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SoFarr Study An investigation of the usefulness of Social Firms in promoting vocational recovery for people with mental health problems Eleanor Gilbert & Alyssa Milton. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust. Overview. Background – Mental Health and Employment
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SoFarr Study An investigation of the usefulness of Social Firms in promoting vocational recovery for people with mental health problems Eleanor Gilbert & Alyssa Milton Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Overview Background – Mental Health and Employment Phase 1 of Research: Results from a National Survey Phase 2 of Research: Current interviews with employees Phase 3 of Research: In-depth peer interviews with employees and focus groups with Social Firm managers & Health Professionals Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Work and Mental Health – the benefits • In the UK most people with severe mental illness (SMI) State that they wish to work (Secker et al 2001). • Employment is associated with: • Better QoL and well being (Marwaha et al 2008). • Improved mental health (Social Exclusion Unit 2004). • Social identity and status • Social contacts and support • A means of structuring and occupying time • Activity and involvement • A sense of personal achievement (Shepherd 1989). Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Unemployment and Mental Health – the costs • In the UK there are high rates of unemployment (80-90%) for people with SMI (Marwaha & Johnson 2004). • Lack of work is a core part of the social exclusion people with mental illness (Social Exclusion Unit 2004). • Unemployment is associated with earlier death and greater levels of psychological illness (Moser et al 1987, McKee-Ryan e al 2005). • The financial costs of SMI are approximately £3.4 billion (2005) for those with schizophrenia (Managalore & Knapp 2006). Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Work & Mental Health on the agenda • Policy reports have highlighted that health services need to focus on maintaining and promoting economic activity in those with SMI (Black 2008) • No one model of service is right for everyone, and each approach may help different people at different times in their recovery (Boardman 2003). • Vocational schemes targeting mental health have had limited evaluation in the UK (Boardman 2003). Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Part 1: National survey • Aim: to understand • How many Social Firms employ people with a history of mental ill health • Distribution of these firms • What types of employment Social Firms offer this group • How employment of people with MH problems affects business
Part 2: Interviews with employees • Cross sectional design used to survey 120 participants. • Aim is to compare the data gathered from workers in Social Firms to secondary mental health service users. • Additionally, gain an understanding of: • Types of work social firms offer. • The range of age, gender and ethnicity of Social Firms workers. • Current levels of symptoms and contact with mental health services. • Levels of income received through work and the impact on their finances. • Levels of satisfaction with life in general and in particular with their working lives. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Part 3a: Peer interviews with Social Firm employees • In depth qualitative semi-structured interviews completed by Peer Interviewers with approximately 30 employees. • Sampling considerations (e.g. age, position, MH, job tenure). • Questions will probe areas such as: • Pathways into and through Social Firms. • The benefits and challenges of working in Social Firms. • The perceived impact of working in Social Firms on areas of life such as symptoms, social networks, self concept and QoL. • Stigma experiences. • Support mechanisms in Social Firms. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Part 3b: Focus groups – Social Firm Managers • Explore Social Firm managers' views of the employment of people with MH in their organisations. Such as: • The benefits and problems for people with MH working in Social Firms. • Challenges experienced in managing staff and support processes • Social Firms suitability for people with range of MH problems • Typical accommodations made in the workplace • Exploring the balance between supporting workers and running a business • The types of business experience of successful Social Firms and markers of success. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Part 3c: Focus groups – Health Professionals • Explore the views of mental health professionals on the benefits and difficulties of Social Firms for people with mental health problems. • Levels of awareness and experience of Social Firms • The perceived benefits and problems of this type of work for people with MH • How the Social Firms model compares to IPS • Their views on types of people suitable for Social Firms • Whether developing links with Social Firms would be seen as beneficial including the methods in which this would occur. Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
National Survey - method • A UK national survey was completed of Social Firms and other types of social enterprise or supported business • Only included those providing paid employment for people with history of mental ill health. • Membership lists: • Social Firms UK, • Enterprise UK, • Social Social Traders, • British Association for Supported Employment • The International Centre for Clubhouse Development Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Method • Snowballing technique • Local authorities • Job Centre Plus offices • Lead Occupational Therapists in Mental Health Trusts • Mental health charities and academics asked to provide details of any relevant businesses they were aware of • An internet search Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Questionnaire • Questionnaire was developed and piloted with Social Firm managers. • Employers asked about: • goods or services supplied • finances • sickness management • recruitment of workers with mental illness • liaison with mental health services. • information about employees with a history of mental illness Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Results • 67 Social Firms and 82 social enterprises or supported businesses (149 total) identified as potentially employing people with a history of MH problems. • Responses from 145 employers -83 confirmed they currently employed at least one person with mental illness. • Questionnaire were completed by 74 of the eligible businesses • Represented 550 employees with history of mental ill health Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Mapping • The organisations surveyed were located throughout the UK. • 40% south of England, • 27% north and the midlands, • 22% Scotland • 11% Wales. • Mainly manufacturing and services/catering. • Average number of years of operation was 6.8 for Social Firms and 24 for social enterprises /supported businesses Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Conclusions from National Survey • Employment of people with a history of mental ill health in Social Firms and social enterprises is currently on a very small scale. • People with wide ranging mental ill health are employed • Social Firms tend to have been developed in the last decade • Increasing awareness may lead to expansion of employment for this group of people in Social Firms • May provide a viable alternative to individual placement and support (IPS). Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
What next? Currently carrying out interviews with employees – data gathering In-depth peer interviews with employees in the autumn Focus groups with Social Firm managers Focus groups with clinicians Results next year Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust
Thank you Contact details: Eleanor Gilbert (Warwick University) Eleanor.Gilbert@covwarkpt.nhs.uk Alyssa Milton (UCL) a.milton@ucl.ac.uk Dr Steven Marwaha (Chief Investigator: Warwick University) S.Marwaha@warwick.ac.uk Professor Sonia Johnson (UCL) s.johnson@ucl.ac.uk Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust