Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results — Continued

Goal 1: Clients who are able to work become self-reliant through employment.

Core Business Areas:

Employment Programs.

Temporary Assistance.

Disability Assistance.

The Ministry of Human Resources supports income assistance clients in their efforts to achieve self-reliance and greater community participation. To fulfill this mandate, the ministry assists those clients who are able to work to find and maintain employment.

Clients who leave income assistance for jobs tend to have higher incomes, their children are less likely to receive income assistance as adults, and they attain higher levels of training and education. Children whose parents work are also more likely to complete high school and be actively involved in the labour market as adults.

Increasing the number of clients who find employment is a critical aspect of the ministry's mission. Measure 1.1 was developed to track the ministry's success in this area. All temporary assistance clients have employment-related obligations, except for those who are excused from seeking work (e.g., parents of a young child, temporary illness or injury requiring medical treatment).

The percentage of British Columbia's population receiving income assistance who are able to work has been reduced since 2001/02. A lower percentage indicates that more people are leaving income assistance or do not require assistance.

While the measure is new, data was available to establish a 2001/02 baseline. Data for 2002/03 shows that the percentage declined and this positive trend continued during the first half of 2003/04.

Objective

1: Clients actively seek work as a condition of eligibility.

Strategies:

1. Pre-applicants are required to undertake a three-week self-directed work search as a condition of eligibility.

2. Clients with employment-related obligations are required to complete and comply with employment plans as a condition of eligibility.

Employment plans are the foundation for ongoing dialogue and planning between ministry staff and clients. These plans outline the ministry's expectations of clients regarding their job search activities, and provide clients with a clear list of activities they will undertake that will assist them in finding work. This process ensures that clients have access to the tools and supports they require to find a job and become independent of income assistance.

Measure 1.2 is a new measure reflecting the importance of employment plans as a tool to assist clients in moving toward independence. A higher percentage for this measure indicates success in encouraging self-reliance and in assisting clients achieve independence. In 2003/04, a baseline will be established for this measure.

Objective

1: Clients find employment through job placement services.

Strategy:

1. Clients access job placement services which are performance-based.

The ministry offers job placement services to support clients in finding and keeping employment. Research indicates that the likelihood of returning to income assistance significantly decreases for clients who maintain financial independence for at least six months.

The Job Placement program assists clients with supports such as resume preparation, employment and personal counseling, and job search assistance. The program is delivered through contracted service providers, whose payment is performance-based — determined by the number of clients in the program who achieve independence from income assistance.

Ministry statistics indicate that in 2002/03, 83 per cent of job placement participants were independent of income assistance after six months. As this program matures, the ministry is able to report information about clients who remain independent for longer periods. Results as of December 2003 indicate that approximately 85 per cent of job placement clients remain independent of income assistance after 12 months, and after six months, the results were approximately 91 per cent. The 80 to 90 per cent target range for measure 1.3 allows for fluctuations in local economies and for variations in the readiness of those clients referred to the program.