Employment Services

At Vinfen, we transform lives by helping people with mental health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities choose, obtain, and keep the employment that they want.

FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS

We believe that every person with a mental health condition who wants to work should receive the supports they need for success and satisfaction in a job for which they are well-matched. When a person expresses an interest in competitive employment, he or she is then connected with a staff person who can help. Vinfen staff work with job candidates, other members of the candidate’s support team, and the business community in order to find the best match between the interests of the job seeker and the employers’ needs. Vinfen staff can support ongoing success either directly on the job or behind the scenes at the job seeker’s discretion.

We work in collaboration with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) to provide a Competitive Integrated Employment Services (CIES) program throughout the state, which provides assessment, skills training, job placement, initial supports, interim supports, and ongoing support services to assist people in their efforts to choose, attain, and maintain competitive employment in an integrated work setting.

We also help people by providing employment assistance that is integrated with other support services in most of our programs, including:

If you are an employer who is interested in partnering with Vinfen, please click here. We are always looking for new organizations to partner with us.

FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Our employment services provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities the support they need to develop important job skills needed for career opportunities. We provide this through community-based vocational training and employment opportunities.

Vinfen offers individuals a variety of options to assist job seekers on their path to finding a career. We provide services that help our job seekers prepare for, obtain, and continue their highest possible level of employment through Supported Employment, Group Employment, Sponsored Employment, and Arts-Based Vocational Services. At Vinfen, we always develop jobs that pay minimum wage.

We work together with individuals, their families, their residential providers, local businesses, the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Service, and community members to help individuals become more independent economically and socially. Supervisors, clinicians, job coaches, and job developers are here to provide personalized training and support. This support is provided in the areas of career planning, searching for employment, social skills, communication skills, community access, mobility skills, and maintaining employment.

PERSON-CENTERED, INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER PLANNING

Employment Connections at Vinfen, through its expert programming, reinforces our organization’s belief that work, and education are transformative in a person’s life.

Employment is critical to achieving equal opportunity, full participation, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. It helps people living with disabilities access and participate in the broader community, develop meaningful relationships with peers with and without disabilities, build new skills and self-esteem, and get and stay healthy. Employment is a pathway leading to more informed choices, greater economic independence, health, and wellness.

Vinfen partners with Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), and Mass Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), to offer employment services and supports to person served participating in our programs. Integral to this partnership is our business engagement within the communities we serve. Finding and retaining employees is a challenge for any business. Finding access to job opportunities is a challenge for many people living with a disability, an often-overlooked talent pool.

Employment Connections at Vinfen partners with employers to help them tap into a growing number of people who identify as having a disability. We take the time to get to know the specific skills and preferences, values and goals of both employers and job seekers alike to recommend a possible job fit. We are also available to businesses to support their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mission.

We believe that “Work is Everyone’s Business!” Our employment services and supports include individualized career assessment, planning, and placement. With individualized supports and employer engagement we ensure that those who are interested in working can find and keep meaningful employment.

For more information contact Karen Moore (Community-based Mental Health Services) at [email protected] or Stephen Moulton (Developmental Disabilities Services) at [email protected]

Group Employment is a career planning model that provides valuable on-the-job training to small groups of individuals by establishing natural supports within the workplace and preparing individuals for a future job placement within the community. 

Sponsored Employment at Vinfen is a great opportunity for individuals who are seeking group or supported employment. These are paid opportunities, which provide real work and training experience so individuals can improve and enhance their social and employment skills.

Arts-Based Studio Services are offered through our Gateway Arts program. Gateway Arts provides professional development for individuals who are talented in hand crafts and fine art. Artists are encouraged to follow their dreams and create a unique individualized career while learning new processes and developing skills with the encouragement and support of professional staff. 

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

Supported Employment is a person-centered and individualized career planning model that leads to an individual securing and maintaining long-term employment in the community through on-site job training, short- and long-term job coaching, and assistance in the strengthening and building of natural supports.

Vinfen works with businesses to develop employment arrangements that are designed to meet the needs both of our job seekers and their employers. If you are an employer who is interested in partnering with Vinfen, please click here. We’re always looking for new organizations to partner with us.

CURRENT AND PAST BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS INCLUDE:

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