AWI PROGRAMS

Disability Program Navigator Initiative

Integrated Resource Team (IRT)

The Disability Program Navigator (DPN) initiative was designed to be flexible so that it could fit into the many different one-stop environments across the nation.  Since it was implemented in the first round of states in 2003, it has continued to evolve.  Part of this evolution includes the recognition that Disability Program Navigators (Navigators), in addition to being systems change agents, also focus their activities on the delivery of integrated services for jobseekers with disabilities through state and local team approaches.  According to the updated vision for the DPN initiative, as a facilitator, Navigators may have the ability to “bring together multiple partners who are working with one individual to foster a collaborative effort by building Integrated Resource Teams (IRT).” 

An IRT represents one of many options that a local area may be able to use to provide an increased level of support for a jobseeker with a disability.  The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) national program office, which serves as the administrative entity for the DPN initiative, does not expect that every Navigator and/or local area that a Navigator covers will be able to engage in an IRT process.  The purpose of this set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) is to clarify the IRT concept and offer some guidance on the potential role of the Navigator where an IRT is feasible. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• 1. What is an Integrated Resource Team?
  An Integrated Resource Team (IRT) brings together public and private sector representatives at the local One-Stop community level to improve communication and collaboration that results in enhanced coordination of services and supports for a jobseeker with a disability. 

• 2. What is the primary function of an Integrated Resource Team?
  Members of an IRT work together to identify and strategize how their combined services and resources will benefit and support a jobseeker’s employment goals, while the jobseeker himself/herself will also have responsibilities in order to contribute to reaching his/her employment goals.

• 3. Who might participate on an Integrated Resource Team?
  Each IRT is made up of representatives from community organizations and partner agencies that meet the specific employment related needs of an individual. Team members are chosen based on the services that are needed to address any identified barriers to employment.  Each jobseeker that may benefit from this kind of intensive resource coordination will come with a unique set of needs.  IRT members may reflect many of those that participate on Interagency Committees including representatives from the Workforce Investment system, Vocational Rehabilitation, the Mental Health System, Public Education partners (e.g. transition programs), Ex-Offender Program, Community Work Incentives Coordinators (from the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance program), supported-employment service providers, community colleges, the Center for Independent Living, the local housing or transportation system, TANF agency, and Veterans programs. 

• 4. What is the role of the Disability Program Navigator related to the Integrated Resource Team?
  The Navigator serves as the facilitator by helping to build understanding within the One-Stop Career Center of the added possibilities of another level of support for a jobseeker with a disability through the option of an IRT.  The role of the Navigator as facilitator may include:

  • Helping to explain the option of working with an IRT to the jobseeker, to ensure he/she is in agreement of needing this type of resource coordination and understands the benefits, including the sharing of information between various systems and agencies. 

  • Working with One-Stop Career Center staff and the jobseeker to identify needed resources and reaching out to agency representatives who may serve on the IRT. 

  • Facilitating the first IRT meeting, explaining the IRT concept of improving coordination of services, and leading the group discussion to ensure that the following subjects are covered, (among others that are relevant to each jobseeker):

    • The jobseeker shares employment goals and any barriers to employment.

    • IRT representatives share eligibility requirements and available resources.

    • Agreement by all IRT members, including the jobseeker, to regularly communicate with each other (exchange of contact information).

    • Agreement by all to follow-through with what each IRT member promises to do (resources/funding provided by agency representatives; personal responsibility by jobseeker).

• 5. What is the overall goal of introducing the Integrated Resource Team model?
  The overall goal is to help the One-Stop Career Centers and other community agencies to see the benefit of this kind of resource collaboration and to implement it as a regular option for serving jobseekers with disabilities. 
  • The Navigator may lead the first IRT meeting to model the approach and to help set up a system of communication between all members so that they may move forward in working together on their own.
  • The Navigator may ask the group for a volunteer to take the leadership role (it may be the jobseeker). The IRT lead agrees to ensure ongoing communication and to bring all members back together if problems arise or additional problem-solving is needed.

  The IRT may be a culture shift for many communities and agencies, and this can take time.  However, as coordination of services improves and more individuals with disabilities become employed, this culture shift can happen. 

• 6. What is the difference between an Integrated Resource Team and an Interagency Committee?
  An IRT focuses on the needs of a specific jobseeker with a disability and coordination of resources to address those needs. An Interagency Committee focuses on systems coordination, problem solving and collaboration for more effective services to jobseekers with disabilities.

  • An Integrated Resource Team consists of a team of representatives that come together based on the identified needs of an individual jobseeker with a disability. 
    Members of an Integrated Resource Team:

    • May be initially identified by the jobseeker, the Navigator, and/or One-Stop Career Center staff.

    • Are brought together as a “team” to improve communication and collaboration of services across agencies, and support the jobseeker with a disability in obtaining and maintaining employment.

