3.10 - Work Services

Work Services will strive to move work ready individuals to work in a more timely fashion by assessing their readiness for employment when they first enter our offices. There are 2 main components to Work Services; finding the job (obtaining - up to 6 months) and maintaining the job (retaining - up to 6 months).  

After clients find work they will have ongoing support to help them maintain their job. Work Services will provide support to newly employed clients for a period of time normally not to exceed 6 months. Such support may be required as clients adjust to working and the workplace.

Support would focus on job maintenance, crisis prevention (problem solving) and crisis intervention. This would include the facilitation of processes such as assessing needs, goal setting, action plan development, implementation and monitoring, counseling, advocacy, coordination of the plan, referral for service and emergency financial support.

Work Services special benefits refer to assistance above and beyond the entitlement of clients to social assistance. for open cases, special benefits may be issued on a "one-issue" basis or on an ongoing basis added to the monthly assistance cheque. This would be for benefits issued to meet clients predetermined needs which will occur for a period of two or more consecutive months at fixed monthly rates. Ongoing benefits maybe for a period of six months while in Work Services.

Case managers will determine the method of payment for these benefits by indicating whether or not it is to be added to the monthly cheque.
 

In this phase of Work Services the client will be working with the Work Services case manager and the Work Services coach to find full time employment. The maximum amount of time a client may remain in this phase is six months from the date of case assignment to Work Services from Needs.

• Child Care
• Clothing and Appearance
• Criminal Record Check
• Day Care Subsidy Top-Up
• Intra-Provincial Interview Expenses
• Medical
• Relocation Expenses
• Special Clothing/Equipment
• Transitional Benefit
• Transportation
• Transportation for Child Care
• Union/Association Fee

This service is to help identify the cause or nature of a psychological, cognitive or emotional problem that prevents a client in returning to, maintaining or accessing work. It should be used to confirm the existence of a problem and not to treat it. All requests must be assessed individually and are payable based on need within Work Services.

Required Documentation:

A written assessment that includes the diagnosis, treatment plan and service recommendations will be provided to the referring Case Manager or Employment Counselor. Upon request, the service provider can provide consultation and case conferencing sessions.

Note: Referrals for external diagnostic services must be:

Made with the informed consent of the client;

In writing (refer to the Referral for Diagnostic Services form, a copy of which must be retained by the department)

Diagnostic Services would not be paid as a benefit through NB Case, but through funding from Post Secondary Education and Labour under Training and Employment Support Services (TESS) or an Employment Service (EAS) Contract depending on your region. Please check with PETL employees before requesting this service.

Alternative Child Care can be provided to clients in Work Services who are seeking employment as well as clients no longer receiving income support who are in the retaining phase.

In order to be approved as an Alternative Child Care Provider, the client and provider must fill out the Alternative Child Care Request Form.

Applicants must not have reasonable access to a licensed day care facility within a 5 km radius of the home, workplace or training institution. Reasonable access means that a licensed day care has available spaces during the hours they are required and for the appropriate age of the child.

This benefit will be especially beneficial to people who work shifts or weekends. Alternative Child Care is not to be confused with regular baby-sitting or child care. The following applicants do not qualify for the Alternative Child Care benefit:

• SD child protection cases where the child is in the care of the Minister.
• Early Childhood Initiatives (ECI) cases

The Alternative Child Care rate is determined automatically by the system when a benefit is set up. The person receiving an Alternative Child Care benefit should always be set up as a co-payee with the service provider.

An Alternative Child Care provider must be at least 19 years of age and not have more than four pre-school children, or five children if at least one is of school age or two infants under two years of age, or only eight after school children in their care, otherwise they must be licensed through the Department of Social Development. Our department must not pay benefits to a service provider under these circumstances. As with baby-sitting, immediate family members cannot be considered as service providers. This includes parents or grand parents or someone residing in the household.

To qualify for Alternative Child Care, a family must meet the following criteria:

• Social Need - be a single parent where the parent is working, or in a training, be a two parent family in which both parents are working; or one parent is working and the other parent is incapacitated, undertaking medical treatment or in an educational or rehabilitation program or in Work Services and participating in a Job search.
• Financial Need - have net income less than the maximum level as per the Alternative Child Care Contribution Schedule.

Alternative Child Care benefits for work services clients (obtaining) can be approved for up to a six month period.

Aside from criteria mentioned above, all relevant procedures are identical to those for the Day Care Program.

Required Documents:

• Confirmation from Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour as to whether a child care allowance is being paid; and if so, the amount.
• Confirmation of employment and income.
• Alternative Child Care Request form
• Invoice from sitter detailing hours

This is the second phase of Work Services and begins once the client has found full time employment. Full time employment is defined as at least 25 hours per week. In this phase the client's case will be monitored by the Work Services coach. Benefits and counselling may be provided to assist in the retention of employment. The maximum amount of time a client can remain in this phase is six months from the employment start date.

• Child Care
• Emergency Retention Benefit
• Specialized Counseling
• Transportation

Extended Health Card

As the loss of the health card can be a significant barrier to clients wishing to move form assistance to training and/or employment; a health card should be issued to assist them during this transitional period. For clients exiting social assistance for employment, the health card should be extended automatically where long term /permanent work has been obtained and no other coverage is available. The period of the health card coverage in such instances is up to12 months and reviewed annually.

Enhanced Dental Benefits

This extended coverage is for a range of dental services, and is issued to support CDO clients who are in active programming towards their goal of self-sufficiency. It is indicated by an "E" in the Dental section of the health card. The client needs only to present the card to the dentist. The dentist bills SD, Health services directly for services provided.

Benefits

• Client must pay a participation fee of 30% to the dentist or denturist.
• Maximum of $1,000, not including emergency services and dentures by regular dental coverage.
• Period not to exceed 12 months.

Eligibility

• Case Manager determines eligibility on individual basis
• Client must be in active CDO programming
• Case Manager must demonstrate in case plan that additional dental work is needed to support goal of self-sufficiency to access training or employment.
• Client must be able to cover participation fee within own resources.
• Client must be aged 20 to 63 years of age inclusive
• Only services performed during the eligibility period on the card will be paid.

This policy is under Housing. For clients of Work Services who found employment and live in subsidized housing, the income review that is done by the Housing Program Officer would be based on previous year's notice of assessment from Revenue Canada. The intent is to give clients one year reprieve from an increase to their rent as a result of going to work.

Documentation required:

• Confirmation that the client is residing in a NB Housing Unit.
• Communicate with the Housing Program Officer to inform them that the client is a Work Services client.