The Perceived Importance of Integrated Supported Education and Employment Services

Supported Education (SEd) is emerging as an evidence-based practice (EBP) effective at helping individuals with psychiatric disabilities increase their educational achievement. Individual Placement and Support (IPS), a specialized form of supported employment (SE) for people with psychiatric disabilities, is an established EBP and has been suggested as an optimal vehicle through which SEd could be delivered. This study attempts to: (1) discover which elements of supported education services are perceived as important by IPS programs and (2) to determine what, if any, educational services are currently being provided within these programs. Respondents rated most highly providing concrete educational services and minimizing educational service barriers for participants. Although still rated highly, there was less importance placed on documenting outcomes or informing others about the educational services being provided by supported employment programs. Approximately 57% of programs were providing some form of educational service and support. The results from this survey provide information about how IPS and SEd are currently being delivered and highlights a need for further research about how SEd and IPS can be optimally delivered together.