  • An Interagency Committee (e.g., disability action team/interagency coalition/accessibility work group) may include representatives from the disability and workforce communities, business sector and other community agencies who come together to explore the most effective employment services for people with disabilities. 
    An Interagency Committee:
    • Includes members such as the Navigator, staff from the One-Stop Career Center and local workforce investment board, mandated and non-mandated partners (e.g., Vocational Rehabilitation, Mental Health, Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, State Commissions for the Deaf and for the Blind, Social Security, and Medicaid) and representatives from community-based organizations such as Independent Living Centers, faith-based agencies, and local community college offices for students with disabilities.
    • Typically meet on a regular basis to build a support system at the local or regional level through systems collaboration.
    • Serves as a means to regularly communicate, problem solve, and work together to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
• 7. Does an Integrated Resource Team function differently than an Interagency Committee?
  The focus of an IRT is on the individual level.  As a result, team members and participation on an IRT would likely change in response to unique jobseeker profiles, needs, and perceived barriers. Additionally, the duration of time during which an IRT comes together to meet and coordinate services is extremely flexible and depends upon the specific needs of the individual jobseeker.

Interagency Committees focus on system level challenges that are identified as barriers to achieving employment outcomes for jobseekers with disabilities.  These committees may identify solutions at a system level to impact policy changes, improve coordination of service delivery, and increase the blending/braiding of funds to share the cost of supports for jobseekers with disabilities.  The ultimate goal is to improve employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in a local community or region.  Membership on an Interagency Committee is more consistent and on-going than it is in an IRT, which is created for a specific jobseeker.

• 8. Do you need to have an Interagency Committee in order to have Integrated Resource Teams?
  No. The most important elements to have in order to promote the IRT model as a viable option for a jobseeker with a disability are widespread knowledge of existing resources in the local/regional community and strong partnerships with local/regional organizations. 

  • As different types of services and resources are needed for each individual IRT, Navigators can invite partners whom they or the One-Stop Career Centers have formed relationships with during outreach and collaboration.

  • Potential IRT members can also be recruited from many of the other committees that Navigators are involved with, such as a group that focuses on transitioning youth, Mental Health, or adult literacy.  Ultimately, the IRT will be composed of direct service providers and supports that have services and resources that can help the jobseeker attain their employment goal. 

  • There may also be a need to develop a relationship with a new agency or program out of a jobseeker’s need for their particular services/resources in an IRT plan.

• 9. Can an Interagency Committee be beneficial to an Integrated Resource Team?
  An Interagency Committee can be quite helpful, although it is not necessary or required to have one to use IRTs.  If an Interagency Committee already exists in a local/regional area that focuses on systems collaboration and improving employment for individuals with disabilities, it can serve as a strong foundation for the IRT model.  Navigators may introduce the IRT model to their local/regional Interagency Committees, which offers the opportunity to discuss it with many of the leaders from the disability, workforce and community systems who are members.

  • The Interagency Committee may work together to decide as representatives of a local/regional community how to introduce the IRT model to their agency staff and begin to implement it.

• 10. Is the Disability Program Navigator becoming a case manager?
  Absolutely not. The evolving vision of the Navigator strengthens the focus of One-Stop Career Center staff to problem solve and identify resources from other systems to meet an individual jobseeker’s needs.  An IRT provides more options to bring representatives from other systems directly into planning and implementation of strategies individualized and responsive to a jobseeker’s needs and preferences.  As a facilitator and a resource, a Navigator:
  • Is not expected to spend their time in the One-Stop Career Center with a pile of individual cases to manage.
  • Has important responsibilities to build relationships with other service delivery systems, the disability and employer communities, and the Social Security field offices and Work Incentive Planning and Assistance projects.
  • Is always continuing to improve access and meaningful participation of jobseekers with disabilities in the One-Stop Career Center through training and problem solving with staff.

Every member on an IRT, with the exception of the Navigator, will most likely have a case file for the jobseeker that includes paperwork, case notes and other documents specific to that particular agency. This includes the Intensive or Training Case Managers or Counselors at the One-Stop Career Center who are members of the IRT, who will most definitely keep a file for the jobseeker on the services delivered.

• 11. Does a Disability Program Navigator ever meet directly with a jobseeker with a disability?
  Yes. However, it is not possible for a Navigator to have a caseload and still spend sufficient time on systems relationship building. One-Stop Career Center staff may ask for problem solving help with a particular individual and the Navigator may meet with the jobseeker but should not be expected to assume case management responsibilities.

  • Ideally, a Navigator meeting with a jobseeker will always include One-Stop Career Center staff and/or other partners so that the Navigator can serve as a model and a resource to staff and jobseekers as opposed to a one-on-one service provider or referral service to the jobseeker.

• 12. What does a Disability Program Navigator do who is serving multiple workforce investment areas? 
  There are, in some states, regional Navigators, responsible for serving multiple centers and a large geographic area. It is important for these Navigators to identify opportunities to create Interagency Committees and, where possible, encourage the use of IRTs in the workforce investment areas they serve.
  • In some areas, the Interagency Committees may already exist.  In these cases, a Navigator may introduce the concept of an IRT as an option for improved service coordination and increased employment for people with disabilities.  Each committee may then decide to implement this model and lead the efforts as a group. 
  • In other cases, the Navigator may offer more intensive training to an Interagency Committee, a regional workforce investment area, and/or to mandated partners so they may lead the efforts to implement the IRT option in their local areas.

