Section 11 - General Overview

Federal-Provincial Role in the marketAbilities Program

On April 1, 2004, a two-year Canada-Manitoba Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities (LMAPD) was negotiated between the federal and provincial governments. This Agreement authorizes the federal government to negotiate cost-sharing agreements with Manitoba to provide co-ordinated and comprehensive employment focused programming for persons with a disability, enabling them to prepare for, attain and maintain employment. The LMAPD and Guidelines determine the scope and limits of federal-provincial cost sharing. The current LMAPD expires on March 31, 2013.

The province is responsible, however, for designing its own vocational program or range of services and for establishing program eligibility criteria. The primary goal of the marketAbilities Program is to provide goods and services to eligible individuals to enhance their opportunities for employment. These services may be as simple as a referral to a job vacancy or as complex as a multi-year training plan involving a variety of supports. Therefore, it is possible to have programs and services identified as cost-shareable in the LMAPD, which are not in fact provided directly by the province, although funded by the Province through contractual arrangements with suppliers. It is similarly possible to have program differences between provinces.

The federal government requires that a number of conditions be met in order to support the program and to verify cost-shareable items, such as:

• financial records and statistics;
• program administration, promotion, and co-ordination;
• measurement of outcomes; and
• an appeal process.

The province is required by the LMAPD to maintain records of all expenditures, revenues and refunds to support claims for cost-sharing. Cost-shared items must be clearly identified as provincial costs incurred in the provision of vocational services to eligible participants.

In cases where an agency or department provides a range of services, only eligible costs directly attributable to vocational services are cost-shareable. Records must contain information to substantiate the program's eligibility as defined in the Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities Agreement and Guidelines, and must demonstrate that goods and services were provided as part of the vocational process for eligible participants. Participant eligibility is left up to the province.

Shareable costs under the LMAPD Agreement are detailed and complex. In simplified terms, costs directly related to the preparation for, attainment and maintenance of employment are generally cost-shareable. All expenditures related to an individual's vocational training plan must be approved.

 

Overview of the Vocational Process

Manitoba's marketAbilities Program is designed to provide, and/or ensure access to, goods and services that will assist participants to prepare for, attain and maintain employment.

The vocational process aims at an individualized vocational goal for each participant. It includes a number of inter-related phases:

• intake or application;
• assessment;
• planning with the participant;
• implementation of the participant vocational training plan;
• follow-up; and
• closure.

Counseling and service co-ordination occur throughout the vocational process.

When vocational goals change, amendments must be made to the documentation of the participant vocational training plan. Individual circumstances may warrant bypassing one or more of the process phases identified above.

 

marketAbilities Program Mandate

The marketAbilities Program's mandate is to provide funding for a range of employment related supports, services and training primarily for unemployed adults who have a disability.

Provincial legislation, entitled The Social Services Administration Act, authorizes the Minister of Family Services and Consumer Affairs to provide a range of social services, including those goods or services including assessment, necessary to enable a person with a disability to become capable of engaging in a substantially gainful occupation. Provincial expenditures for the marketAbilities Program may be eligible for cost sharing under the Canada-Manitoba LMAPD.

 

marketAbilities Program Delivery System

The marketAbilities Program is part of a larger range of services designed to enhance the participant's independent and productive functioning in a variety of community-based residential, social, recreational, educational, and vocational environments.

The province's marketAbilities Program, with its emphasis on vocational training and job placement strategies, is designed to address the vocational needs of Manitobans who are:

• Canadian citizens or legally entitled to remain and work in Canada on a permanent basis; and
• living with a disability and who have the potential to pursue a substantially gainful occupation.

The Program addresses the vocational needs of participants with the following disabilities:

• mental;
• physical;
• psychiatric;
• vision;
• hearing; or
• learning.

The Government of Manitoba, through Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs is responsible for the overall administration of the LMAPD. Programs cost-shared under the LMAPD include employment-focused programs and services managed by the Departments of Family Services and Consumer Affairs (marketAbilities Program), Health (internal and external Mental Health Programs, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba and Behavioural Health Foundation), Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade, and Education (Career Options for Students with Disabilities). Please see Appendix I.

