Employable Persons

3-6 Employable Persons

PURPOSE

1. To state conditions under which employable persons may be granted assistance.

PRINCIPLE

2. An applicant, if capable and employable, shall endeavour to find employment in order to provide for himself/herself and his/her family. In addition, the applicant shall make reasonable efforts to maintain or improve his/her level of employability.

POLICY

3. Section 6(3) of the Social Assistance Regulations states:

Where an applicant is unemployed and is a person in need, the Department may grant assistance to the applicant if the Director is satisfied that the applicant:

(a) is unemployed due to circumstances beyond the applicant’s control:



(b) is willing to undertake employment for which the applicant is capable;



(c) is making reasonable efforts to secure employment, including active registration with local employment agencies;



(d) can provide, upon request, written confirmation that the applicant has been actively seeking employment; and



(e) is willing to accept available training.



4.

(a) An applicant shall be exempt from the work force or employment related training in order to stay at home to parent an infant child under one year of age. This is consistent with other government initiatives designed to support bonding and parenting in the early developmental stages of children.



(b) Parents will be encouraged and supported in accessing positive parenting initiatives as appropriate.



5. The employability of an applicant is a significant factor in any new assessment or review. Workers, when assessing a new client or when reviewing the status of an active client, shall examine the level of employability of the client and code the client’s employment status accurately at all times.

6. Employable dependants of an applicant, whether adult or minor, shall also meet the requirements of actively seeking employment, unless in full time attendance in an educational or training program. Job search expectation should be reasonable in relation to the dependants’ employability (see Paragraph 7).

7. In assessing a person’s employability, there are three levels to be considered:


(a) Low Support Needs - Such individuals may be identified by a recent attachment to the work force and a clear sense of his/her abilities and limitations, and a display of confidence and motivation. The only barrier to employment for this level will be a job opportunity.



For an individual at this level of employability, the worker shall ensure the client is informed of all sources of potential job opportunities, for example, Services Canada, Employment Development Agency, Workplace Resources, Private Sector Employers, etc.



(b) Moderate Support Needs - Such individuals may be identified by a distant attachment to the work force, sufficient education/training but lack of work experience, a lack of job search skills and/or discouragement with the job search, a lack of confidence and motivation, and inability to present himself/herself well, a lack of social skills, etc.



For an individual at this level of employability, the worker shall assist the client with identifying his/her particular barriers to employment and shall refer the client to appropriate community resources for assessment and to develop a case plan to assist the individual in becoming more employable. Existing resources which may be used include, Services Canada for courses which may assist the client in gaining appropriate social skills and self-confidence.



(c) High Support Needs - Such individuals may be identified by a lack of education/training, little or no work experience, poor work habits, no marketable skills, lack of motivation, history of dependency on financial assistance, a lack of confidence, poor presentation, physical/medical/familial barriers, and very poor relationship/social skills.



Services which may be appropriate for an individual in this level include Services Canada courses, to update education/training, counseling to increase self-confidence/self-awareness/social skills. Clients in this level will need extensive support and workers should anticipate that it may take an extended period of time for these clients to achieve the goals set.



8. If, in the final analysis, there is a reasonable doubt about the employable applicant’s serious approach to job searching or motivation to prepare himself/herself for employment, then remedial action, including reduction or termination of benefits, should be taken. Action in this regard must have the approval of the designated authority.

9. When an employable person first contacts the Department for assistance, the Intake Worker shall assess the employability of the person and may request that person to complete a Job search Record as part of the initial application/eligibility process. Eligibility can be determined following this action.

10. The worker is to establish the frequency of reporting based on the individual’s employability (see Paragraph 7) and the availability of employment. Ongoing compliance with the Case Plan is a condition of continuing eligibility employment plan is a condition of continuing eligibility.

11. Once eligibility for assistance has been established, the applicant may be required to complete the Job Search Form on a routine basis to establish continuing eligibility. The caseworker should review the Job Search Form with the applicant to ensure the person understands what is expected.

12. Employable dependants who do not meet the requirements of Paragraph 6 should be deleted from the family expenses.