EMPLOYMENT REHABILITATION SCHEMES FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL-HEALTH PROBLEMS

Although work and employment are important elements in the lives of pe ople recovering from psychiatric illness, their access to meaningful o ccupation and paid employment is limited. A number of state and volunt ary vocational rehabilitation schemes provide training or retraining f or open employment but whether this is a realistic aim in the current economic climate has been questioned. This study, using direct observa tion and informal interviewing, explored the interaction between the s taff and trainees of one such rehabilitation workshop. It sought to el icit information about the role of the workshop from both the trainer and trainee perspectives. The results indicate a number of differences between the staff and trainee models and illustrate the problems face d by the workshop in balancing its smooth operation against the needs and expectations of its staff and trainees. In particular, its organiz ation around a relaxed interpretation of the 'through-put' concept of rehabilitation did not meet the requirements of all the trainees. We c onsider how employment rehabilitation schemes can achieve the dual rol e of both helping service users move into employment or other forms of meaningful occupation, and providing work and work substitutes for lo ng-term users.