6.16 Winnipeg
6.16.1 Purpose of Pre-Intake Orientations in Winnipeg
Pre-intake orientations are regularly scheduled group sessions for potential single-parent and general assistance applicants. They provide potential applicants with an opportunity to learn about EIA by:
- listening to the facilitator;
- receiving printed material;
- asking questions; and
- gaining information from others in a group forum.
Information provided at a pre-intake orientation helps potential applicants to:
- decide whether EIA is an appropriate resource for their needs;
- learn about other potentially appropriate resources;
- learn about employment opportunities and how to access them;
- review and clarify EIA's expectations of applicants and participants;
- review EIA's application form; and
- prepare for an intake interview.
6.16.2 Information Provided at Pre-Intake Orientations in Winnipeg
Pre-intake orientations are customized to meet the information needs of different groupings of potential applicants. Potential single-parent and general assistance (GA) applicants with children attend different pre-intake orientations than childless GA applicants.
Topics covered at pre-intake orientations include:
- Overview of Employment and Income Assistance:
- explanation of the last resort nature of the program
- explanation of other potential resources available in the community
- explanation of EIA's eligibility criteria
- explanation of EIA's expectations (such as reporting changes in circumstances, reporting income, seeking maintenance, accessing all other potential financial resources).
- Explanation of employment expectations:
- obligation to pursue self-sufficiency
- requirement to develop an action plan with self-sufficiency as its goal (see section 6.5.2)
- the case coordinator's role in developing and monitoring the action plan
- job searching in the context of the local labour market
- assistance available from staff and external resources
- reporting requirements
- consequences of failure to follow the action plan.
- Discussion of other possible sources of financial support and other assistance:
- Income supports or supplements (such as EI, CPP, SAFER/SAFFR, CRISP, 55 PLUS, NCB, Manitoba Student Loans program)
- job search resources (such as Human Resources Centres, employment readiness courses and programs, job finding clubs)
- resources to assist in pursuing maintenance (such as the Child Support Office, maintenance enforcement, legal aid).
- Explanation of EIA's application process:
- review of EIA's application form, including the personal job plan
- information and documents to bring to the intake appointment, including appropriate identification to verify the identity of all household members for whom assistance is sought (see section 6.4.10)
- questions the intake worker will ask
- information about EIA's processes for verifying information provided by applicants
- any tasks to be completed before scheduling an intake appointment
- information on how to schedule an intake appointment
- the importance of punctuality at the intake appointment (see section 6.4.7)
Printed information is distributed on many of the topics discussed at pre-intake orientations in a pre-intake orientation package.
6.16.3 Tasks Assigned at Pre-Intake Orientations in Winnipeg
In addition to completing the EIA application form, potential applicants may be asked to complete certain tasks before scheduling an intake appointment. Such tasks could include:
- assembling any documents necessary to establish EIA eligibility, including appropriate identification to verify the identity of all household members for whom assistance is sought (see section 6.4.10);
- taking all reasonable steps to access financial resources and other potential sources of support; and
- taking reasonable steps towards the pursuit of employment.
6.16.4 Applicant's Employment Histories, Skills and Personal Job Plans in Winnipeg
Applicants subject to employment expectations receive a copy of the EIA application form at the pre-intake orientation session and are expected to complete it prior to attending the intake interview. The sections concerning education, training and employment, marketable skills, employment barriers and the applicant's personal job plan must be completed as accurately as possible.
Applicants not subject to employment expectations are not expected to attend a pre-intake orientation. However, EIA supports all applicants who voluntarily choose to utilize EIA's employment services to attain work.
Single parents with at least one child under six years of age are not subject to employment expectations, although he or she is expected to attend a pre-intake orientation session and complete certain sections of the EIA application form. If a single-parent applicant decides to take advantage of EIA's employment services, employment expectations may apply.
See section 6.5.1 for a more thorough description of applicants' employment histories, skills and personal job plans.
