Supported Employment for Persons with Mental Illness or Mental Disability.
The Employment Equity Act makes provisions for the employment of people with disabilities. Our strategy focuses on developing capacity with economic empowerment as an ultimate goal.
About You
Section 1: About You
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Durban and Coastal Mental Health
Organization Website
Organization Phone
(031) 2072717
Organization Address
3 Hatton Avenue, Sherwood, Durban, 4091
Organization Country
South Africa
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Your idea
Name Your Project
Supported Employment for Persons with Mental Illness or Mental Disability.
Country your work focuses on
South Africa
Describe Your Idea
The Employment Equity Act makes provisions for the employment of people with disabilities. Our strategy focuses on developing capacity with economic empowerment as an ultimate goal.
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Historically, Society has discriminated against mental illness, with some cultural groups equating the condition to being influenced or possessed by forces of evil. Today, there is a move towards a change in attitude however we are still finding that many myths prevail about mental health disorders. Durban and Coastal Mental Health seeks to dispel these myths, challenge the discrimination and change Society’s attitude to people who have a Mental Health disorder. The Supported Employment Programme is targeted at empowering individuals with mental health disorder to develop the socio- emotional capacity and vocational skills necessary for finding employment in the open labour market. By tapping the hidden potential of these individuals, we focus on their Ability and not their Disability. As the largest Mental Health Organization in South Africa we are committed to advocating for policy and legislative changes that will promote the rights of people with disability to access jobs in the open market system. Our Programme offers a range of strategies that facilitate economic empowerment and self sufficiency for people with disability. Furthermore it helps to foster a change in attitude within the corporate sector. The idea is to change the thinking of employers and society with each successful placement and to open up a vista of opportunities for employment for people with mental health disorders.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
- The Programme affords people with mental health disorders the opportunity to improve their socio emotional functioning and financial circumstances, increase their economic independence and reduce dependence on social grants.
- 17 Mental Health Care Users were placed in factories whilst receiving support from the Organization. 4 of them have been employed by their companies on a permanent basis, and are no longer dependent on disability grants and are now BREADWINNERS.
This groundbreaking group has shown that persons with mental health disorders are capable of making a successful transition from protective employment to working in a competitive open labour market, and are paving the way for other Mental Health Care Users to follow in their footsteps.
- Through the Blockmaking Project, 75 people with mental health disorders, from disadvantaged communities, developed skills in making concrete blocks and bricks.
- Community gardening, sewing and beadwork projects involving 21 Mental Health Care Users in the poverty pockets of Amaoti and KwaMashu, have been implemented.
- 124 service users perform tasks related to cleaning, laundry, maintenance and administration within the organization, as part of a jobgrading process.
Problem
- Unemployment results in poverty, possibly leading to substance abuse and crime, all of which results in aggravating the condition of persons with Mental Health Disorders.
- The Service User Employment Programme strives to redress these imbalances by providing psycho-social rehabilitation coupled with a range of strategies for economic empowerment. These include: Factory Placements, Blockmaking Projects, Jobgrading, Community Gardening, Sewing and Beadwork.
- There is a perception that people with a mental health disorder are unable to make a meaningful contribution to the economy. It is this prevailing stereotype that has lead to the marginalization of people with disability and creates barriers to their employment.
- The constitutional right of people with a mental health disorder to be employed is denied by Society’s discrimination against people with Mental Health Disorders.
Actions
In order to enable Mental Health Care Users to become economically self reliant and to develop a sense of selfworth through meaningful occupation, we have initiated our Supported Employment Project. By providing these Mental Health Care Users with support and reasonable accommodation, their placement in these positions have been successful.
Our Factory Placement initiative empowers individuals with mental health disorders to develop the skills necessary for working in the open labour market, initially within the supportive network of our Organization and ultimately as a fully fledged permanent employee of the relevant Company.
Our Psycho-social Rehabilitation Clubs train people to develop home industries. They develop skills in making cushions, decoupage vases, greeting cards, ethnic crafts and corporate gifts.
Community gardening is a strategy employed in our semi rural communities to uplift and equip Mental Health care Users to engage in sustainable income generating initiatives, through growing vegetables.
Results
- Participation in one of the aforementioned strategies will enable Mental Health Care Users to feel more motivated and less depressed as they will be involved in a constructive activity that yields an income. They will also derive benefits from the social aspects of working in a group as opposed to being socially isolated. Individuals who were previously lacking vocational skills will acquire technical skills in brick and block production, gardening, sewing, beadwork, numeracy, etc.
- Skills obtained would place beneficiaries in a stronger position to secure employment.
- The income derived from the chosen strategy would enhance their economic position and enable them to meet their basic needs for food, accommodation, medicine and transport and enjoy an acceptable standard of living.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
2010 – 2011
- Create awareness over the next three years in the corporate sector of the opportunity to draw on a pool of people with disabilities, for employment in their company, to enable them to meet their employment equity compliance requirements.
- Vigorous Marketing of our products at flea markets, local business, houses and trade shows.
- Negotiations with the Ethekwini Municipality in relation to showcasing and selling our products at Stadia during the Fifa 2010.
- Conduct training in Cleaning skills with Mental Health Care Users utilizing a manual and professional service providers.
2011 – 2012
- Develop partnerships with the public sector in order to obtain tenders to supply blocks and bricks to the Department of Housing for the Government’s Housing Projects.
- To employ an occupational therapist for job grading of Mental Health Care Users within our Programmes with a view to their appropriate placement and training.
- To obtain the services of a job coach who would assist employers to understand and implement reasonable accommodations and to assist Mental Health Care Users with their adjustment to the open labour market.
