Veritas House and Orygen have partnered to establish a Trauma-Informed Individual Placement and Support (TI-IPS) program. The program aims to support young people that are not in employment, education or training (NEET) or at risk of NEET, who are accessing Veritas’ out of home care (OOHC) and youth homelessness services in Central Western NSW. Most young people within these services have experienced complex and ongoing trauma.
IPS is the most evidence-based model of employment support for individuals experiencing mental ill-health and integrates vocational support within clinical mental health services. It is founded on being strengths-based and person-centred, placing the employment preferences and strengths of the individual at the heart of how it identifies, seeks out, obtains and maintains employment. The IPS model consists of eight key principles which include a focus on competitive employment and education, placements that align with client preferences, work incentives planning, systematic job development, rapid job search and time unlimited support. When responding to the needs of new cohorts of young people, however, consideration must be given to their unique needs.
The purpose of the program in Veritas House is to combine the IPS model with a trauma-informed practice model to support young people who have experienced trauma to engage in the workforce. As IPS is co-located with mental health and other services at Veritas House, young people can seamlessly access mental health, social and transitional supports and employment supports at the same service, reducing time spent on assessments. This model provides holistic support aimed at addressing multiple barriers to employment. IPS specialists have received specialised training to work with these cohorts through a trauma informed IPS approach (TI-IPS).
Young people are included in the research and evaluation of the Trauma Informed model through surveys and interviews.
The fidelity process that is critical to the TI-IPS model being delivered with integrity includes interviews with young people to gain their perspective on the service being offered to them. Veritas House has also actively engaged with the young people they are working with to capture their stories, learn from and highlight the positive outcomes and success that they have achieved.
Dr Wilma Peters
Research Fellow, Trauma and Youth Mental Health, Orygen
Dr Wilma Peters (she/her) is an experienced clinician, researcher, and organizational leader. Wilma conducts research on interventions for interpersonal trauma in young people and the implementation and evaluation of trauma-informed models of care within youth mental health service systems. She approaches this work from a consumer’s experience lens and has received grants for investigating trauma-informed approaches for young people within the out-of-homecare sector.
Katrina Casaclang
National Manager, Youth IPS Centre of Excellence, Orygen
Senior Practitioner- Sector Capability Building’ Centre for Multicultural Youth
Katrina Casaclang (she/her) is the National Manager of Orygen’s IPS Centre of Excellence. Katrina has implemented and managed several youth education and employment programs and has extensive experience in stakeholder and community engagement, as well as facilitation and supervision experience. Her role at Orygen includes managing the IPS trainers, professional support facilitators and fidelity reviewers and project staff to support services across Australia.
Bronte Emanuel
Operations Manager for Supported Independent Living and Residential Services, Veritas House
With 8 years of experience at Veritas House, Bronte has held various roles across multiple programs within Out of Home Care and Youth Homelessness, at different levels of the organisation. Bronte oversees the implementation and contractual requirements for five programs, including the newest Trauma Informed, Individual Support Program (TI-IPS). She works closely with her team, contract managers, and external stakeholders to ensure that the values, outcomes, and sector reforms are at the forefront of their work.
Haylee Lepaio
Team Leader of Youth Initiative, Veritas House
Haylee has been the Team Leader of Youth Initiative for the past 4 years, where she has played a pivotal role in supporting young people transitioning from out-of-home care who may be at risk of homelessness in Central and Western NSW. In addition to her leadership responsibilities, Haylee has been supporting staff to assist young people to develop their independent living skills, provide transitional support and education and employment mentoring through the TI-IPS program for the last 18 months. The dedication to empowering youth and fostering their independence is evident in the positive outcomes achieved under the program’s guidance.