Pat Buckley
Question:287. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Health his plans to help support employment opportunities for persons who have a mental health disability. [12093/16]
View answerWednesday, 25 May 2016
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The Integrating Employment and Mental Health Support (IEMHS) project is a Genio-funded partnership project between the Department of Social Protection, the HSE and Mental Health Reform. The project aims to demonstrate how existing mental health and supported employment (Employability) services can fulfil the best practice Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment through improved integration.
Operating across four sites (West Cork, Mayo, Cavan/Monaghan and Galway), the project will provide integrated mental health and employment support for 20 individuals per site over 2 years (up to 80 participants in total). The project will go beyond current criteria for Employability services by allowing participating service users to avail of supported employment regardless of 'job readiness' and through integrating the Job Coach into the mental health team. The project is currently under way and is due to run for two years from 1st June, 2015 to 31st May, 2017.
Based on international research, the project is likely to improve the mental health outcomes for the participating service users as well as increasing the likelihood that they will access work. The project will also increase the capacity of participating supported employment services to support individuals with severe mental health difficulties.
The IEMHS project is in line with Government mental health and employment policy. The national mental health policy 'A Vision for Change' states that people with a mental health difficulty should be able to avail of employment opportunities on an equal basis with others.
In the new Programme for Government, the Government will seek to introduce flexibility and support in the social welfare system for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties to transition into employment by ensuring a seamless return of their entitlements should a particular employment opportunity prove unsuitable and also establish dedicated funding supports for tenancy sustainment for people transitioning from HSE-supported accommodation and for clients in mental health services living in other types of accommodation in the community.
The support provided by community, voluntary and advocacy groups is vital to people with mental health difficulties, to their families and carers. The Government will seek to ensure that they are supported in the initiatives and programmes they receive and also improve the uniformity, effectiveness and timeliness of support services to families and communities bereaved by suicide.
The Government will also seek to provide more residential places for people with enduring mental health issues, including forensic and dual diagnosis patients.