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Supported Employment Continuous Improvement Project (SECIP)
Patty Ghiossi, Coordinator

Patty Ghiossi

The Supported Employment Continuous Improvement Project (SECIP), funded through a contract with Louisiana Rehabilitation Services, represents the first comprehensive statewide effort to enhance supported employment services since the Louisiana Supported Employment System's Change Grant over ten years ago.

The Continuous Improvement Project works with providers authorized by Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) to provide supported employment services. Project staff assist providers to identify their current level of performance, the employment outcomes of the individuals they serve and the efficacy of their program's activity through the use of structured interviews and an analysis of LRS supported employment service data. Once the provider information is compiled, project staff assist the provider in identifying a supported employment outcome to improve, enhance, or increase in one of three core areas of quality improvement: (1) access to services for populations currently under-served in employment, (2) employment outcomes e.g., wages, employment benefits, diversity of employment positions, successful LRS closure, and (3) stakeholder satisfaction.

Each continuous improvement plan is unique to each SE provider, reflecting the needs of the individuals receiving ad/or requesting services, the providers' geographic and economic community and needs of the provider's staff. Once a continuous improvement (CI) plan is developed, providers begin to implement the activities outlined in their continuous improvement plan, with assistance from SE-CIP staff as needed.

Implementation activities are supported and/or coordinated through a variety of interventions by SECIP staff (e.g., training technical assistance, policy revision, policy development, linkage to outside resources and materials).

SECIP staff conducts follow-up evaluations with each SE provider as New Louisiana Rehabilitation Service Supported Employment data or when the activities associated with the CI plan have been completed. Evaluations are conducted to determine if positive changes in the implementation, outcomes, or stakeholder satisfaction occurred as a result of their continuous improvement plan activities. If the anticipated outcome was achieved, a new CI plan is identifying a new improvement, increase or enhancement desired in employment outcomes. If the anticipated outcome was not achieved, the CIP plan is revised and activities modified.

When the "themes" driving the CI plans are viewed in the aggregate, statewide or generic needs for training and changes needed in supported employment practices are identified. This information highlights needed improvement in supported employment services statewide that can be used by LRS to modify or augment SE training opportunities as well as provide LRS with the information and data needed to effectively manage supported employment policy and procedure.

First, as in many states, Louisiana's citizens with the most significant disabilities have very low participation in community employment, second by funding SECIP, LRS has demonstrated their strong commitment to improving supported employment services, outcomes and stakeholder satisfaction. Finally, SECIP creates a process through which SE providers in collaboration with LRS and other state and local resources, continually enhance their capacity to deliver quality supported employment services. The SECIP approach supports the emergence of a culture of continuous improvement among providers that will benefit Louisiana's citizens with the most significant disabilities, now and in the future.