Page 10 of 12

Quality Indicator #8: Employment Outcome Monitoring and Tracking System

Traditionally, supported employment programs have developed standards, objectives, and processes in an effort to build and promote quality supported employment services. Program managers and staff design standards and indicators to assist in gauging the success of their program services. The typical areas assessed include: philosophy, mission, administration, fiscal management, image, community resources, personnel, job or career development, job training and support, long-term supports, and employee relations.

With many programs, the primary reason for organizational assessment is to meet an agency need for supported employment provider certification. This certification is required to become a local vendor for supported employment and to qualify for state or local funding. However, most supported employment organizations recognize the need for assessing quality and are committed to providing excellent services. Yet, many supported employment personnel report that collecting and analyzing data on quality indicators is an unrealistic expectation. For this reason, some programs have stopped assessing collecting the data necessary for an accurate assessment of the overall quality of their service organization.
Collecting and analyzing data on supported employment service outcomes does not have to be difficult or time consuming. Without accurate and consistent data, it is impossible to accurately assess the quality of a supported employment program, particularly in the core quality indicators of serving persons with significant disabilities, achieving meaningful employment outcomes, customer choice and employer satisfaction, and job retention. Programs can analyze the quality of their employment outcome monitoring and tracking system through these questions:

• Does the program maintain a longitudinal, data based information system that contains accurate and up-to-date information for program participants on employment status and longevity, wages, benefits, hours of weekly employment, and types of jobs?
• Is information on employment outcomes for participants reported in a format that makes it readily accessible for review by current and prospective program participants, funding agency representatives, potential employers, and other community partners (i.e. One Stop Centers, Benefit Planners, Independent Living Centers)?
• Does the program regularly track and report-on the satisfaction of participants with the services they receive and the employment outcomes they achieve?