Employment and Mental Health

As part of London’s IAPT initiative, the region has a commitment to supporting people to move from work related welfare benefits back into employment, not only helping those who are unemployed to gain employment but alsoto support those who are in work and struggling.

The principle of early intervention is fundamental to the structure and design of IAPT Employment Support Services. Early access to integrated health and work support will provide a better chance of more rapid re-engagement in the labour market.

An integral component of any mental health employment support service is to engage local employers to recruit and support those with mental health problems. There are a number of projects that the Working for Wellness programme is leading on at present which include the IAPT Employer Engagement Training, the Royal Mail Linked Employer Scheme and the MITIE Vocational Training Scheme.

The Vocational Training Scheme developed with MITIE (the strategic outsourcing and asset management company) aims to provide employability training as well as on-the-job work experience over 16 weeks  part time. All candidates who successfully complete the course will be guaranteed an interview which could lead to employment.