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3.1 ACR Components The ACR/SI was not designed to be a single, standardized approach to assessment, counselling and referral for individuals on income support. It was intended to be a "strategic initiative" in which a number of government and other stakeholders came together at various levels of partnership, to design, develop and test various approaches to delivering certain program elements in 11 pilot projects. Within the overall ACR logic model described in the previous section, the pilot projects were intended to incorporate up to five elements specified in the Cooperation Agreement, as refined by the ACR Steering Group. The five elements are listed below:
The logic models for these elements are set out in Appendix B. In addition to the elements described above, local committees could test other modifications and innovations in designing the components of their pilot projects. 3.2 An Example of a Pilot Project -Burnaby A description of the Burnaby pilot project is set out below to illustrate how one local ACR committee designed the actual ACR components. 3.2.1 Group Orientation Session In Burnaby, a Group Orientation session (formerly known as Group Service Needs Determination) was implemented. The Group Orientation Session is a 1.5 hour introductory session held twice a week in which individuals on income support are given comprehensive information on the range of training services available in Burnaby. The objective of these sessions is to enable IIS clients to assess their own needs and self-refer to other ACR services. The intent is to provide the tools and information required. 3.2.2 Starting Points As in most of the other ACR pilots, the Starting Points component in Burnaby adheres to the curriculum developed by Dr. William Borgen. The program is designed to assist those clients who have experienced barriers in participating in the labour market or who have been on income assistance for some time. Starting Points is a discriminative assessment carried out by the IIS client with input from the counsellor. It is designed to help the client identify and assess employment barriers/challenges associated with five employability dimensions, to set employment-related goals and action plans. 3.2.3 Career Planning A key barrier confronting many IIS clients is an inability to focus their efforts on a career or job area. The primary goal of the Career Planning component is to guide clients through the process of self-evaluation and career assessment necessary to research, evaluate and determine appropriate career options. 3.2.4 Career Information Resource Centre Officials in Burnaby noted that clients require career and labour market information in order to develop realistic educational and career plans. IIS clients also lack many of the material resources and facilities to implement their action plans or conduct job searches. The Career Resource Centre is designed as a self-help site where a wide array of support services are made available to IIS clients. The inventory of material available includes labour market and career decision-making information. There is also material on job search and resume guides, advice on writing covering letters, brochures and calendars detailing courses available at colleges, universities and private training institutions. Computers, fax machines, photocopiers, access to the Internet, telephones etc., are also available to IISs on a drop-in basis. 3.2.5 Career Preparation for ESL Clients For a limited number of immigrant clients with professional qualifications, lack of English fluency coupled with a strong accent is a significant employment barrier. Burnaby's ESL program is designed to aid immigrant social assistance recipients who have intermediate to advanced levels of English proficiency and post secondary/professional training. Each intake will assist ESL clients to further develop their English communication skills in order to overcome their employment search barriers and to enter the labour market. Clients work with a speech therapist who helps with accent reduction. There is also assistance with the translation and evaluation of foreign credentials for the Canadian labour market.
