PURPOSE
To use positive negotiation skills both as an individual and through partnership; to understand the key components of contracting, and quality assurance provisions that must be detailed in each contract.

1. Identify how negotiation strategies will help you to establish

    relationships and business contracts with your employers'

    providers.

2. Understand the importance of documenting agreements in a

    timely manner using clear written contract formats.

3. Understand the role of Support Broker is to ensure that your

    employers' interests are protected through written quality

    assurance language as presented in each contract.

INTRODUCTION
Your role as a Support Broker is to help an individual carry out their life plan. In many circumstances, you will interact with people in the community and negotiate for the services and supports requested by your employer. Often, you will be their greatest advocate. This is a powerful and responsible role. As a Support Broker, you carry the voice and choice of your employer to the community in an effort to make his or her life plan a reality. To do this, you need to be highly ethical, friendly, encouraging, and comfortable with negotiations. For our purposes, in the My Voice, My Choice training program, negotiation can be broken down into two core components:

1. What can I do as an individual?
2. What can I create with partners?

The core components of effective contracting will also be presented, because the old adage, "nothing really happened if it wasn't written down" is quite true. Whatever is verbally agreed upon between your employer and a provider also needs to be written down in contract form and filed with the Fiscal Management Agency.

To protect the interests of the adult with a disability, another critical task of Support Brokerage is to provide quality assurance services and follow up.  Each contract should provide guidelines for both the adult with a disability and the provider about what to do in the case of minor incidences or major problems.  For example, the contract should include a provision for back-up services identified by the provider if for some reason the provider is unable to get the person out of bed in the morning.  Or, if the adult with a disability notices that the provider is 15 minutes late each morning, the contract should include language about conditions for firing or taking disciplinary action such as docking a providers pay.  It is your role, as the Broker, to help solve problems and mediate between parties to get effective supports delivered.

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