2 case studies

Italian case study

PLAN	What was the planned focus of the intermediary in the project? E.g. change focus employers or support the employee or … The principal aim of Equal/Ex-Aequo project is to support the work and social integration and re-integration of mentally disabled people through an approach which focuses on the gradual return to normal life conditions after a period of physical and psychological disability. The partnership of the project is composed of different parties, such as the local mental health office, the association of small and medium-sized companies and a number of social co-ops and associations active in the area of education. The project’s focus was to help mentally disabled people to find their place in the work market and to persuade employers that these people are “resources” for the company thus overcoming prejudices against mental disability. What type of skills were crucial for the intermediary to achieve this? In order to achieve the project objectives two different intermediary roles have been created: the social intermediary and the company tutor have both basic skills in psychology and psychiatric disorders and they have a general knowledge of interpersonal communication techniques.
DO	Training of intermediary Both intermediary roles have been trained with basics of psychology, psychiatric disease, mutual help and communication techniques, social and work-related legislation. Social intermediaries attended a 100 day course of eight hours a day, which has been divided into 540 hours of theory and practises in classroom, 200 hours of traineeship and 60 hours of project development during the traineeship. Company tutors, who are also employees at the host companies where the traineeships take place, attended a 25 days course of four hours a day which have been compacted in eight months to allow employees to carry on with their normal work in the company. This course has been divided into 48 hours of theory and practises in classroom and 52 hours within the company.
STUDY and CHECK	What difficulties did intermediaries face during the practical work? Necessary conditions are that all involved parties are really motivated, ready to cooperate and active in playing their role. The company should be aware of its social responsibility and be really concerned with the project’s objectives. Social intermediaries and company tutors should (be able to) carry out their work in good conditions: all parties involved in the action, such as trainees, companies’ responsible persons and colleagues at the workplace have to be collaborating and supportive. The main expectations of the project group were to favour social inclusion/integration and to help disabled trainees in getting self-sufficient and more independent from their family. Final results are in line with expectations. 32 persons with disabilities did a traineeship in the company. 1 person left because of personal inconvenience and 1 left because he found a job in another company. Initial problems for trainees experienced at a work level have been considered as normal matters for a mentally disabled person who starts a new job. The project group experienced in a concrete case that intermediaries need to be aware that mental conditions of the disabled trainee can get temporarily worse. This case showed that family problems can play an important role in the development of such problems. A coordinated and swift action was needed. This action included doctors and social agents from the mental health office, social intermediaries and company’s representatives in order to support the trainee and reassure the company. Other faced difficulties were: In the case involving manufacturing industries the assignment of two trainees to a single company tutor caused a slowdown in the production line. In the case involving social intermediaries, some companies have sometimes complained about too great a presence in the workplace, whereas others have expressed the opposite point of view.
ACT	How did you handle the difficulties? We have learnt that social intermediary should be more aware of the problems that disabled people experience within their families and maybe get in contact with some family members. Competences should be more oriented to family matters both from a psychological and sociological point of view. The project group has realised that a one-to-one relationship between trainee and tutor is better and more productive than a relationship involving one tutor with a group of trainees in the company. In particular, the choice of assigning one tutor to one trainee provides a double advantage: the tutor’s action is more concentrated on the specific needs and characteristics of the trainee thus providing a targeted service, and their relationship, perceived as stronger and closer by both parties involved, makes the trainee more comfortable about her/his work experience to be successful. The trainees’ rotation among different departments has been a good strategy to encourage the socialization process with all workforce and to allow the trainees to do, thus learning, different tasks. If at the beginning, the assignment of two trainees to a single department caused a slowdown in the production line, the choice of establishing a “one-to-one” relationship has finally proved as effective. Thanks to a detailed monitoring phase, during which we’ve had conversations with both intermediaries and company representatives, the project group has realised that those opposite judgements about too great a presence or too small a presence in the workplace did not depend on the time length spent by social intermediaries in the workplace but on a different “perception”, in terms of helpfulness, about the role of social intermediaries as expressed by company representatives. In particular, if the disabled trainee had no problems in performing her/his job, social intermediaries have been perceived as intrusive and sometimes as a weight for the company, whereas, in the cases relating to problematic work inclusions, social intermediaries have been said to be insufficiently present since their role was really needed within the companies. Finally we realised, as a project team, that role and functions of social intermediary cannot be standardised as something fixed and predetermined but his role has to be adaptable to every single case. Did you change the role of the intermediary? There have been, and there still are, changes and adjustments in the role of the intermediary which, at the end of the project, will be joined into a real definition of this professional role with its proper competences and abilities. If, from one side, social intermediaries have been trained as specialists in their area, from the other, they got basic knowledge about very complex issues concerning with psychology and psychiatric disease. A codified methodology for the social intermediary was not in use when we started the project so each person taking this role has freely interpreted her/his function following a personal approach. A group of experts within our project group is collecting best practice in order to build up a model which could be hopefully replicated, experimented with and integrated, with proper adjustments, and finally disseminated at European level.