3.3 Summary of the Other ACR Pilot Projects The ACR pilot project in each area turned out to be quite different, except for the one common element, Starting Points. Exhibit 3.3.1 lists the project components that were selected in each pilot project community. 3.3.1 Fort St. John In Fort St. John, the ACR pilot project consisted of four components, Starting Points, Enhancement of Assessment and Referral, College Preparation and a Support Centre. The Starting Points program in Fort St. John was somewhat unique because it was delivered by a Training Consultant at MoEST and an Employment Counselor from HRDC, rather than by a contracted service provider. Also, the program is delivered in two consecutive half-day sessions whereas most of the pilot projects deliver the Starting Points program in two half-day sessions with a longer break in the middle. The Enhancement of Assessment and Referral component consisted of a specific training contract to provide Financial Assistance Workers in MSS with additional training in assessing and referring individuals on income support.2 The College Preparation component provided 25 hours of instruction a week for 15 participants who were interested in pursuing further education. The Support Centre provides two separate services, support for clients with personal barriers to employment and employment services for those individuals who are ready to enter the job market.3 3.3.2 Campbell River The Campbell River ACR Pilot Project consisted of Starting Points and three other components. The Campbell River pilot seemed to focus more on helping IISs to move towards employment and independence, than into other interventions. The Starting Points component was administered according to the "Borgen model", with some minor modifications discussed in section 3.5. The Learner Supports - Taking Next Steps component was an extension of a previously established, non-ACR program, Job Project. IISs who had completed a the former program could move on to Taking Next Steps and review and adapt their skill development plans in a group format. Campbell River's third program component was Moving Forward. This is a self-directed program in which participants upgrade their academic skills and/or literacy skills over a maximum six month period. The program also includes other life skills and a computer workshop. The fourth program component was Work Experience. This program focused on planning for work experience, identifying appropriate work experience, developing a training plan and other activities focused on jobs.
In Surrey, the first ACR component was a Job Action Workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to assist participants to formulate a very practical and usable action plan. This workshop has three phases and two optional modules. Phase I is similar to Starting Points but focuses more on jobs. Phase II is only for clients who were unable to develop a realistic action plan after the completion of Phase I. It is restricted to IISs who have been on income assistance for ten months. Phase III is a group follow-up session held four weeks later for graduates of the program. The optional modules for Job Action Workshop are Vocational Diagnostics and Job Development. The second Surrey component was an "English as a Second Language" (ESL) program. In this program, language skills were diagnosed and referrals were made to overcome language and employment barriers often encountered with new immigrant IISs. The third component was Starting Points. In Surrey, Starting Points was delivered in-house by the Training Consultants of MoEST. Starting Points was not initially chosen as a component by the Surrey Committee because of some difficult early experience with the program but after learning of the success experienced by other pilots, a Starting Points program was initiated.
In Prince Rupert, three ACR components were implemented, Starting Points, Career Planning (Career Options), and a Support Worker. The Starting Points program was delivered in-house, by staff from MoEST and HRDC. The Career Options program was delivered by North West Community College. The Career Options program was intended to provide additional services to Starting Points graduates. The objective of the course was to assist in the development of a skills plan, to increase job search skills, to decrease barriers, and to ensure adequate skills development to assist clients in successful completion of their skills plan. The third component in Prince Rupert's ACR pilot project was the Support Worker program. In this component, graduates of the Starting Points and Career Options components could obtain one-to-one counseling or attend group sessions that would assist with a successful transition to the workplace. Through the services of the Support Worker, individuals in receipt of income assistance could improve their personal problem-solving and crisis management skills, and obtain insights into personal barriers and how to overcome them.
The local ACR committee for Nanaimo implemented Starting Points and four other ACR components. In the Career Directions component, group sessions were held to assist participants in the creation of a realistic and attainable action plan for employment. This component was designed for IISs experiencing multiple barriers to employment and later focused on youth who have been on income assistance for more than seven months, (i.e., to conform with the provincial BC Benefits program). In the Job Talk component, employable individuals on income support attended group sessions to improve their communication skills necessary to succeed at work, at home and in the community. The objective was to overcome thinking and perceptual difficulties that constituted significant barriers. The Job Seekers component focused on employable individuals in receipt of income assistance at the outset but later focused only on youth on income assistance for more than seven months (again, to conform with the provincial BC Benefits program). This component was also conducted in group sessions of three weeks duration in which clients were assisted with their job search and were provided other necessary skills and information needed to look for work. In the final component, the Labour Market Information Pilot was designed to enable organizations dealing with the unemployed in the Central Vancouver Island area to go online using the Internet, and employ this and other methods to promote communication, cooperation and coordination among agencies that deliver employment-related programs and services to the unemployed.
