Work Focus

Ember Employment

Each and every week, we successfully place individuals into work and continue to support them to ensure they keep their jobs in their respective workplaces. We understand that everyone is at a different stage and we ensure that our supports are individual to you, in partnership with you.

The key stages of the employment pathway are as follows:

Referral and enrolment

• We can accept referrals from Individuals aged 16 – 65, Clinical Teams, General Practitioners, Family/Whanau, Work and Income and other Social Services
• An employment consultant will be allocated who then initiates contact
• Initial discussions highlight benefits of employment and describe integrated care, career planning and assistance into sustainable employment
• Signpost to alternative service or services if Workfocus is not suited to the individual’s needs

Assessment and employment planning

• Relationship building with individual (and family /other natural supports as appropriate): introductions; providing information about the service
• Liaison: identify existing community and welfare supports including health professionals involved in the individuals care. Establishing relationships as and when appropriate throughout the process (with consent)
• Collaborative assessment: developing understanding of individual’s strengths, skills, resources and aspirations with a focus on areas such as; employment, financial, living situation and strategies for health management
• Identifying and minimising the impact of barriers to employment and any personal development needs

Job Search

The process of job search will cover areas specifically identified as a need for each individual

Potential areas for development could include:

Identity : Confidence building through:

• Identifying personal strengths
• Identifying talents and skills Identifying personal values
• Wellness planning
• Obtaining suitable ID (e.g. Passport, Driver licence or Over 18 card etc)

Career Planning : Defining a career pathway

• Undertake career quest
• Generate a list of possible job options
• Identify training needs or relevant courses
• Identify support resources
• Wellness planning

Skill Development : Develop job readiness skills

• Develop CV
• Use internet and e-mail for job seeking
• Confidence during interviews
• Personal presentation for job seeking
• Problem Solving
• Wellness planning
• Written Communication skills
• Verbal Communication (including telephone)

Employment : Job search activities

• Employer engagement
• Applying for jobs via internet, face to face, ads in newspapers
• Preparation for interviews
• Interview support
• Understanding offer of employment and contract
• Support plan established in collaboration with employer where appropriate

Securing and Maintaining employment

• Providing on and off site individual support: coaching, wellness planning with a focus on health at work, workplace relationships
• Assessing ongoing employment service needs in collaboration with individual and employer as appropriate e.g. assisting in negotiation of workplace adjustments if needed
• Employer liaison and support
• Providing information, education and support to employer as required
• Ensuring employer understands support and advice is available from the employment consultant
• Ongoing fostering of natural supports in the workplace
• Ongoing coaching

Career Planning

• Engaging with individual around long term career planning
• Establishing career development goals
• Establishing the nature of ongoing support to move towards career development goals
• Graduation/discharge from service where individual no longer requires support
• Outcome evaluation
• Service satisfaction process

Contact us for more information: