Arc of Cumberland County
Supported Employment Services
Phase 1 - Job Development
We recognize that a successful supported employment experience is ultimately determined by the relationships developed between the Arc employment specialist, the consumer, his or her family and friends, and members of the business community. Our first responsibility is to begin building these relationships in the Job Development phase. You – as a consumer of our Supported Employment Services (SES) - can expect the following individual elements of the Job Development process to be identified to you along the way.
- You will be contacted by one of our employment specialists within a week of our office receiving your referral from either the NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities, or the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
- Your Arc Employment Specialist will set up a meeting with you and any family members or persons that you choose to invite to the meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to identify your supported employment “team” and to begin the initial intake process. This will be your opportunity to share your previous work related experiences and develop your goals for your future competitive employment. You will need the following documents for the employment specialist’s review:
- A current photo identification card issued by a state or federal agency.
- A valid social security card
- You will receive a copy of our SES Consumer Handbook which will be reviewed with you by your employment specialist. You and your “team” will then complete a consumer interview document during this and possibly other early meetings. It is very important that you become an active participant in these meetings. Finding a job is rarely easy and it requires everyone involved to make a commitment to work together and to communicate freely with one another.
- At the end of the intake assessment process, an individual service plan will be developed for you and the other members of your team. This document serves as the road map for your job development activities. It states – among other things - who will do what, when it will be done, and where it will be done. All team members sign off on this document and it is reviewed frequently.
- Your Arc Employment Specialist will also begin Soft Skills Training during the Job Development phase. Soft Skills are those work requirements that you won’t find on a job description but they must be performed on a daily basis if an employee is going to be successful at their job.
Remember, you will have responsibilities in all of this. Make sure that you have appropriate clothes for a job interview and that you have at least one working telephone where your Arc employment specialist can reach you in a timely manner. Jobs often open up quickly and can get closed out just as fast. You must be ready move forward at all times.