WorkFirst HandBook

8.4 Supported Work Programs

The Supported Work Programs section includes:

The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) contracts with local community-based organizations to provide and manage three supported work programs for WorkFirst parents:

Parents referred to a supported work program coordinate with a CTED contracted case manager who designs and manages the work requirement. Parents are placed on a worksite and supervised by a Worksite Supervisor who provides daily supervision and work training. All supported work programs are designed to provide unpaid employment skills and experience for up to six months. Worksite placement is based on each parent's prior training, experience, skills, and interests.

8.4.1 What is Community Service?

The Community Service program is designed to provide employment skills to WorkFirst Cash Assistance parents while they are engaged in other activities or to provide work experience while they are waiting for an activity to start.

The Community Service program is a structured program in which WorkFirst parents perform work for the direct benefit of the community. Community Service programs must be limited to projects that serve a useful community purpose in fields such as health, social service, environmental protection, education, urban and rural redevelopment, welfare, recreation, public facilities, public safety, and childcare.

8.4.1.1 What is the Community Service referral criteria?

Community Service can be used in a variety of ways to bring a parent up to full-time participation. See the FLSA/Deeming and Stacking Activities sections for more information about how we use participation in the Community Services program to meet participation requirements.

Determination for the Community Service program is based on the following criteria:

The WorkFirst Program Specialist/Social Worker (WFPS/WFSW) will:

8.4.1.2 Community Service Engagement

Placement into a Community Service worksite must take into account the prior training, experience, and skills of a recipient to determine an appropriate worksite.

Community Service worksites must be coordinated with public or nonprofit organizations to complete projects that benefit the local community and must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than daily.

8.4.2 What is Community Works?

The Community Works program is designed to improve the employability for parents who are able to participate in a work activity with the additional support of a WFPS/WFSW for continued intensive services.

The Community Works program is a structured community service program in which WorkFirst Cash Assistance recipients perform work for the direct benefit of the community. Community Works Programs must be limited to projects that serve a useful community purpose in fields such as health, social service, environmental protection, education, urban and rural redevelopment, welfare, recreation, public facilities, public safety, and childcare.

8.4.2.1 What is the Community Works referral criteria?

See the FLSA/Deeming and Stacking Activities sections for more information about how we use participation in the Community Works program to meet participation requirements. Determination for the Community Works program is based on the following criteria:

The WorkFirst Program Specialist/Social Worker (WFPS/WFSW) will:

8.4.2.2 Community Works Engagement

Placement into a Community Works worksite must take into account the prior training, experience, and skills of a recipient to determine an appropriate worksite.

Community Works worksites must be coordinated with public or nonprofit organizations to complete projects that benefit the local community and must be supervised on an ongoing basis no less frequently than daily.

8.4.3 What is Community WEX?

The Community WEX (CWEX) program is an unpaid, long term, work experience program that is structured to provide core work activity for WorkFirst parents. The CWEX program establishes a worksite for the parent to obtain the specific skills, training, knowledge, and experience necessary to obtain employment in the parent's chosen career field.

The CWEX program is designed to improve the employability of recipients not otherwise able to obtain employment without experience and must be supervised by a worksite supervisor daily. Placement into the CWEX program must take into account the prior training, experience, and skills of a recipient to determine an appropriate worksite.

8.4.3.1 What is the CWEX referral criteria?

Determination for the CWEX program is based on the following criteria:

Example: Joan has been a stay-at-home mom and has no work history. She was unable to find employment during job search. Joan has stable childcare, housing and transportation; her only major issue is that she is unable to find employment. She would really like to work in an office setting but needs experience before employers will hire her. Joan can be referred to the CWEX Program to gain skills, current experience and a work reference.

The WorkFirst Program Specialist/Social Worker (WFPS/WFSW) will:

See the FLSA/Deeming and Stacking Activities sections for more information about how we use CWEX participation to meet participation requirements.

8.4.3.2 CWEX Engagement

CWEX Work Assignments must be coordinated with public or nonprofit organizations and provide job training in the parent's chosen career field.

NOTE: For Employment Services WEX see Chapter 4.4 Work Experience.

