A working reality: Evaluating enhanced intersectoral links in supported employment for people with psychiatric disabilities

Background/aim: Supported employment (SE) program-mes have been found to improve the rates of competitive employment for people with severe mental illness. Evidence has suggested that the most effective SE model is one in which the employment specialist is co-located with mental health services. However, this may not always be achievable. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the enhanced intersectoral links approach to SE. Methods: A total of 43 people with a mental illness participated in the programme in which formal links were created between a community mental health team and three employment services. The outcomes of the programme were evaluated over 24 months. Results: Of all participants, 77% achieved a competitive employment outcome, with 60.6% remaining in employment at the end of the evaluation period. The average duration of employment was 44.8 weeks. For those who were unable to maintain a job, the average period of employment was 14.2 weeks. The study found that participants with less severe symptoms at baseline were more likely to obtain employment and those who had worked in the year preceding entry into the programme were employed for a higher proportion of time. The factors related to job loss were the short-term nature of the position, cognitive difficulties and social skills. Conclusions: The study found that the enhanced intersectoral links approach was effective in achieving outcomes consistent with international studies of SE programmes and may offer a viable alternative to the co-location of employment specialists with community mental health teams.