Supported Employment Services

Berks Personnel Network (BPN) offers supported employment services to adults in order to support them in gaining and maintaining employment. Support services include career exploration, resume development, networking with employers, assistance with employment applications, interview guidance and support, job negotiation, job accommodation facilitation, and job coaching support. All employment opportunities are matched to the skills, interests, and preferences of each individual. Services are funded through OVR, SAM, UW, and Ticket to Work.

Supported Employment Support Plans (SESP)

A Supported Employment Support Plan (SESP) is used to review all evaluations and assessments a customer has completed determining the level of support and services the customer may need to obtain and maintain competitive integrated employment.

Non-Performance Based Supported Employment (NPBSE)

• Job Mentoring is for customers who may have the skills needed to perform the essential duties of the job but need intensive and frequent support to obtain and/or maintain employment.
• Job Retention is for customers who are currently working at a job within his or her capacities and needs on-site support to learn or relearn job tasks to retain their employment.
• Intermittent Supported Employment is intended for customers who need short-term, sporadic assistance to help them maintain employment, particularly in situations where the customer may be in jeopardy of losing a job.

Performance-Based Supported Employment (PBSE)

• Job Development includes activities that prepare the customer, the employment site and/or the employer for a customer obtaining employment and is intended to continue until the customer starts a job that matches the employment goal on the Individualized Plan for Employment.
• Job Placement involves services which begin at job acquisition and are provided up to the first 40 hours of employment and involve direct, on-site job coaching provided to the customer to learn job tasks and acclimate to the employment setting.
• Job Maintenance involves direct, on-site job coaching provided to the customer to maintain employment and assist in achieving stability.
• Job Stabilization occurs when the customer's work performance reaches a level acceptable to the employer and the job coaching and related support services have diminished to a level necessary to maintain the customer in competitive integrated employment.
• Case Closure is the point at which a customer's case meets the criteria for case closure when the customer has been employed for 90 calendar days past job stabilization or the maximum level of stability.