IPS Fidelity Manual
December 2015 edition
Updates/changes/clarifications
Disclaimer!
What we will cover:
This presentation is based on the current
manual and our best understanding of the
topics. If there are any changes in how items are
being interpreted in the future we will do our best
to provide additional clarification via a
statewide conference call or memorandum of
understanding.
Disclaimer!
What we will NOT cover:
If you have questions about how your agency’s
fidelity review was scored, and those questions
are not answered under the presented topics here,
please send a separate email to the reviewers who
reviewed your agency. Feel free to ask for
additional clarification from them.
Differences in How Items Are Scored
We are part of an International Learning
Collaborative
Because of continued research and questions that
have arisen over the years, researchers from the IPS
Employment Center (formerly Dartmouth) have
made clarifications in how to score fidelity items
based on unique circumstances that have arisen all
over the world.
Reasons Behind the Scores
Scoring Specifics:
Page 22-23 (pg. 32-33 in pdf version on-line)
“10. Reviewers should not lower the score because
improvements were not made. An exception is when
reviewers score incorrectly on an earlier review (see #11).
11. Acknowledge past scoring mistakes and score as
accurately as possible… the reviewers make a comment in
the fidelity report acknowledging the wrong score from
the previous review and use accurate scoring going
forward.”
Scoring Specifics:
IPS Peer Specialists
IPS Peer Specialists will be interviewed during
upcoming reviews. Examples of questions that could
be asked of IPS Peer Specialists is contained
throughout Chapter 9.
IPS Peer Specialists are not required to be members
of the IPS Team in order to receive a specific score.
“If peers provide non-employment services, the score
for this item is not lowered.” pg. 41
Scoring Specifics:
Page 50 (pg. 60 in pdf version on-line)
Treatment Team Observations:
# Of Tx Teams
7
5
3-4
# of Observations During Review
3-4
2-3
1-2
Scoring Specifics:
Page 47 & 51(pg. 57 & 61 in pdf version on-line)
About Treatment Teams:
If an ES has 3 or more clients from a 3rd Tx Team,
the score on Integration w/ Tx Team is automatically
reduced to a 2. The ES would also be expected to
attend a weekly tx team meeting for the 3rd Tx Team.
If there are 2 or fewer clients on the ES caseload
from one tx team, the ES should attend the Tx Team
meeting at least every other week.
Scoring Specifics:
Page 64 (pg. 74 in pdf version on-line)
Role of the Supervisor- Monthly Field Mentoring:
“…if fewer than 40% of the people on a specialist’s
caseload are employed or if a specialist has fewer
than three job starts each quarter, the IPS supervisor
provides monthly field mentoring.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 65 (pg. 75 in pdf version on-line)
Role of the Supervisor- Monthly Field Mentoring:
“A supervisor reports that she accompanies new staff
to meet with employers monthly for the first three
months. Reviewers observe job development and
realize that staff is not skilled at building employer
relationships. They do not give credit for this
component and recommend monthly field
mentoring.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 69 (pg. 79 in pdf version on-line)
Zero Exclusion:
“When programs do not have mechanisms for clients
to refer themselves to IPS, or clients and their family
members do not know that they can self-refer, the
score is not higher than 4.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 85-86 (pg. 95-96 in pdf version on-line)
Work Incentives Planning:
“Reviewers do not score higher than 2 when work
incentives planning consists only of explaining the
rules for entitlements.”
“IPS specialists report that they refer most people for
benefits planning, but less than 20% of program
participants meet with a benefits planner. Reviewers
assign a score of 2 and recommend that specialists or
family members help clients attend the appointments.
Scoring Specifics:
Page 86 (pg. 96 in pdf version on-line)
Work Incentives Planning:
“The IPS specialists only refer people for benefits
planning prior to starting a job and do not help clients
obtain more information as they make decisions about
job changes… Do not score higher than 4.”
“When IPS specialists do not help any workers with
monthly reporting… do not score higher than 4.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 95 (pg. 105 in pdf version on-line)
Ongoing Vocational Assessment:
“When IPS specialists do not use a comprehensive
career profile similar to the one in the Sample
Program Forms near the end of this manual, reviewers
score 3 or lower.”
“When most profiles do not include information from
sources other than the person, such as family
members… staff, etc., the score is 3 or lower.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 105 (pg. 115 in pdf version on-line)
Frequent Employer Contact:
“When it is not possible to determine whether
employer contacts were in person or whether the IPS
Specialist spoke to a person with hiring authority,
review some of the logs with the IPS supervisor. If the
supervisor is unable to provide additional information
about the contacts, rate this item 2.”
Scoring Specifics:
Page 116-117 (pg. 126-127 in pdf version on-line)
Competitive Jobs:
“Eleven people are employed. Nine jobs are
competitive and two are volunteer positions.
9 (competitive jobs) divided by 11 (all jobs) = and .82
(82%). The score is 3.”
“Four people are employed in competitive jobs and
one is working in a sheltered workshop…
4 (competitive jobs) divided by 5 (all jobs)= .8 (80%).
The score is 3.”
Questions?