2012 – 2013
- Create Social Enterprises that are economically, humanly, socially and environmentally sustainable and will allow for Mental Health Care Users trained in Blockmaking skills to be absorbed into the labour market.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Mental Health Care Users sometimes struggle with the idea of complete autonomy and are reluctant to embrace the opportunities to work in the open labour market due to the fear of relapsing. They are also concerned that should they relapse after losing their disability grants, they would be left with no means of supporting themselves. We are therefore advocating for a change in Policy relating to social security.
The economic downturn is impacting negatively on the human resource component of the corporate sector and creates a further barrier to employers’ willingness to employ Mental Health Care Users. Seed funding from Government would be essential to sustaining the project.
How many people will your project serve annually?
101‐1000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Less than $50
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
In what country?
South Africa
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
Durban and Coastal Mental Health
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
We partner with our customers as they assist us in identifying new customers by making referrals. Consequently we are able to acquire new customers to purchase our blocks, and new leads to explore for factory placements.
Training in cleaning skills, blockmaking, craftwork etc. are provided by service providers we have partnered with on other ventures eg. The service provider, to whom we outsource the cleaning of our 8 residential facilities, has compiled a manual and will provide the training to Mental Health Care Users in our Cleaning Project.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1. To undertake a new project of a one-stop Service Centre in 2010 in a disadvantaged, rural community of Kwa-Ximba in Hammarsdale due to the growing need in this community. A needs assessment was conducted with all Stakeholders.
We will build a new Day Care Centre for 30 mentally handicapped children with a garden project in 2010. In addition, a Trauma room for Victims of Abuse and two offices for Social Workers from all organizations so that services can be brought to the doorstep of this community.
By 2011 to start a Job Creation Project for persons with Mental Illness. Finally, to build a Halfway House Residential Facility for 20 adults with Mental Illness by 2012.
2. To implement strategies to increase disability equity compliance by :-
Mental Health Care Users undertaking cleaning tasks in the organization. As these Mental Health Care Users already have some skills, to enroll them for the Hygiene and Cleaning Level 1 Learnership so that upon completion of the Learnership they can be placed in an outsourced Cleaning Company, Floline, as a cleaner with the support of a Job Coach. In addition, to set up meetings with the Ethekwini Municipality Human Resource Department to employ persons with disabilities as cleaners who have been trained through the Learnership. This project will be initiated in 2010.
3. To partner with Mental Health Care Users by forming a Business Venture in the form of a Block Making Cooperative in which a percentage of employees are those with mental disabilities. This Business will secure block making contracts within the Business Sector of Building Contractors and within the Department of Housing in the eThekwini Municipality. This Project will be undertaken in 2011.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
The defining moment for me was when the Employment Equity Act was promulgated in October 1998, one of its objectives is to eliminate unfair discrimination in employment. In addition, in the Act “designated group” means black people, women and people with disabilities. In respect to the regulations in the Act, 2% of employees that work within “designated employer” company (i.e. a person who employs 50 or more employees) must be persons with disabilities.
I served on the Task Team that compiled the Code of Good Practice on Employment of Persons with Disability in 2002 in the Act and hence, when the much awaited Act was promulgated, I believed that we had an opportunity to improve training and employment opportunities for persons with mental disabilities.
Sadly, people with mental disabilities are at the bottom rung of the employment ladder and seem destined to remain dependent on social assistance even though they are able to make a contribution in the workplace. They face daily exclusion and discrimination on account of the stigma of mental illness.
However, through the provisions of the Act, we are in a position to provide an enabling economic environment through advocating for their employment, accessing funding for work skills training and educating employers about reasonable accommodation as mental disabilities are an invisible disability.
DCMH has done pioneering work in developing employment options. The Workshops have transformed since 1998 from being purely psychosocial rehabilitation projects to job grading the Mental Health Care Users so that those that have the ability can be equipped with meaningful work skills and opportunities that will lead to sustainable employment.
Youth with mental disabilities long for a better future and at DCMH we are committed to ensure that they receive the necessary work skills and opportunities to shape their future.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Mrs Lalita Harie, Executive Director of Durban and Coastal Mental Health has served the Organization for 30 years. Her passion, love and commitment to working with persons with disability is the reason she has remained in the Organization.
As a visionary leader:
- She has transformed Mental Health services within the Organization and has positioned the Organization in line with equitable, sustainable, appropriate and relevant Mental Health services.
- Placed an emphasis on Consumer Self Advocacy, Skills Training, Economic Empowerment of persons with disability, integration of HIV/Aids into Mental Health Services, Rural Development and Volunteer Training.
- Managed finances within budget successfully and moved a 1.5 million rand overdraft and property loans of 1.1 million to a zero balance in the overdraft and payment of the property loan in 5 years.
- Drove a process of successfully lobbying for an increase in the subsidy rate form the Department of Health from 30 % of the unit cost to 75 %. This new rate was then implemented to every Mental Health Organization in KZN. Lalitha’s achievements and dedication has been recognized with the following awards: -
- Was selected by the American Government in 1998 for a 21 day International Visitors Programme on Mental Health.
- Received a Merit Award from the Hamlet Foundation in 2004.
- Was selected as a Top 25 semi finalist out of 283 applicants for the Boss of the Year Award in 2005.
- Received a Certificate of Recognition at the Inaugral “Standard Bank Salutes the Women of KwaZulu-Natal” campaign.
- Was a finalist in the Nedbank Business Women’s Association in 2008, being the proud recipient of the Regional Business Achievers Awards.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Personal contact at Changemakers
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