Staff Time in the Community: An Enduring Critical Component of Individual Placement and Support in the Digital Age

Objective:

This study examined the relationship between individual placement and support (IPS) employment specialists’ time spent in the community and employment outcomes in the current digital age, featuring increased technology use and online hiring practices.

Methods:

The authors examined the relationship between employment outcomes and IPS employment specialists’ time spent in the community at 78 sites in 2018 and 84 sites in 2019.

Results:

The amount of time staff spent in the community was significantly and positively associated with better employment outcomes.

Conclusions:

These data support the continued importance of employment specialists’ spending time in the community with employers and IPS recipients to achieve optimal outcomes for recipients.