MI Work
This innovative project operates in the Shepparton region in partnership with Goulburn Valley Area Mental Health Service. People who have a diagnosed severe mental illness who want to work are assisted to find and keep work of their choice.
This is a ground breaking Shepparton pilot is achieving promising results.
The project provides a high level of support to the participants enabling them to obtain and hold down mainstream jobs.
Mental illness is the second highest cause of people going onto the Disability Support Pension (DSP), just behind musculo-skeletal issues.
Jim O’Connor is the Chief Executive Officer of Worktrainers. Mr O’Connor says Worktrainers, began the project in 2007 to assist people with a severe mental illness into paid work at award wages and provide ongoing support within employment.
Goulburn Valley Area Mental Health Authority are partners in the innovative project. They manage the psychiatric/psychological side of the condition as well as the social rehabilitation back into the community.
Mr O’Connor says research overseas and in Australia has shown greater success in getting people with a severe mental illness into work if the person:
- Is managed by the local Area Mental Health Service.
- Is in stable accommodation with family or community support.
- Genuinely wants to work.
- Is assisted at the earliest opportunity by an employment service professional to find and stay in work (rapid job search).
The two organisations funded the project to allow an experienced employment consultant to work with a case load of up to 25 people with severe mental illness with the aim of getting them into work at the earliest opportunity.
“Previous experience showed Government funded programs to assist people with a mental illness into work had rules and obligations that can make getting employment results difficult”.
“The project was self funded to allow whatever was necessary to be done to achieve employment outcomes,’’ Mr O’Connor explained.
“Typically clients live on Disability Support Pensions and are unable to pay costs associated with return to work so Worktrainers also provides additional funding to assist with wages, work gear and training,’ he said.
The Employment Consultants approach is to work with the jobseeker to find the right type of work they are best suited to and provide intense support until they are confident in doing their job. The Employment Consultant is supported by the staff at Area Mental Health who work as required to manage health and social matters that may impact on work.
For many of the jobseekers part time work, as a staged re-entry to the workforce gives best results. “This fits well with the many part time and casual work opportunities in our present economy,” Mr O’Connor said.