A Director and/or Provincial Co-ordinator are appointed to administer the province-wide LMAPD Agreement.

For Manitoba Health, staff of Regional Health Authorities generally deliver programs and services provided by the Mental Health Division. In some cases mental health workers have access to and/or refer participants to programs and services provided by Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs.

 

marketAbilities Programs & Services in Manitoba

Designated Service Delivery System

The marketAbilities Program is delivered by Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs, Regional Health Authorities and by designated agencies funded by Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs. Vocational Counsellors in Family Services and Consumer Affairs and the designated agencies provide case co-ordination services. The designated service providers include:

1. Provincial Government - Vocational Counsellors are located in the Family Services and Consumer Affairs regional and district offices and provide services to persons with a mental, learning or psychiatric disability.
   
2. Regional Health Authorities - Mental Health Workers are located across the province under the administration of Regional Health Authorities and provide services to persons with a psychiatric disability. Some regions employ Employment Development Specialists.
   
3. Designated Agencies - receive provincial funding through Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs and are designated to provide services to persons with specific disabilities. The three designated agencies are:
   
   1. The Society for Manitobans with Disabilities Inc. - provides vocational services to persons with a physical disability and hearing disability (excluding persons with a visual disability or spinal cord injuries).
   2. The Canadian Paraplegic Association - provides vocational services to persons with spinal cord injuries.
   3. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind - provides vocational services to persons with a visual disability.
      
4. Self-Directed Option - This service option is described in Section 178 and allows eligible participants who require minimal or no support to prepare a vocational plan to access funding from the marketAbilities Individualized Training Fund.

 

Specialized Services of the marketAbilities Program

In addition to Case Co-ordination Services provided by the provincial and designated agency service delivery system, a range of specialized agencies are utilized extensively to provide services in accordance with the Individual Vocational Training Plan. These services include:

1. Assessment, Employment Services and Employment Supports - there are four agencies that receive funding from Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs to provide a range of services which include job development/placement, assessment, work training and follow-up services.
   1. Career Connections Inc. - is located in Brandon and provides placement, work assessment, work training and follow-up services to persons with a mental, psychiatric, physical or learning disability.
   2. Employment Preparation Centre - is located in Winnipeg (operated by the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities Inc.) and provides placement, assessment, work training and follow-up services for persons with a physical, psychiatric or learning disability.
   3. Sair Centre of Learning - is located in Winnipeg and provides placement, work assessment, work training and follow-up services primarily for persons with a psychiatric or learning disability.
   4. Segue Career Options Inc. - is located in Winkler and provides placement, work assessment, work training and follow-up services primarily for those with psychiatric but also those who have a mental, physical or learning disability.
      Appendix VI refers to information on referral and enrolment procedures for each of the above.
2. Alternative Services - participants in rural areas are at a disadvantage in terms of accessing work assessment and work training. Therefore, the program provides a mechanism to cover costs incurred by an Evaluation and Work Training Centre to deliver services outside of its normal geographic area provided it can be demonstrated that the costs are less than reimbursing the participant(s) to commute or to cover short-term living arrangements. The program may also consider purchase of services from other suppliers provided costs are more economical and quality standards are not compromised.
   
   Another component of the Alternative Service provision is the possibility of program funds being used to assist Evaluation and Work Training Centres to purchase disability related technical or adaptive devices on a lease or long-term special fee assessment basis.
   
3. Education and Training Services - the marketAbilities Program can purchase services from other externally operated organizations such as community colleges, private vocational schools, private language schools, universities, and other training services. Refer to Appendix V for further details on these services.
   
4. Assessment, Training-on-the-Job, and Support Services - individualized services include provision for work assessment, work training, and training-on-the-job which may be contracted with a variety of public services or private businesses.
   
5. Support services assist persons with a disability to pursue training or employment opportunities by accessing goods or services, which may include:
   1. building modification;
   2. technical aids and devices;
   3. vehicle modification;
   4. special equipment;
   5. transportation;
   6. tutoring;
   7. sign language;
   8. note taking; and
   9. follow-up goods and services.

 

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