Best Practices Best Agencies: Fostering and Sustaining Change

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Best Practices Best Agencies Fostering and
Sustaining Change

• Dale Verstegen
• Debra Martin Luecking, Ed.D.
• Georgia State University
• University of Tennessee
• CRP-RCEP IV
• dverstegen_at_mchsi.com

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Why Change National Problem

• Problem Why change?
• People say that they want employment supports..
• There have been gains in people receiving
  community-based employment supports
• However, more people continue to receive
  facility-based services

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History

• Began first Organizational Change Network in
  Tennessee in 1993
• Added Florida Network (95)
• Added North Carolina (00)
• Starting up Georgia Network (04)
• Began with 5 CRPs, Today 43 in the Southeast
  Organizational Change Network

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Organizational Change Networks

• Peer Networks Support Change Plan Implementation
• How are they formed and maintained?
• CRP-RCEP IV informs CRPs of the TA support and
  outcomes to date
• One CRP commits to the process CRP usually is
  one that is highly respected by peers and state
  agency funders
• VR becomes interested in supporting technical
  assistance

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Organizational Change Networks

• The partnership expands to include Council on
  Developmental Disabilities and state MR/DD agency
• The Network of agencies grow and meet quarterly
  to plan and support one another
• Presently there are 3 Networks TN, FL, and NC.
  Georgia is in formation

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Does technical assistance enhance an
organizations ability to increase
community-based employment services overtime?

• More specifically,
• What was the impact on job seeker employment
  outcomes?

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Survey Method Used a 2-part survey instrument

• Part 1
• Demographics of job seekers
• Employment services and outcomes
• Organizational characteristics
• Part 2 (open-ended)
• Questions about the OC process

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Survey Findings

• Data reported for FY 2003-04
• 17 out of 19 providers responded
• Provider Locations
• 11- TN, 6 North Carolina
• All providers had completed at least 1 year of
  intensive planning technical assistance

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Survey Findings
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Survey Findings
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Participants Served
(N 6794, more than one disability reported)
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Participants Served
(N 4845)
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Organizational Characteristics
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Type of Employment Services Provided
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Type of Employment Services Provided
(N 4656)
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Impact of Organizational Change
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Facility-Based Employment
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Community-Based Employment
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Employment Outcomes
(N 843)
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Employment Outcomes

• Hourly wage ave. 5.79 Range
  3.86-7.00
• Hours per week ave. 20 Range 8 to 35 hours

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Related Employment Services
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Related Employment Services
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Related Employment Services
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Related Employment Services
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Outcomes of Changeover Process very positive in
terms of delivering better services

• Clearer goals and better communication between
  staff
• Increased community participation by individuals
  and staff
• Improved employment outcomes
• More cost efficient services
• More control for individuals over their lives

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Outcomes of Changeover ProcessImproved human
resource practices

• Management style
• Organizational structure
• Funding patterns
• Utilization of community resources

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What is Left to Accomplish?

• Its a continuous process always striving but
  never finished!
• Everything!
• More community placements
• Better measurements of satisfaction
• Sustain initiative
• Jobs for the remaining people

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What is Left to Accomplish?

• More staff training
• Detailed quality improvement plan
• Employment, employment, employment
• Staff incentives
• Connection with volunteer opportunities
• Less people in group work, more in individual
  placements
• Continued work toward a more inclusive community

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Case Study Cerebral Palsy Center of Knoxville

• Located in a mid-urban area
• Large number of social service agencies
  university competing for community resources
• Full service agency for adults
• Supports adults with most significant
  disabilities
• Began change planning in 1994
• 1995 marks the last wave of individuals to be in
  community
• Received technical assistance from the University
  of Tennessee

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Vision

• Vision for Change
• For individuals not to have segregated services
• Mission for Organization
• To empower adults with disabilities to determine
  and realize their individual growth and personal
  goals

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Incentives Leading to Change

• Individuals wanted jobs and community

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Strategies Used to Address Barriers

• Rewrote vision/mission to include community
• Set aside days for staff training
• Flattened structure moved to teams

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Barriers Addressed

• Involved consumers in special project teams and
  OC trainings
• Moved from professional to supporter
• Became more individualized and person-centered
• The most difficult part for me was to stick with
  the mission and vision and not back down from the
  commitment during the most difficult
  timesRobert Sexton, executive director

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Financial Planning

• Past (1994) state adult day care grant fund
  raising
• Present (2005)
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• MR/DD
• School system
• Grant resources from local one-stop center
• Fund raising

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Changes in Funding Patterns

• Funding shifted to community supports
• Smaller staff/consumer ratio
• Personal assistance for individuals with
  significant support needs

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Training Received

• Initial training and technical assistance in
  organizational change
• In 2000, targeted the last 12 individuals who
  wanted community. Received technical assistance
  to re-organize to meet this goal
• Received peer support through our TN
  Organizational Change Network
• Training educated staff about best practices
  gave them the confidence and new ideas about
  employment
• training helped them to be creative and get
  outside the box Janice Kitts, quality advisor

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Community Partnering

• Recognized for Person-centered, quality
  community-based practices
• has yielded
• Working partnership with the One-stop Career
  Center
• Working partnership to deliver seamless
  transition services for exiting youth

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Services Received
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Preparing for Change

• Identify two or three key management staff to
  share your issues and possibilities related to
  organizational change (OC)
• Develop consensus on issues and possibilities
  related to OC
• Present issues and possibilities to cross section
  of staff and managers and solicit input
• Identify OC resources
• Propose an OC planning process

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-Thank you-