The Easington Employment service supports individuals with a mental health need to attain their goals relating to employment, volunteering, training and other meaningful activity. The service also supports individuals who are in employment but who are struggling at work or are absent from work because of their mental health. Operating a person centred, recovery focused approach each client receives support tailored to their individual need but support can include; confidence building, anxiety management and promoting resilience, CV and cover letter writing, job searching, application forms, interview techniques and benefit support.
The Easington Employment service supports individuals with a mental health need to attain their goals relating to employment, volunteering, training and other meaningful activity. The service also supports individuals who are in employment but who are struggling at work or are absent from work because of their mental health.
Operating a person centred, recovery focused approach each client receives support tailored to their individual need but support can include; confidence building, anxiety management and promoting resilience, CV and cover letter writing, job searching, application forms, interview techniques and benefit support.
To retain employment, the Employment Specialist Recovery Worker can work with the individual and employer to identify barriers and negotiate reasonable adjustments to accommodate a successful and sustainable return to the workplace
Client A (MC) was referred to us in Nov 2015 by the Practice Counsellor with a lack of confidence and self-esteem. MC wanted to improve her quality of life and felt that eventually being able to get back in to work would do that. During our initial assessment process MC informed us that she had been out of work for the last 15 years whilst she raised her family and had lost all confidence in her ability to connect with people outside her family and struggled to even leave her house. Working together, MC and I created an action plan where we identified what goals MC would like to work on over the upcoming months. MC had set herself a long-term goal of obtaining paid employment in a care setting but felt that she was currently a long way off and steps needed to be taken prior to her achieving this; one of these things was building up her confidence and self-esteem. MC was signposted to a confidence building workshop ran by Mind Skills, and although MC was nervous about attending, she completed the course and found it very beneficial in improving her confidence; MC then went on to complete 5 more of their courses including Anxiety Management. Following this MC felt as though she was able to take the next step towards her long term goal of paid employment and felt that it would be beneficial to gain some relevant work experience as well as increase her confidence in the work place.
We began to search for voluntary placements and MC found an opportunity as a volunteer at a Youth Centre supporting at the weekly luncheon club, again MC informed me that she was nervous initially, and I accompanied her to her first visits, but after several visits, MC settled in to the role and how now been a volunteer there for several months and gets a lot of enjoyment from it. MC has seen a significant increase in her confidence since working with ourselves and has come a long way; in a recent review, MC informed me that she now felt ready to begin actively searching for paid employment. We have created a CV for Mandy and in our most recent appointments; we completed an application form for a position as a Care Assistant in a local care home which she was encouraged to apply for by the care home manager. MC recently informed me that she was successful at interview and offered the job for 22 hours per week which she has accepted.
Client B – JD was referred to the Employment Retention Service in June 2016 for advice and support around education for her employers as JD felt that they had a lack of insight in to her mental illness; JD has a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and was on sick leave due to mental health. In our initial appointment, JD informed me that she felt that her employers were not making the reasonable adjustments, which would allow her to return to work and felt that providing insight in to her condition would help the situation. I contacted JD’s employers to inform them that I had begun working with her and suggested a meeting where I would be able to introduce myself, the work we do in the Employment Retention Project and how we may be able to help support JD back in to the work place. I attended the meeting alongside JD, her CPN and two members of the management team from the organisation in which JD works. I explained to them what my role was and that I was there to help support JD back in to the workplace by providing support to disclose her mental health to them and discuss possible reasonable adjustments or help to mediate and support both the employee and employer. Both I and JD’s CPN had printed off detailed information about Bi –Polar Disorder to hand to her employers and each explained how this effects JD on a daily basis both at work and in her personal life. JD’s employers were very grateful for this information and stated that they felt that they had a much better insight in to JD’s mental health and how to help better manage and support her in the workplace, they also felt that their understanding of mental health, in particular Bi-Polar Disorder had improved.
