Key Themes

Designing services

The principles that guide the design and activities of local employability partnerships are that they should:

Involve all the key agencies who need to be involved to design and fund an effective, inclusive local employability service.  As mental ill-health is a major cause of sickness absence and worklessness local employability services should include social care and mental health specialist agencies. Clients are more likely to be able to return to work and to sustain employment if mental health and employment specialists work in partnership. See Good practice in Mental Health - Stirling Employability Service Case Study 

Focus on the needs of clients with mental health problems.  This group now forms the largest proportion of people claiming incapacity benefits, and there has been a steady increase in the absolute number of people with mental health issues claiming incapacity benefits over the last five years.  40% of incapacity benefit claimants cite mental ill health as their primary reason for claim. Around 90,000 people in Scotland wish to work, but are economically inactive due to mental health problems.  While other groups have increased their employment rates, people with mental health problems have experienced:

  • Lack of access to support services
  • Lack of partnership working between agencies and services
  • Stigma and discrimination from employers when a condition is disclosed

Be client focused with a clear remit to understand and respond to the needs of individuals who are most at risk of being excluded from employment. (See Good Practice in Mental Health Training - Equal Access Frontline Staff Case Study)

Promote evidence–based practices in mental health and employability and recognised good practice, including:  

Provide space for practitioners to network and improve joint working between agencies, address differences in culture, approach and language. 

Engage with employers to promote health and wellbeing in the workplace. The factors that promote a mentally healthy workplace for all are also the factors that support people with a prior mental health problem to successfully sustain employment.

For further information please see What is an Exemplar Employer - SDC April 09, funded by The Scottish Government.