Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results — Continued

Goal 2: Clients increase their independence through income assistance, employment and volunteer programs.

Core Business Areas:

Employment Programs.

Temporary Assistance.

Disability Assistance.

The ministry provides income assistance and a range of programs to clients as they work to increase their independence. The ministry recognizes that some clients require a combination of supports to enhance their independence and fulfil their potential. Clients who experience barriers to employment may benefit from services that support life-skill development or volunteer opportunities as they increase their employability. The ministry also funds employment programs specifically to support persons with disabilities to find sustainable employment or enhance their participation in the community.

Measure 2.1 shows the overall percentage of the provincial population that is receiving income assistance. This includes clients receiving temporary assistance, as well as those receiving disability assistance. A lower percentage indicates a decreasing proportion of the provincial population is dependent on income assistance. Results from 2001/02, 2002/03 and for the first half of 2003/04 show the percentage of the provincial population receiving income assistance is lower than had been expected. Targets for future years call for this percentage to continue dropping.

As the ministry succeeds in assisting clients to find and keep jobs, an increasing proportion of the caseload will be made up of people with disabilities. Some people with disabilities are unable to work and others may only be able to work part-time or for part of each year.

The ministry is currently working to gain greater understanding of the circumstances and needs of clients receiving disability assistance. At one time, ministry staff had relatively little contact with clients receiving disability assistance and little was known about some of the ministry's long-term clients. This is now changing. Progress has been made through the updating of the disability designation that took place during 2003, and the ministry will continue to improve its understanding of these clients and their needs.

Measure 2.2 tracks the percentage of the caseload that is made up of disability assistance cases. An increase in this measure is an indication that the ministry is focusing its resources on those most in need.

Results from 2001/02, 2002/03 and the first half of 2003/04 show a trend toward an increasing percentage of the caseload receiving disability assistance. Targets for coming years call for this positive trend to continue.

Objective 1:

Persons with disabilities who seek work find employment and persons with disabilities who seek to volunteer are placed in volunteer positions.

Strategy:

1. Employment services and related supports are provided to persons with disabilities to enhance their self-reliance.

As disability assistance clients enhance their independence, it is expected that more will volunteer. Others will work at some point during each year and declare earned income.

In April 2002, the ministry introduced the Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities (ESPD). The strategy includes the Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities (EPPD), the Minister's Council on Employment for Persons with Disabilities and a strategic partnership with Human Resources Development Canada. All of these initiatives support persons with disabilities to engage in employment to the greatest degree possible; this may include full or part-time work, or volunteering. Successful programs should lead to increased earnings and volunteer activities for disability assistance clients.

The ministry also provides pre-employment services to these clients, assisted job search, job coaching, job placement, follow-up services, employment crisis services and assistance with starting their own businesses.

Volunteering is a valuable activity for many clients who are receiving disability assistance and are not able to fully support themselves through employment. Volunteer work may lead to employment, as it often provides valuable skills and experience. Volunteering is an opportunity for clients to contribute to their communities, thereby enhancing their participation.

This measure provides a conservative count of volunteer activity, as it only tracks those who receive earnings from volunteering. Results for 2002/03 and the first half of 2003/04 show an increase in the percentage of disability assistance clients who either had employment or volunteer income. There is a substantial amount of additional volunteer activity that the ministry is unable to measure.

Objective 1:

The self-reliance of persons with persistent multiple barriers to employment is improved.

Strategy:

1. Clients with persistent multiple barriers to employment participate in programs that enhance their employability.

Some ministry clients face significant barriers to achieving self-reliance through employment as a result of issues such as limited life-skills, minimal employment history, and literacy concerns. The ministry provides clients who face multiple barriers to employment with services aimed at increasing their self-reliance by developing life skills and by providing pre-employment opportunities. Increasing the level of self-reliance and community involvement of people with multiple barriers to employment contributes to the ministry's ability to achieve its mission.

Measure 2.4 is a new measure that tracks the percentage of persons with multiple barriers who are served by ministry programs. Involvement in ministry programs is simply a first step. The ministry is working to understand the kinds of barriers persons with persistent multiple barriers to employment face so that programs and services can more effectively address the issues. As programs and services for this client group are refined, more precise expected outcomes for clients will be developed. A higher percentage for this measure indicates that clients are increasing their community involvement and enhancing their self-reliance. A baseline for this measure will be established in 2004/05, and targets will follow. As the ministry recognizes this measure does not provide a complete picture of increased participation by persons with persistent multiple barriers to employment, the measure is considered interim and work on it will continue during the year.