. Have you identified the membership of your Employment Transformation Advisory Group?

6) Identify stakeholders that will be involved (providers, consumers, family members, and OVR) in your proposed employment transformation project.