The local ACR committee in Abbotsford retained the services of an independent contractor to deliver Starting Points. Two other ACR program components were implemented. In the Pre-Employment Program, graduates of Starting Points experiencing multiple barriers to employment were assisted to obtain and enhance generic skills that will aid them in successfully participating in training, finding jobs, keeping jobs, and dealing with personal issues that impact on employment. This program was conducted on a group basis over a six week period. It was eventually abandoned and replaced with a shortened version, Career Decision Making described below. The Career Decision Making component was made available to Starting Points graduates experiencing multiple barriers to employment. In this ACR component, decision-making skills were provided in order to address educational, training and employment needs of clients, and to increase client self esteem.
The Nelson ACR Committee implemented two Starting Points components, one in Nelson and one in Nakusp.
In Parksville, seven ACR components were implemented including Starting Points. A Therapeutic counseling component was implemented in which individuals on income support with personal life problems that interfered with their ability to seek employment could attend one-on-one counseling sessions to a maximum of ten sessions. The purpose of these sessions was to assist participants in the resolution of personal life problems interfering with their ability to seek employment. In the Literacy Services component, individuals on income support in need of literacy and numeracy training could obtain one-on-one assistance from volunteer tutors. Scribe services were provided, as well as assistance with problem-solving, information requests and referrals to other agencies. Diagnostic services and tutoring services were also available. In the Job Action component, clients who had received income assistance for more than seven months could attend groups sessions of three weeks in duration in which they were assisted with their skills and abilities to find employment. In the Career Exploration component, Starting Points graduates could attend group sessions lasting one week to identify career and employment goals and develop concrete action plans for achieving those goals. In the Vocational Counseling component, Starting Points graduates could attend one-on-one sessions as needed to obtain more individualized career and employment counseling services. In the Labour Market Information pilot, organizations dealing with the unemployed in the Central Vancouver Island area were assisted in using the Internet and were encouraged to communicate, cooperate and coordinate more in the delivery of employment-related services to the unemployed.
The local ACR committee in Kamloops implemented Starting Points and two other ACR components. In the Compass component, IISs who completed Starting Points could attend group sessions to obtain further assistance for working through pre-employment issues and in developing an employability action plan. In the Employment Support Worker component, graduates of the Avanti Restaurant Training Program could obtain individual counseling to support their job search and self-marketing efforts. The purpose of this counseling was to assist participants in their transition from the training program to the workplace.
3.4 The Sequencing of Components and Referrals Variations occurred in the way IISs could move through the ACR (and non-ACR) program components of a pilot project. An example of a "non-sequential" approach is described below. In the Campbell River ACR pilot, the program components were not designed to be sequential (i.e., IISs are not expected to start with Starting Points or move sequentially through the remaining programs). Each program is completely independent, although there may be circumstances where a client will complete one program and move on to another one that seems appropriate. For example, in the action plan that is completed at the end of Starting Points, a client may identify a need to improve his or her academic level and may therefore request to be referred to Moving Forward. Exhibit 3.4.1 depicts this pattern.
In other pilot projects, more of a sequence was developed for IISs to follow. Usually, Starting Points or a preliminary Orientation Session was the first component that an IIS had to attend. Referrals that were tailored to the specific needs of the IISs were then made according to the action plan produced by the IIS in the Orientation Session or Starting Points.
Starting Points was the only common component in all the ACR/SI pilot projects. It is conducted on a group basis. It is an important innovation that is expected to produce more positive results for more persons in receipt of income assistance than previous, conventional, one-on-one counselling programs.