The Navigator should always help educate other stakeholders on the role and purpose of the DPN initiative to improve communication and collaboration among multiple service delivery systems including One-Stop Career Centers.  With limited resources, each system will better meet its goals by working with other agencies and funders.  The sum of the parts of a seamless system has more possibilities for success than each system struggling separately.  The Navigator can help Interagency Committee members to identify common goals to promote self-sufficiency and how they can work together to overcome identified barriers to valued outcomes.

• 13. How does the Integrated Resource Team model differ from the Customized Employment model?
  The IRT model is designed to engage cross-agency participation for an individual with a disability within the One-Stop Career Center.  Customized Employment involves individualizing the relationship between jobseekers and employers in ways that meet the needs of both.  The Customized Employment model uses a specific set of tools and processes in order to achieve the desired employment outcome. Four key elements of Customized Employment include:

  • meeting the jobseeker's individual needs and interests,

  • using personal representatives to assist and represent the individual,

  • negotiating successfully with employers, and

  • uilding a system of ongoing supports for the jobseeker.

  (Source: DOL/ODEP 2007)

The workforce development system does not generally have the resources and/or capacity to perform the full range of Customized Employment strategies for jobseekers coming in for employment services.  Navigators and One-Stop Career Centers who are using the IRT approach to collaborate with partners to better serve an individual jobseeker with a disability may engage in some elements of Customized Employment. However, the IRT model will not use or need all of the comprehensive tools and structured process that Customized Employment offers.  For example:

• As part of the IRT process a jobseeker may work one-on-one with their Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, One-Stop Intensive Case Manager, or another counselor to discuss his/her strengths, skills, perceived barriers, and likes/dislikes to help explore their individualized employment options.
• An initial step within the IRT approach could include the jobseeker taking a skills aptitude survey to learn more about what kinds of jobs may make a good match. 
• Some jobseekers utilizing an IRT may have a Job Coach from Vocational Rehabilitation or a representative from another one of the community based partners on the IRT represent them on a job interview to help explain the support services offered to the candidate and employer, as well as help to negotiate certain job duties and or accommodations on the job. 
• Within other IRTs, the jobseeker may choose not to disclose their disability to potential employers and work with their IRT members ‘behind-the-scenes’ on how to best accommodate themselves on a job.

There may also be jobseekers using an IRT who may not need to access any of the elements involved with Customized Employment, since they may be already trained or experienced and ready to be matched with an existing job independently.  What these jobseekers are looking for is enhanced resource coordination and improved collaboration between the various disability and workforce agencies in order to secure successful employment and any needed supports and resources, which is what the IRT can offer.

• 14. How does the Integrated Resource Team model differ from and/or incorporate aspects of the Person Centered Planning model?
  In comparison to the IRT approach, Person Centered Planning (PCP) involves much more intensive and personalized steps that take place at the beginning of the employment process using a toolbox of PCP methods. The tools used in PCP help individuals with disabilities to choose their own pathways to success. Three stages to PCP include:
  • A thorough self-assessment and a personal profile created by the individual using self-assessment techniques and tools such as MAPs and Path,
  • An exploration of the types of jobs that fit the individual’s personal profile, and
  • Putting the PCP into action to achieve the identified work goal.

(Source: Cornell University, ILR School)

The workforce development system does not generally have the resources and/or capacity to perform the full range of person centered planning strategies for jobseekers coming in for employment services.  However, PCP may be a part of some individuals’ employment process with other agencies represented on the IRT.  Examples of differences between PCP and IRT include:

• PCP focuses on the exploration phase of employment, whereas IRTs focus on a team approach to supporting an individual in obtaining and maintaining employment.
• Some jobseekers may have an employment goal in mind prior to working with an IRT, whereas other jobseekers will determine their work goal through the PCP process with other agencies (i.e., VR, Supported Employment Provider, and Mental Health Case Manager).
• The work goal of the IRT could, in some cases, be the result of a self-assessment done as part of a PCP completed by either the individual him/herself or with the help of one or more of the partners in an IRT.
• IRT members are likely to be limited to service providers who work as needed with the individual and will not include the full spectrum of people from a jobseeker’s life that could be connected to a “Circle of Support”, which is part of the PCP process.
• If the IRT is unsuccessful in assisting the jobseeker meet his/her work goal, a PCP could be initiated at that point to re-assess the situation and explore possible variations on the work goal using PCP tools and strategies.

There may be some jobseekers using an IRT who may not need to access any of the tools and strategies involved with PCP, since they may already have their work goal in mind and the training and/or work experience they need to be matched with an existing job independently.  What these jobseekers are looking for is enhanced resource coordination and improved collaboration between the various disability and workforce agencies in order to secure successful employment and any needed supports and resources to maintain that employment, which is what the IRT can offer.

(Source:  US Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, October 19, 2007)

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