Community Service

  • Parents with part-time employment of less than 32 hours per week.
  • Parents who are participating in a core activity but have insufficient hours to meet the minimum 20-hour core requirement.
  • Parents who are participating in an activity but do not have enough activities for full-time participation.
  • Parents who are pending the start of another core activity within four weeks or during breaks from other activities (such as summer college break).

Community WEX

  • Parents who need to acquire job skills to be competitive in the labor market.
  • Parents who have participated in Job Search but were unable to obtain employment due to lack of previous experience in their career field and short-term WEX is not appropriate.
  • Parents who have completed training in a specific field and need to acquire experience in that field to be competitive in the labor market
  • Parents who have previous experience in an identified career field but have been absent from the workplace and need recent experience to be competitive in the labor market.
  • Parents who need minimal case management to be successful on the worksite.

Community Works

  • Parents who are able to participate in a work activity with the additional support of a WFPS/WFSW providing intensive services.

 

8.4.4 Consistent for all Supported Work Programs:

Parents are expected to make first contact with the contractor within five (5) business days of the referral with a childcare and transportation plan. Contractors will attempt to contact parents by telephone, email if available, or direct face-to-face meeting if the contractor is on-site at the time of referral. First contact is defined as an actual face-to-face meeting between the contractor and the parent.

If first contact is not made within five (5) business days then the contractor will reject the referral on the 6th business day.

Contractors will meet with the parent to review the results of the Comprehensive Evaluation (if applicable) and the parent's previous training, experience and skills to determine an appropriate work activity.

Contractors will provide program orientation to parents regarding program policies and expectations.

8.4.4.1 Worksite Placement:

Parents will be placed in a work activity no later than 10 business days of first contact. Initial activities can include workplace training and orientation directly related to the worksite. Examples of the training may include safety, workplace competencies, customer service, basic computer skills, work specific skills, etc.

Contractors will establish worksites and ongoing worksite management to include:

Parents can be placed into Life Skills training while waiting for placement in a work site. For more details on Life Skills training, please refer to section 7.3.6 – What is independent life skills training?

8.4.4.2 Work Plan/Worksite Agreement:

The contractor will work with the parent to develop a Work Plan and sign a worksite agreement. The host worksite administrator and the contractor must sign a worksite agreement. A copy of the signed worksite agreement must be on file with the contracting agency.

Work assignments must have a position description that clearly details the work schedule, duties, and transferable skills being obtained. The worksite supervisor and the parent must sign the position description. Copies of the signed agreement must be provided to the parent, the worksite supervisor and maintained in the parent's file.

Information regarding the parents work schedule, duties and skills will be entered into the Work Plan in eJAS. Parents are required to sign their Work Plan whenever their program expectations or requirements change. The Contractor will provide a copy of the signed Work Plan to the parent and maintain a copy in their files.

Note: If the parent is involved with the ACP (Address Confidentiality Program), do not enter the worksite information. The Contractor will enter “ACP” instead of the actual worksite name.

8.4.4.3 Worksite Supervision:

Worksite supervisors are required to provide an employee evaluation for every parent on a monthly basis. Contractors will report information from the evaluations on monthly participation and progression updates via eJAS. Worksite supervisors will be required to incorporate soft skills training into the work duties.

Worksites will be supervised on a daily basis. The worksite supervisor must maintain daily attendance records. If a parent does not show up for work, the absence must be reported immediately to the contractor.

8.4.4.4 Reporting:

Worksite supervisors will submit attendance records every two weeks to the contractor. The contractor will enter the attendance records in the actual hours reporting screens in eJAS (see Monitoring Participation chapter).Contractors will report attendance issues using the “Immed” column on the Contractor Caseload Screen:

A: After two unexcused absences in one calendar month, the WorkFirst partner/provider will:

B: After two excused absences in one calendar month, the WorkFirst partner/provider will:

Contractors shall report the monthly participation and progression status of each parent using eJAS between the 1st and the 10th of the following month on the previous months' activities.

8.4.4.5 Support Services

Contractors may provide support services related to work activities. Prior to authorizing support services, contractors will review the eJAS Payment History to ensure the guidelines for the category have not been exceeded.

