Service integration in supported employment

Abstract

Research literature exploring the importance of service integration to positive employment outcomes is relatively sparse. One study in this area was conducted by Drake and colleagues (2003), and focused on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment (SE). Investigators analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from three supported employment studies and identified four-consistent advantages of services integration, including: (1) more effective engagement and retention of consumers; (2) better communication between employment specialists and mental health clinicians; (3) promoting understanding and a focus on employment among clinicians; and (4) incorporation of clinical information into vocational plans (Bond 2004; Drake et al. 2003). Another advantage of services integration identified in prior studies is that it necessitates a multidisciplinary team approach that can result in an individualized application of a variety of evidence-based practices from the different fields that make up the service delivery team (Liberman et al. 2001). © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.