Polish case study

PLAN	What was the planned focus of the intermediary in the project? E.g. change focus employers or support the employee or … The main task of the ZORON intermediary is to support the employment of disabled persons in companies covered by the project, as well as change of attitudes towards disability. As a result of the above mentioned role of the intermediary will focus on initiating and reproducing tasks such as: Identification of environmental barriers (adoption of stairs, toilets, communication ways and working posts) Introduction of antidiscrimination regulation in company rules and requirement procedures. Implementation of disability management procedures Promotion of acceptance by management and staff of persons with disabilities (counter stereotypes) Delivery of detailed information about legislation and support by government to eliminate barriers, for promotion of legislation against discrimination and to establish rules for equal opportunities. What types of skills were crucial for the intermediary to achieve this? The role of intermediary is given to the Trade Union members, working in the companies covered by the ZORON project. The Union activists know the specificities and structure of the company and as the people from “inside” have more influence to reach the objectives of the project. The following competences were expected from Trade Union members, who were selected for the project: the ability to convince, experience and achievements in the work as Union activists, perseverance and achievement in realisation of the given tasks.
DO	Training of intermediary The selected intermediaries had training and workshops. (two training cycles two days each and 4 seminars – lectures and workshops). The courses were focused on the following subjects: Transmitting knowledge concerning legislation on employment of disabled persons, Explaining methods of recognising of signs of discrimination A questionnaire for companies, developed as part of the ZORON project, gives the intermediary the essential information to plan further activities to fight barriers in the company for persons with a disability. During the course intermediaries learned to use that tool, to make the analysis of the results, and depending on the results to make an appropriate action plan.
STUDY and CHECK	What difficulties did intermediaries face during the practical work? Intermediaries were confronted with barriers to change regulation and procedures within the company. The change of those rules and procedures had to guarantee a culture of equality within the company. This task could be fulfilled by the intermediaries, but it required much more time and efforts than expected. For example: to reach an accessible environment, intermediaries had to combat architectural barriers. They faced different practical problems: cancellation of plans to fight architectural barriers, reimbursements of expenses for these constructions. Problems were solved, but the realisation of the plans took much more time than planned.
ACT	How did you handle the difficulties? Did you change the role of the intermediary? The role of intermediary in the ZORON project is dependent on the active Trade Union members operating in the company. They do not have any influence on the selection of the intermediaries. The purpose of the project is not to select the right persons that can influence the position of disabled persons on the job market in a positive way but to train the Trade Union members present about the possibility of keeping the work positions for the disabled persons, the possibilities of employing such persons and overcoming the mental barriers of employers and employees. This is done by providing them with the necessary knowledge and practical information: meetings, talks, direct conversations with the employers and employees of a company; environmental and other barriers e.g. employing sign language interpreters.