Supervision is a critical component of the Employment Supervisor role. Supervision should occur weekly, either in a group setting or individually. Supervision encompasses not only conducting weekly meetings, reviewing documentation, and field monitoring, but also utilizing employment outcomes to establish goals and enhance the overall performance of the IPS program.

The Employment Supervisor collects data on employer contacts, job starts, number and percent of people working on each employment specialist’s caseload, number and percent of people in education programs on each employment specialist’s caseload, people who maintain employment for 90 days, people who transition off the IPS team, and job terminations. This data is used to identify trends in the employment specialist’s caseload and set goals for improvement.

For example, Employment Specialist #1 had one job placement, with an average of three employer contacts per week last month. The Employment Supervisor will utilize the employer contact log to identify opportunities for increasing the number of employer contacts. This may include job development training and field mentoring to enhance technique and confidence in approaching employers. The Employment Supervisor will also use the data to set a goal to increase the number of job placements for the following month. Increased employer contacts are expected to lead to more job placements, which in turn will result in improved employment outcomes.

The Employment Supervisor also tracks data to share with the IPS team, behavioral health team, and the executive team of the organization. According to IPS high-fidelity standards, the Employment Supervisor is required to report outcomes at least quarterly.