6.16.5 Who is Subject to Employment Expectations in Winnipeg?
Employment expectations are set out in sections 10(1) to (3) of the Regulation, "Obligations Respecting Employment."
Employment expectations apply to:
- all adults in a general assistance (GA) household;
- single parents whose youngest child is six years old or over;
- single parents with children under six years old who received EIA while participating in an employability enhancement measure;
- 16 and 17 year old children who are not attending education or training; and
- minor GA applicants (for more on employment expectations for minors, see section 9.2.3).
Employment expectations do not apply to:
- aged participants and participants with disabilities;
- children attending education or training;
- participants with dependants in need of special care;
- participants residing in crisis intervention facilities;
- single parents with at least one child under six years old, unless they received EIA while participating in an employability enhancement measure; and
- minor single parents in the last trimester of pregnancy or with a child under six years old (for more on minor expectant mothers and minor single parents, see section 8.3.1).
All EIA participants are encouraged to take advantage of EIA's employment services, whether or not employment expectations apply. Where employment expectations do not apply, participants may assess EIA's employment services on a voluntary basis.
6.16.6 Deferral of Employment Expectations in Winnipeg
6.16.7 Participant Service Needs Assessments in Winnipeg
Approach to participant service in Winnipeg
In the one-tier environment within Winnipeg, service is provided based on participants' assessed needs. This approach seeks to identify and meet participants' financial, employment, medical and social needs. Applicants' most significant service needs are initially assessed during the course of the intake interview. As a result of that assessment, a case coordinator from the appropriate Winnipeg service location is assigned to work with the participant.
Participant service needs (or "FEMS") assessments
If the applicant is eligible for EIA, service needs are assessed and a FEMS code is assigned. Service needs assessments result in the assignment of FEMS codes, which are categorized as follows:
- F = financial needs. All EIA participants have financial needs.
- E = employment service needs. Participants subject to employment expectations have employment service needs, as do participants not subject to employment expectations who voluntarily choose to take advantage of EIA's employment services.
- M = medical needs. Participants who are enrolled in the persons with disabilities category (see section 7.1 and section 12.1) have medical needs. Participants who are not enrolled in the persons with disabilities category but have significant health issues may also have medical needs.
- S = social needs. Participants who experience either short-term or long-term barriers to employment as a result of social factors have social needs.
In two-adult general assistance households, the FEMS code assigned to the household is based on the most employable adult in the household. In all other cases, the FEMS code assigned to the household is based on the applicant.
The assignment of a FEMS code is not the same thing as either case category or employment expectations, although they may sometimes be related.
Service needs assessments at central intake
As part of the intake process, participants' service needs are assessed and FEMS codes are assigned for:
- all new and re-enrolling applicants in all case categories in Winnipeg;
- the second adult in all general assistance households; and
- the second adult in aged households and households with disabilities, only if they express interest in voluntarily participating in EIA's employment services.
File transfers from outside Winnipeg
Participants moving to Winnipeg (planned moves where assistance is required) from elsewhere in Manitoba also require service needs assessments. When the forwarding office is located outside of Winnipeg, the worker in the forwarding office will ensure that service needs assessments (FEMS coding, applicable SAMIN screens) are completed in order to identify the appropriate receiving office and, using the ICCC screen, the appropriate receiving worker.
When a case is closed and the participant requires assistance while residing in Winnipeg, the participant will need to re-apply for assistance through the Central Intake Office located at 111 Rorie Street (Main Floor). In such cases, intake workers at the Central Intake Office will assess participant's service needs and assign FEMS codes, establish eligibility, review and update the participant's action plan in light of their move to Winnipeg.
6.16.8 Assigning a Case Coordinator in Winnipeg
Once participants' service needs are assessed and a FEMS code is assigned to the household, the intake worker assigns a case coordinator at the Winnipeg service location best able to meet the household's assessed service needs.