Study Details | Pathways to Work

90070-About Face (AF) Plus Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Compared with AF Only - 2012 Cohort

Study quality: Low

Low

Reason for the rating: This study received a low study quality rating because it is a high-attrition randomized controlled trial that does not adjust estimated impacts for potentially important differences between the intervention and comparison groups.

Intervention: About Face (AF) plus Individual Placement and Support (IPS) (as compared to AF only)

Population and employment barriers:

Specific employment barriers (Former incarceration, Military veteran)

Services provided:

Case management, Employment retention services, Health services (Substance use disorder treatment and mental health services), Work and work-based learning (Individual Placement and Support), Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

In a 26-month period from 2012 to 2015, the study recruited veterans who were formerly incarcerated and (1) had at least one prior felony conviction; (2) had been diagnosed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both; (3) expressed a desire for competitive employment; and (4) provided consent. In total, 146 veterans were screened for participation and randomly assigned, with 111 ultimately included in the analysis sample. Among those included in the study sample, 60 were assigned to the intervention group (AF+IPS) and 51 to the comparison group (AF).

Time period of study:

Enrollment took place between late 2012 and early 2015. Participants were followed for one year.

Pathways only reports results from studies with a study quality rating of high or moderate.

Sample characteristics

Age

Mean age

52 years

Sex

Male

96%

Specific employment barriers

Had a disability	13%
Were formerly incarcerated	100%
Were experiencing homelessness	59%
Were military veterans	100%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Not available

Intervention services:

The intervention group received the About Face (AF) vocational program plus Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services. AF was a small-group, one-week program serving veterans who were formerly incarcerated with at least one prior felony conviction and who had been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both. In AF, participants met for 8-10 hours over the week and explored their career goals, discussed their employment history, developed a basic resume, and considered the employment challenges faced by veterans. After AF, participants moved into IPS, a program founded on a set of core principles—including small caseloads and rapid job searches—with the intention of helping people find and keep jobs. Supported employment specialists (SESs), who were trained rehabilitation counselors, provided individual job search services within two weeks of participation in AF. SESs contacted employers on participants' behalf to connect participants to employment and to work with employers to develop positions suitable for participants. SESs partnered with participants' substance use and mental health care treatment teams as part of the employment services they provided. IPS lasted until the participant found a job, but participants could choose to receive ongoing support from the SESs after they were employed.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group participated in the AF vocational program but did not receive any IPS services.

Study publications

LePage, James P., April M. Crawford, Daisha. J. Cipher, Kemol Anderson, Avery Rock, Julie A. Parish Johnson, Edward L. Washington, and Lisa Ottomanelli (2020). Blending traditional vocational services and individualized placement and support for formerly incarcerated veterans, Psychiatric Services 71(8): 816-823. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32393158/.

LePage, James P., Avery A. Lewis, April M. Crawford, Julie A. Parish, Lisa Ottomanelli, Edward L. Washington, and Daisha J. Cipher (2016). Incorporating individualized placement and support principles into vocational rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated veterans, Psychiatric Services 67(7): 735-742. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27032655/.

LePage, James P., William B. Martin, April M. Crawford, Avery Rock, Julie Parish Johnson, and Edward L. Washington (2021). Individualized placement and support supported employment for justice-involved homeless and unemployed veterans, Medical Care (59): S195-S198.

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Study of About Face (AF) Plus Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Compared with AF Only) - 2012 cohort