Families as System Actors in Discovery: Embedding Co-Production Within the Equilibrium Systems Model of Employment

Peter Smith

Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice 

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9888-8113 (unauthenticated)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33700/jhrs.5.1.202

Abstract

Background: Discovery is a core practice within Customised Employment, intended to identify the strengths, interests, and support needs of people with disability to inform meaningful employment pathways. Despite strong evidence that families influence employment outcomes, their role within Discovery remains informal, inconsistent, and largely untheorised.

Aim: This paper examines the role of families within Discovery and proposes a structured model for embedding family involvement as a core component of inclusive employment practice.

Methods: Drawing on the Equilibrium Systems Model of Employment (ESME), international literature, and applied practice experience, the paper develops the Family Discovery Model as a conceptual and practice-informed framework. The model is examined in relation to co-production theory, Customised Employment fidelity, and contemporary disability employment policy contexts.

Results: The Family Discovery Model positions families as system actors who contribute through narrative building, network mapping, and collaborative reflection. These functions strengthen employment planning, improve alignment between participant goals and service delivery, and enhance system coherence. Practice-based vignettes demonstrate how structured family involvement can support school-to-work transitions, movement from segregated employment, and pathway development for individuals with complex support needs.

Conclusion: Embedding families as co-producers within Discovery offers a practical and scalable mechanism for strengthening rehabilitation practice and advancing inclusive employment systems. By operationalising family involvement within a structured framework, the model supports improved employment outcomes, greater fidelity to Customised Employment principles, and stronger alignment with contemporary disability policy objectives.

Keywords: customised employment, family involvement, disability employment, co-production, systems theory, rehabilitation

Full Text Article

How to establish electronic, scholarly, open access and peer-reviewed journal in small country

ABSTRACT

Vladimir Trajkovski

Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8369-9501

Introduction: publishing an electronic, peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal in a small country is really hard work. The advancement of electronic journals during recent years has given professionals in academia a powerful new tool to support learning and research.

The purpose of this article is to provide some guidelines about creating electronic, scholarly, open access and peer-reviewed journal in small country through the example of Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Methods: An analysis of relevant literature, sources from the Internet and published literature, personal experience and observations of the author as editor-in-chief in two similar journals previously.

Findings: a new modern academic journal should be open access, peer-reviewed, with international editorial board, having staff who work very dedicatedly. The journal should be set it up on OJS platform, using Creative Commons license for authors and DOI numbers for the articles. Plagiarism detection is a prevention of publication ethics violation. Journal editors should make additional efforts to index journal in lot of scholarly databases and to intend to increase the visibility. Sharing journal content on social media has become an important instrument and platform for editors and researchers as well.

Conclusions: Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (JHRS) is a multidisciplinary peer reviewed, international, electronic journal. Editorial office expects your submitted articles in the following weeks and months.

Keywords: electornic, scholarly, open access, peer-review, journal, JHRS, small country

Source: https://jhrs.almamater.si/index.php/jhrs/article/view/35

Submitting an Article

Dear authors,

You can find guidelines hot to submit your article in JHRS journal HERE. Thank you for your interest in JHRS.

JHRS Editor-in-chief

Call for papers Vol. 1, Issue 1, 2022

Respected colleagues,

We want to announce that Alma Mater Europaea University – ECM and Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism launched new journal entitled: Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (JHRS). JHRS is a multidisciplinary, peer reviewed, scholarly, international, electronic journal. The following articles will be considered for publication: original and review articles, short report, letters to the editor, clinical experiences, survey of cases, doctoral dissertations, master of arts, editorials, rapid communications and other contributions from all the fields of health sciences, rehabilitation sciences, developmental diversities, special education, psychology, social policy, and the related sciences. The aim of the journal is to share and disseminate knowledge between all disciplines that work in the field of developmental diversities. All articles will be critically reviewed by at least two unknown reviewers within 2 months, but longer delays are sometimes unavoidable. All manuscripts must comply with Authors Instructions. There will be around 20 articles published per year. JHRS allows free access (Open Access) to its contents and permits authors to self-archive final accepted version of the articles on any OAI-compliant institutional / subject-based repository. Journal of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is devoted to the scientific study of health disturbances and rehabilitation. The subject matter is broad and includes, but is not restricted to, findings from health, psychological, biological, educational, genetic, medical, psychiatric, and sociological studies, ethical, philosophical, and legal contributions that increase knowledge on the prevention and treatment of disability, and/or inform public policy and practice.

You are kindly invited to submit an article in our Journal. Please type them in Word format. Please use Times New Roman font with Font size 12. The manuscript can not exceed 30.000 characters with no spaces A4 format including Abstract, Tables, Figures, and References. The margins should be 2 cm from every side, and also paragraph should be 1.5 lines. The style of referencing is from APA.

The dead line for sending the manuscripts is October 31st 2022.

With respect,

JHRS Editor-in-Chief