8.4.4.6 Closing a Supported Work Program:

Anytime a parent is no longer enrolled in a supported work program, the contractor will:

8.4.5 Supported Work Programs – Step-by-step guide
  1. The WFPS/WFSW will:
    1. Refer the parent to the contractor using:
      1. XS for Community Service.
      2. CW for Community Works.
      3. WE for Community WEX.
    2. Create the component for six months.
    3. Enter the number of hours the parent can work per week in the Scheduled Hours.
    4. Enter the Contractor Code for the Supported Work Program provider.
    5. In the Referral Narrative, include the schedule for any stacked activities that may already be identified or specific information about the upcoming activity if the parent is pending the start of another activity.
    6. Authorize support services and child care needed for engagement with the program.
  2. Upon receipt of the referral, the contractor will:
    1. Attempt to contact the parent by telephone, or email if available, or a direct face-to-face meeting if the Contractor is on-site at the time of the referral. The contractor will document attempts to contact parents in eJAS case notes.
    2. Arrange First Contact meeting (actual face-to-face meeting) with the parent within five (5) business days from the referral.
    3. Review the referral information, program recommendation, results of the CE (if applicable) previous work history, training, skills and goals to determine if the program recommendation is a good match and identify a Community Service worksite.
    4. "Accept" the referral if First Contact is made with the parent within five (5) business days of the referral.
    5. Complete the First Contact column on the Contractor Referral Screen and include details about the first contact with the parent.
      1. If the referred program does not appear to be the best fit for the parent, the contractor will include their recommendation and explanation in the First Contact Note as well. Additional discussions may be required for both partners to agree. If a different program is agreed to, the WFPS/WFSW will update the component referral with the new component code.
    6. If First Contact is not made with the parent within five (5) business days the Contractor will “Reject” the referral on the 6 th business day.
    7. Once accepted, the contractor will:
      1. Develop a work activity for the parent within 10 business days of First Contact.
      2. Create the worksite agreement and the Work Plan in eJAS.
      3. Enter the date the parent starts at a work activity in the Actual Start Date column on the Contractor Caseload Screen.
  3. Once the Contractor enters the Actual Start Date in the Contractor Caseload Screen, the WFPS/WFSW will:
    1. Resolve the discrepancy between the Scheduled Start Date on the Contractor Caseload Screen and the Actual Start Date on the Contractor Caseload Screen by changing the Scheduled Start Date to match the Actual Start Date. This will remove the black triangle from the Contractor Caseload Screen that explains that the Scheduled Start Date does not match the Actual Start Date.
  4. For the duration of the supported work program, the contractor will:
    1. Enter monthly participation and progression status reports in eJAS between the 1st and the 10th of the following month on the previous month's activities.
      1. Participation reporting will include attendance documentation in the eJAS actual hours reporting screens.
      2. Progression reporting will be entered as a case note that will include information from the worksite supervisor monthly evaluations of the parent's progress at the worksite.
        1. After the 5th Month in the program, in addition to the evaluation information, the contractor will provide suggestions for recommended next steps upon completion of the 6th Month.
    2. Notify the WFPS/WFSW of attendance issues using the "Immed" column on the Contractor Caseload Screen if the parent has more than two unexcused absences within a calendar month.
    3. Document issues related to the work activity in eJAS case notes. Contractors will attempt to resolve worksite issues with the parent. Contractors will involve the WFPS/WFSW immediately when issues arise that the contractor is unable to resolve or the issue is not related to work but is affecting the parent's ability to participate.
    4. Provide support services related to the parent's work activity. Support services will be documented in eJAS.
  5. At the completion of the program (or anytime the parent leaves the program), the contractor will:
    1. Close the Work Plan.
    2. Update case notes with exit information including the reason for leaving the program and suggestions for next steps for the parent.
    3. Enter the date and select the “reason” code on the Contractor Caseload Screen to electronically refer the parent back to DSHS
    4. Create an Employment Screen if the parent obtains unsubsidized employment.
    5. Send an e-message to the WFPS/WFSW notifying them that the parent is no longer enrolled in the program.
  6. At completion of the program, the WFPS/WFSW will:
    1. Close the component and the contractor code by entering the actual end dates in the Actual End field in the Component/Contractor/IRP Update screen.
    2. Determine the parent's next activity.

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For more information about the WorkFirst HandBook, contact Kim Shidell, WorkFirst Program Manager.