Following this we discussed what adjustments they felt would make JD’s return to work as smooth a transition as possible such as, they would provide JD with information in a written format and allow her time to process the information before confirming verbally that she understands any information new given to her as JD explained that she was finding some of the new information difficult to process and this was leading her to feel panicky when at work. It was also agreed that if JD were to experience any side effects as a result of the medication she was taking, she would contact her Manager and they would try and swap her shifts that day if necessary. Her employers have also advised that JD can take some time out during her work day if things get too much and a plan was put in place for JD to speak to a key person or ‘Buddy’ if necessary. JD has now in the process of her phase return back in to the workplace and now feels happy about returning to her employment.
Wider Support
Healthworks – Delivered a Job Club, several clients have taken part in various volunteering placements including admin support, reception, Juiceworks volunteer. Clients have also completed training courses and other meaningful activity including health and safety, first aid courses, mindfulness and photography. Many of our clients also access the Durham County Council Wellbeing for Life programme, gaining support around health eating, physical activity, stopping smoking etc. Also a member of the Healthworks Tenants and Providers Forum. Northern Rights – Clients have completed confidence into employment courses
Mind – Clients have attended ‘Whatever the weather’ and Confidence Building courses Welfare Rights, CAB, Jobcentre, Ingeus (Health and Wellbeing Advisor) and DWP – All part of Durham County Council Welfare Reform Subgroup. Clients have been signposted to these for additional support as well as supported to attend
New member of Advice in County Durham initiative which involves information sharing, attending regular network events and training.
A member of the Durham County Council Mental Health Provider and Stakeholder forum, which involves information sharing and networking with other mental health providers and commissioners in the County Durham area. Promotion and ongoing communication with referral agents including; Community Mental Health Team, IAPT, GP practices across the district, Practice Counsellors and Jobcentre Plus
Co-Production
The My Future Matters process provides the client with ownership of their journey to recovery with MHM. The client’s involvement begins in the assessment stage when they work with the Employment Worker to establish their hopes and aspirations, strengths and successes and current and potential barriers. The client and Employment Worker then go on to implement a safety plan to ensure safe and secure practices and discuss tools and techniques that could help the individual to stay well both whilst working with MHM and beyond. The client and Employment Worker then establish a Recovery Action Plan, a SMART, short term blueprint that will form the basis of their time together. Both the Safety Plan and Recovery Action Plan are reviewed on a 12 weekly basis (or as and when needed) to measure success and maintain motivation but also to ensure a flexible and adaptable approach to individual need. The review process also provides a prompt for client feedback and allows any areas of development (client, staff and service) to be established. MHM clients were consulted in the development for the MFM process and paperwork and were given the opportunity to provide ideas and feedback.
The frequency and duration of appointments are set whenever possible by the client to account for their current circumstances. For example, when first enrolling with the service, the client might benefit from more frequent appointments until progress is made towards their goals or if they are applying for work, additional appointments may be needed for the completion of application forms or interview practice. For employment retention clients, several appointments may be needed to prepare for and attend employment meetings or daily/weekly support might be needed for a gradual return to the workplace.
When leaving the service, clients are asked to complete a client exit questionnaire which asks their opinion on service and organisation strengths and weaknesses.
The service is due to deliver an employability workshop based on group interview techniques as this has been identified as a need amongst the current client group. Future sessions will also take place depending in need at that time.
The line manager is based within the service office and an open and transparent culture is encouraged. This allows staff to raise issues and concerns as and when arise and allows for swift and prompt action to be taken. Staff are also encouraged to participate in monthly team meetings and receive 6 weekly supervisions and annual appraisals. Regular workshops take place that address any group issues or concerns and allow staff to shape and develop the future of their own service
Looking Back/Challenges Faced
The My Future Matters process provides the client with ownership of their journey to recovery with MHM. The client’s involvement begins in the assessment stage when they work with the Employment Worker to establish their hopes and aspirations, strengths and successes and current and potential barriers. The client and Employment Worker then go on to implement a safety plan to ensure safe and secure practices and discuss tools and techniques that could help the individual to stay well both whilst working with MHM and beyond. The client and Employment Worker then establish a Recovery Action Plan, a SMART, short term blueprint that will form the basis of their time together. Both the Safety Plan and Recovery Action Plan are reviewed on a 12 weekly basis (or as and when needed) to measure success and maintain motivation but also to ensure a flexible and adaptable approach to individual need. The review process also provides a prompt for client feedback and allows any areas of development (client, staff and service) to be established. MHM clients were consulted in the development for the MFM process and paperwork and were given the opportunity to provide ideas and feedback.
