Promising Practice #5
Increasing Access to Work Supports
Overview
In this practice, profiled WIBs understand that for many customers, work supports are a critical piece of the puzzle in enabling them to take advantage of the types of education, training and employment that will lead to self-sufficiency., Work supports are those programs available through public assistance- federal, state, or local- that enables workers to function more effectively in their work. For instance stable housing, access and use of safe and appropriate child care, health care coverage and access to transportation can decrease absenteeism and turnover.
The two case studies here represent WIBs that are committed to ensuring that customers’ work support needs are not just identified, but met. Such an approach often requires a significant shift in priorities and restructuring of programs. In these examples, the WIBs have taken the leadership and responsibility of linking One-Stop clients to work supports rather than making a simple referral. The WIBs have played a significant role on making supports available because of their commitment to uninterrupted progress for the customer.
The administrative agencies are responsible for piecing together the needed services, developing a strategy to pay for those services, and distributing the costs among funding sources sensibly and fairly. Where several agencies are responsible for delivering different services or work supports the agency staff works collaboratively. No agency takes the attitude of “that’s not my job;” instead, they ask “what can my agency contribute to this aspect of the customer’s needs?” All partners know they are operating in an environment where different agencies/funding sources have different rules, and they strive to make the navigation process seamless for the customer.
The integration of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) systems tends to produce the greatest access to work supports. However, it is not necessarily the integration of these programs but the philosophy and motivation behind the integration that fosters a holistic approach to service delivery.
Case Studies:
» Promising Practice #6: Assessing Outcomes through Data Collection and Establishing Benchmarking Goals
WIA Law/Regulations
WIA defines supportive services as services such as transportation, child care, dependent care, housing and needs-related payments, that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in WIA activities.1 The law does not address the larger array of work supports, including Food Stamps, health care, tax credits and others that can be vital in assisting WIA customers in their progress toward self-sufficiency, particularly while they are in jobs at the lower rungs of their chosen career ladder.
While WIA requires that the initial assessment done for each customer include an assessment of support service needs, it does not require that these needs be addressed. One-stops are obligated only to provide customers with referral information relating to the availability of supportive services in the local area. In addition, the law allows local WIA funds to be spent on supportive services only if the customer is unable to obtain them through other programs. This combination of provisions can unnecessarily deter WIBs from thoroughly addressing work support needs.
1 Sec. 101(46). Definitions
"Once you are employed, you are not done learning or advancing."
-Alice Oliver
Manager of Workforce Development Center
Racine Workforce
Development Center
"It's not helpful just to throw the training dollars at them and hope it works—we need to address the barriers from the start."
-Curt Stewart
Public Information Officer
Utah Department of
Workforce Services