Starting Points was initially developed by HRDC in collaboration with the design team of Marvin Westwood, Norman Amundson and William Borgen of UBC.4 The program was originally designed to serve the needs of HRDC clients but was later adapted to address the specific needs of IISs. According to its designers, Starting Points was expected to meet the following objectives:
The Starting Points program was intended to be delivered in two half day sessions of approximately 3.5 hours each.5 The recommendation was that there be at least two days between the two sessions in order to allow sufficient time for the participants to complete their homework. A follow-up session was to be held for three hours, one month after completion. The original agenda for Starting Points is attached in Appendix C. Additional information about each pilot project's Starting Points component is provided in Appendix D. Eight of the eleven pilot projects chose to contract the delivery of Starting Points to an external service provider. The reasons for this decision varied but tended to focus on a lack of internal resources to facilitate the sessions. The remaining three pilot projects delivered Starting Points in-house and the responsibility for facilitation was shared between a Training Consultant and a representative from HRDC (Employment Counselors or Program Officers). Most of the pilot projects adopted the original design for Starting Points. There were, however, a few changes. The West End pilot, for example, chose to deliver life skills workshops on the day between the first Starting Points session and the second. Also, most of the pilots chose to run the two sessions one day after the other, although two others chose to have one full day break (Abbotsford and Burnaby), and one pilot (Nelson) delivered Starting Points all on the same day. Contrary to the original design, none of the pilots appear to have a two-day or longer break between sessions. One reason given for the minimal breaks between sessions is that IISs are more likely to attend both sessions if the sessions are held close together. Another reason mentioned was that having the sessions back-to-back made it easier for single parents to arrange for day care. The method and frequency of follow-up sessions also vary across the pilot projects. Three of the pilots deliver group follow-up sessions (Fort St. John, Nelson, and West End); five others provide individual one-to-one phone or in-person interviews (Abbotsford, Burnaby, Campbell River, Nanaimo, and Prince Rupert).6 Most of the facilitators suggested that the transient nature of the IISs made it difficult to conduct these follow-up activities. The time intervals between follow-up activities also varied considerably, with the first follow-up contact ranging from two days (in Nelson) to six months after completion (in Nanaimo).
3.5.2 Source of Referrals into Starting Points The source of referrals into Starting Points varies somewhat, but most referrals originate from FAWs and/or Training Consultants. In pilots that offer an orientation session first, (i.e., Burnaby and West End), IISs voluntarily register for Starting Points after the orientation session. Referrals into the orientation sessions originate from the FAWs and Training Consultants.
3.5.3 The Number of Referrals Versus Starting Points Attendance Attendance rates for Starting Points ranged from 53% to 67%, in relation to the number of IISs initially referred into this component. Two of the highest attendance rates for Starting Points were found in Burnaby and Vancouver West End where Starting Points participants choose to register at the end of the Orientation Session. In both cases, the Orientation Session and Starting Points are conducted by one contractor. Screening of participants occurs at the Orientation Session and the result is higher attendance rates for the Starting Points component. Prince Rupert also reported high attendance rates. In this pilot, FAWs refer employable IISs to the Training Consultants who in turn refer a portion of these potential clients into Starting Points. 3.5.4 The Referral Process and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Contractors in a number of pilot areas voiced their frustration at being unable to contact IISs who were referred to one of their ACR program components before the individuals actually registered. The provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act) was cited as the prime reason for this restriction. As a result of the Act's requirements, ministries are unable to share personal information with an external contractor unless the individual in question consents to this disclosure. Under the current referral process, which usually involves ministry letters of referral to IISs, there is no opportunity to obtain this written consent until the IIS takes the initiative to contact the contractor. Consequently, contractors were unable to contact IISs prior to registration to encourage them to attend a Starting Points session. The impact is that the number of referrals versus the number of IISs who choose to register for Starting Points is outside of the control of the contractors. If the referral process could include consent from the IISs to release their names, telephone numbers and addresses to a service provider contracted to provide Starting Points sessions, the contractor would be able to contact these individuals and encourage them to attend a session. This contact may result in an increased attendance rate, although in at least one pilot (Nanaimo), reminder calls had little affect on attendance. The pilot projects faced a similar difficulty in their efforts to share information between the contractors and the FAWs/TCs. The action plans provided to the Starting Points contractors were considered personal information, therefore requiring the consent of the individual prior to sharing this information with the FAWs/TCs. To deal with this, a "Release of Information" form was created for the pilot projects. Every ACR participant is required to complete this form so that the action plans and attendance records can be shared between the contractors and the FAWs/TCs. 3.5.5 Comparison of Starting Points Cost Per Participant Total costs and accurate numbers of participants were not available from every pilot project. However, it is useful to compare the costs of delivering Starting Points for the five pilot projects that were able to provide some information. Exhibit 3.5.5.1 presents the estimated cost per participant for delivering Starting Points, in-house. Although three pilots chose this delivery method, we were only able to obtain information from Fort St. John and Prince Rupert. The dates provided in this exhibit reflect the time period over which the numbers of participants attended Starting Points. The average cost per participant is estimated to be $130. It should be noted that this is a rough estimate based on salary costs for delivering Starting Points. To be more accurate, other expenses should be included (e.g., office overhead, etc.). These expenses were unavailable and considered to be insignificant compared to the salary costs. In-house delivery is only practical in pilot areas where representatives from either MoEST or HRDC have sufficient time to facilitate the required sessions.