The frequency and duration of appointments are set whenever possible by the client to account for their current circumstances. For example, when first enrolling with the service, the client might benefit from more frequent appointments until progress is made towards their goals or if they are applying for work, additional appointments may be needed for the completion of application forms or interview practice. For employment retention clients, several appointments may be needed to prepare for and attend employment meetings or daily/weekly support might be needed for a gradual return to the workplace.
When leaving the service, clients are asked to complete a client exit questionnaire which asks their opinion on service and organisation strengths and weaknesses.
The service is due to deliver an employability workshop based on group interview techniques as this has been identified as a need amongst the current client group. Future sessions will also take place depending in need at that time.
The line manager is based within the service office and an open and transparent culture is encouraged. This allows staff to raise issues and concerns as and when arise and allows for swift and prompt action to be taken. Staff are also encouraged to participate in monthly team meetings and receive 6 weekly supervisions and annual appraisals. Regular workshops take place that address any group issues or concerns and allow staff to shape and develop the future of their own service
Sustainability
Our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) IT system enables the central storage and sharing of all commissioner, contact, client and service information. MHM Policy and Procedure also dictates how quickly information should be added to the CRM system to ensure the timely and accurate recording of information.
The sharing of service and wider local knowledge is encouraged on a day to day basis verbally, via e mail and using a shared resource database. Wider organisation information is also distributed using appropriate communication channels and on a group basis at team meetings. Staff also have access to the MHM Intranet site, Horizon, which holds all the Policy and Procedures, which staff can access at any time. The site is still developing and will enable sharing of information across all staff
Staff progression and development is nurtured at MHM and recently front line Employment Workers were involved in the recruitment of new MHM staff to see the recruitment and interview process from an employer’s perspective. Not only did this develop greater knowledge and experience that would benefit work with clients but it also helped staff progression toward a more managerial role.
See co production section for staff involvement in shaping of service.
Evaluation (Peer or Academic)
Easington services is reviewed every 6 months and we are happy to say we have had our contract extended since 2006. This has shown the work we are committed to do is robust and outcome focused.
Delivering real outcomes to real people with very real needs.
Outcomes
44 people to be on a caseload at any one time with long and short intervention requirements
1 person gaining full time employment month on month
2 people gaining voluntary work month on month
100% of our people attend vocational training to support them to be Job Ready.
2 per month attending education or training
The main outcome is about people being confident and have greater self-esteem to step into the unknown. When you see someone grow and realise the potential they have. To watch someone stand up and say I am ready to take my next step in making a difference in my life!!
Sharing
As a locality team, we share information, best practice and resources on a day to day basis (both verbally, via e mail and resources database) and at the monthly team meeting. Examples of this include information about local training and activities, employability skills resources and information around promoting resilience.
The MHM team are a dynamic part of the Healthworks partnership and in addition to the commissioned service that we provide, we have also delivered a Job Club which was open to members of the public and Healthworks volunteers. This involved delivering sessions around employability skills and supporting individuals in their search for employment. We have also supported Healthworks volunteers and staff on an ad hoc basis to complete application forms and prepare for interviews.
An active part of the community, the MHM team take part in a range of activities including mental health awareness, Mindful Employer, Time to Talk, local Job Fairs, area action partnership initiatives and other relevant networking events.
In addition to supporting clients to retain their employment, part of the employment retention role is to educate employers and increase their understanding of mental health and possible adjustments that can be made to accommodate issues related to a mental health need in the workplace.
Any client that accesses the Easington Employment service can also access the MHM Helpline which consists of a team of highly trained and experienced Telephone Support Workers who use their counselling skills to provide emotional guidance and information.
Clients who access the Easington Employment service can also utilise our Learning Pool e learning facility which covers employment related topics such as CV writing and interview techniques.
With consent from the client, we share specific information with third parties such as Employers, other providers, health care professionals and family members
