Viability of Using Employment Rates from Randomized Trials as Benchmarks for Supported Employment Program Performance

Abstract

Cumulative employment rates published by randomized trials are based on each enrollee's pre-planned 18–24-months of study participation. By contrast, community programs typically report employment rates for clients active in services during a calendar quarter. Using data from three supported employment programs in randomized trials, we show that trial cumulative employment rates are about twice as large as quarterly employment rates for the same program. Therefore, we recommend that administrators, service networks, and mental health authorities begin to publish quarterly employment rates, and quarterly median earnings, to allow policymakers to set realistic performance expectations for supported employment programs.

Social Value of Supported Employment for Psychosocial Program Participants

“…This employment rate was fairly comparable to the program's overall 25% mean quarterly employment rate for 2008, and previous 25% mean quarterly employment rate for 2007, and only slightly lower than the employment rate (34%, n = 25 of 73) for the target population of all currently active members over a longer 6-month period (last quarter of 2007 through first quarter of 2008). These quarterly employment rates compare favorably to quarterly rates reported for similar types of supported employment programs in other locations within the United States [57].…”

“…A prior study of this same program demonstrated that SE services can be effectively provided by psychosocial program professionals practicing as generalists [53], and this program's 2008 and 2009 quarterly employment rates were similar to the quarterly rates reported for other SE programs [57], so it seems reasonable to recommend that psychosocial programs designed to promote both peer support and social integration add supported employment to their array of rehabilitation services.…”

Does Competitive Work Improve Quality of Life for Adults with Severe Mental Illness? Evidence from a Randomized Trial of Supported Employment

“…The Clubhouse (“Clubhouse”) was certified by the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) as being in compliance with the Standards for Clubhouse Programs, 20 and was typical of ICCD-certified clubhouses in the United States with similarly sized memberships and comparable operating budgets in regard to staffing, services provided, attendance rates, and employment outcomes. 24,25 The Vocationally Integrated Program of Assertive Community Treatment (“PACT”) was mentored by Leonard Stein and Jana Frey, who ensured operational comparability to the original PACT model program in Madison, Wisconsin, and verified compliance with PACT fidelity standards. 26 …”

Adapting Evidence-Based Interventions to Fit Usual Practice: Staff Roles and Consumer Choice in Psychiatric Rehabilitation

“…The multi-service psychiatric rehabilitation program that served as a research site for our study performed as well as other providers of supported employment that have published quarterly employment rates [34]. The program's 25% average quarterly employment rate approximates the 27% average quarterly rate for eight high fidelity IPS programs in New Hampshire [35], the 26% quarterly rate for a certified clubhouse program in Massachusetts [36], and the 28% quarterly rate attained by a specialized supported employment team in South Carolina that was closely integrated with a program of assertive community treatment [37].…”