In Exhibit 3.5.5.2 below, the estimated cost per participant for contracted delivery of Starting Points is presented. On average, contracted service delivery appears to be more costly compared to in-house delivery. Without more details on the cost of in-house delivery, and without an assessment of the impact of each of these delivery methods, the value of this comparison is limited but it should be considered in more detail for future planning purposes. For contracted delivery, the most cost efficient delivery of Starting Points to date appeared to be in Abbotsford ($160 per participant). This pilot had the smallest budget and the largest number of participants. The most costly pilot project appeared to be the Nelson pilot where the referral process essentially collapsed, resulting in few participants.
3.5.6 Achievement of Intended Results For the most part, the Starting Points component in each of the pilot projects is working as intended and the short term objective of developing action plans for participants is being achieved. The waiting period for Starting Points tended to be significantly shorter than for IISs waiting to meet with their Training Consultant or attend other programs. It is unclear whether some of the more ambitious objectives (i.e., increased self-reliance, motivation or communication skills) have been met, however, the anecdotal comments made by contractors and ACR Committee members suggest that increased motivation may reasonably be expected of a Starting Points participant, for a short period after completion of the project. It is important to note that the objectives of Starting Points do not include long-term employment. This "first step" needs assessment program cannot, in most cases, be viewed as the only direct, causal link to employment outcomes for participants. For the vast majority of IISs, a number of other interventions may be required prior to employment. These limitations should be considered in management decisions and during a summative evaluation.
3.5.7 BC Benefits and the Starting Points Referral Process It is clear from this evaluation that the implementation of BC Benefits caused a great deal of change for clients, program administrators and service providers. Many of the people interviewed for this study suggested that waiting seven months before referring clients to Starting Points affected both the nature and number of referrals. Indeed, whether or not FAWs contributed significantly to the number of referrals appeared to depend on whether or not the IISs could be referred at the point of intake. In pilots where IISs were referred directly from intake (e.g., Fort St. John and Burnaby), the majority of the referrals originated from FAWs. In pilots where BC Benefits was implemented and clients were not referred until after they had been on assistance for seven months or longer, the number of referrals from FAWs tended to drop dramatically and more referrals originated with the TCs. As an example, at the time of our site visit, the FAWs in Campbell River had not referred any clients to Starting Points and were not likely to do so due to workload pressures. In Nanaimo, the number of referrals, and therefore participants, dropped dramatically after the implementation of the BC Benefits eligibility criteria in May 1996 (from 38 participants in April to 17 in May). The sessions were running well below capacity, averaging six participants per session. In Nelson, the entire referral process collapsed at one point as a result of the implementation of the BC Benefits eligibility criteria. The result has been a decrease in the cost efficiency of the Starting Points component. Also, with some pilots imposing minimum class sizes, a number of classes had to be cancelled, leaving the IISs waiting for a session to be held once enough participants were identified.
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