Time to Change: The modernisation of
vocational services
Deborah Espiner and Fran Hartnett
Paper presented at
ASID NZ 2014 Annual Conference
Wednesday 9th - Thursday 10th April Hamilton,
New Zealand
Focus of research
• Organisational commitment to modernise vocational
services to align with government policy
– Pathways to inclusion (2002)
– Repeal of Disabled Persons Employment
Protection Act (2008)
– Enabling good lives
Enabling good lives
Principles
• Self-determination
• Beginning early
• Aspirational
• Independence.
• Person-centred
• Ordinary life outcomes
• Inclusive rather than specialist disability services.
• Mana enhancing
• Ease of use
• Relationship building.
Research design
• Interviews
– Adults
– Staff and management
– Supporters
• Observation
• Document analysis
Youth Centre
Parents wanted
Youth wanted
•
•
•
•
• More freedom
• Try more things
A hub
A place to learn life skills
A place to find friendship
Young people supported
in the community
Both wanted a place of belonging
Stages in the development of
adult- youth relationships
Youth- adult disconnect
Interacting with adults
Connecting with adults
Outcomes, support,
opportunities, resources
Jarrett, Sullivan & Watkins (2005)
Outcomes
• Love it- I am happy (Adult K).
• Something special about this place- other places we did not do
this stuff- like going out as much (Adult W).
• At the other place I was sitting out the back doing Word Find
– I was bored (Adult K).
• Staff treat me good they understand behaviour and mental
health problems - it is like a family (Adult W).
• Staff like to challenge me- they know how far they can go to
prompt me to do things (Adult A)
• Hanging out with my friends, learning to be a better friend
and spending time with her [friend] in the weekend (Adult K).
What we discovered
• Minimised the relational distance
• Find common ground
• Attend to proximal relationships
• Share the power
• Develop cultural competence
Jones & Deutsch (2011)
Minimise the relational distance
• Right staff
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Youthful thinkers with a bit of maturity
Flexible
Power with not over people
A new way of thinking and working
Not necessarily in the field of disability
Match skills to the youth interest
People who know themselves (Manager)
• Downplay authoritative role
– Being treated like an adult- we get trusted to go in the
community by ourselves (Adult N)
Minimise the relational distance
• Highlight mutual interests to build cultural connections
– Language, appearance, music, dance, technology
• I work with (Adult K) to build confidence. I talk with her
as we are about the same age and a different perspective
to some of the other staff who a bit older (Staff J)
• We have our own You Tube page… staff helped us set up
the page…you can find videos of our group (Adult K)
• Staff [Name} is helping me record my own music (Adult
W)
Find common ground
• The first thing we did was build the relationship. We
spent a month getting to know each other, learning
about all our signs, triggers and things like that (Team
leader)
• Then we decided on the structure…and what we
needed in place…as the rules came out…and then we
started to work on how to work (Team leader)
• I am feeling more relaxed here. Staff know enough to
support me with the situations I have (Adult 1 W)
• People like the same things…computer, technology
and music (Adult 2 N)
Attend to proximal relationships
• We hosted an event with families to ask what it
might look like? What do you want?...it was
important it was driven by family and youth. The
service needed to take a step back and respond
accordingly to what families and young people
wanted (Manager)
• I networked and listened to what they
wanted…youth being with youth, making friends so I
listened to what they wanted (Team Leader)
Share the power
• There was a basic structure
Each person had a personal schedule
• Normally on a day to day basis depending on
how people are feeling (Team Leader)
• Monday I do not do much – it’s a kick back day
(Adult W)
• We have talks about what is coming up and what we
want to do . We can ask staff what we possibly want to
do…depends what people want. Some people want
to stay back of not stay as long. We talk things out
between ourselves bit it all about respect (Adult H)
Develop the cultural competence
Age
• I was at [previous centre] for a year…it was
mixed in ages. Here there are people around our
own age (Adult N)
• No old people around, everyone is about my age now
(Adult K)
Ethnicity
• I am teaching my niece to speak Maori. She is only 2
and we sing the Maori words for action songs. My
niece sings the Maori words to the national anthem
as well. My nana used to talk to me in Maori when I
was a little kid a very long time (Adult W)
Develop the cultural competence
Youth
• I never knew about fashion but now I do – I know
heaps. There is not a day goes by when I don’t think
I have to dress nice. I have to dress nice when I go to
job interviews . l put on a dress shirt and pants
(Adult W)
• Us teenagers need more social skills. I have grown, I
am speaking out more and am more confident (Adult
N)
• When we go to our new place we will have a
music studio and everything you need for a young
man like me (Adult W)
Outcomes: Community literacy
• Wagged school ‘cos it was boring (Adult A).
• At school I didn’t do too much as I was picked on
and tried to defend myself. All it did was get me into
a lot of trouble. Wintec is different to school. I’ve got
a 1 to 1 tutor. I have moved on (Adult W).
• Attending community adult literacy classes (3),
learning a new language (1), art classes (3).
• One woman has achieved a number of Level 3
Certificates since leaving school.
Outcomes:
Voluntary work- work skills
• Nobody was in paid work
• Range of work experience and voluntary work
• Linking with the organisations- Supported
Employment
– Job seeking
– Develop career plan
– CV writing
Outcomes: Enhancing Mana
• It is honour. To have mana is to have great
authority, presence or prestige.
• I am actually quite an athlete ‘cos my coach said to
me “ if anyone asks you have you got skills you tell
them that you are an athlete” (Adult W).
• You can find the videos of the JB’s on You Tube. My
friends send me back “ love the videos well done”
[Name] (Adult K).
• I am happy with what I am doing and learning
now – I am sticking to the plan (Adult H).
Outcomes: Enhancing Mana
• It is respect. Mana instils reverence and admiration.
Mana respects others too.
• There is reciprocal respect at the Centre. At the other
setting respect was demanded instead of grown (
Staff S).
• I met the wheelchair people and they are my friends
as well. I respect them (Adult W).
• We talk things out between ourselves. It’s all about
respect (Adult H).
Outcomes: Enhancing Mana
• It is power. A person with mana is spiritually
powerful, influential and courageous, yet humble.
• Being treated like an adult. We get trusted to go out
into the community by ourselves (Adult N).
• I am the leader of JB’s...we line up and I stand out in
front I have my back towards them so they can see
what I am doing (Adult K).
Aspirations relating to
work and careers
• I want to take the JB’s all around the world to
perform (Adult K).
• I want to get a job in computers as a computer
technician fixing computers ( Adult A).
• I want to own a dairy farm. I love being out in the
country (Adult W).
• A job in the library or SPCA.
Challenges for future service delivery:
Work
Adults identified the challenges
• I would rather be out working than here… have my
own flat and earning my own income (Adult N).
• I own my own car cleaning business. I haven’t done
it for a while . I still have the equipment but no spot.
I could do it here [Centre] it could work. I do a really
good job (Adult W).
Challenges for future service delivery:
Relationships and own home
• I want to get a flat with someone to help pay the cost
– someone by own age (Adult A).
• My dream, was to flat by myself originally but now
the rent will be expensive and I have found someone
really cool. It would have been too hard by myself I
wouldn’t mind coming home and looking after my
own stuff – I would love to walk through the door of
my own flat (Adult N).
• At some stage I want to have a family (Adult W)
Challenges for future service delivery:
Ongoing learning
• The course is too expensive (Adult A).
• If you want to be trusted and learn from it then you
can get out there and do something…if you can
control yourself. If you stuff it up- it’s all about the
right time (Adult H).
• Managing money and budgeting, hopefully start this
before I go flatting (Adult N).